James Franklin vows Virginia Tech will 'shock the world' during debut season

During his first spring game as Virginia Tech head coach, James Franklin made a promise. He told the fans in attendance the Hokies are going to “shock the world together” during his debut season in Blacksburg.

Franklin addressed the crowd between the first and second quarters of Saturday’s spring game. It marked the unofficial start of a new era for Virginia Tech, though it was delayed due to a skydiver that hit the video board during the pregame festivities. The school announced the skydiver was stable.

Once the game got underway, Franklin got the chance to address the crowd. After first acknowledging he was glad the skydiver was alright, he vowed Virginia Tech would put the college football world on notice this season.

#Hokies coach James Franklin to the crowd during break: "We're gonna shock the world together."

— David Teel (@ByDavidTeel) April 18, 2026

Franklin took over at Virginia Tech after his departure from Penn State last season. He replaced Brent Pry, who later agreed to return to the Hokies’ staff as Franklin’s defensive coordinator this year.

Virginia Tech went 3-9 overall last year, including a 2-6 mark in ACC play. The school fired Pry after an 0-3 start to the year and elevated Philip Montgomery to interim head coach. Late in the season, Virginia Tech announced Franklin as its next head coach.

Pry previously worked for James Franklin as the defensive coordinator at Penn State before taking the Virginia Tech job and the two remained close. As the coaching carousel spun, Franklin said he kept in touch with Pry, who later said he’d be willing to work with him again. Pry cited his family as a factor in his decision, according to Franklin.

“Me and Brent had been talking in general about a number of jobs,” Franklin said. “As this thing evolved and it started to look more like Virginia Tech was going to be a strong possibility, we had not really talked about Virginia Tech in terms of me coming.

“So we started having those conversations, and I was talking to him like Virginia Tech would not be an option to him. He stopped me and said he actually would be. Part of it is his family was going to stay here for at least a year, in terms of where his kids were in school. So that was a major factor in that.”

All told, in his three-plus seasons as head coach, Pry had a 16-24 overall record at Virginia Tech. That includes two bowl game appearances, including a Military Bowl win in 2023.