Why Virginia Tech can contend for ACC in James Franklin’s first year

Virginia Tech might not be far away from ACC contention under James Franklin. In fact, if the Hokies are playing for the conference crown in 2026, don’t be surprised, even if you’re reading this in the month of May.

On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman received a listener question on Andy and Ari On3 and responded if they thought Franklin could keep this team near the top of the conference. Well prior to Year 1, the answer is yes.

The support for the football program, in terms of financial investment, is there more so than in previous years. Heck, Franklin said as much!

“He said, ‘Hey, we’re not competitive within the ACC in terms of resources at all,’ and now they are. And you heard it when James Franklin was on the show,” Staples said. “He’s friends with Brent Pry, so obviously he’s going to defend Brent Pry, but he also defended Justin Fuente, the coach before Brent Pry, where he said, ‘Look, these guys were not given what they needed to succeed here. I am being given what I need to succeed.’”

Prior to Penn State, Franklin rebuilt Vanderbilt into a successful SEC program. He did more with less. Penn State brought wild expectations once he started pushing the right buttons and unfortunately for Franklin, he never got over the top tier hump of winning a national championship.

“He was once a coach that got more with less,” Wasserman said. “And I’m very curious what he does with this situation, because it’s probably still less than what he was getting at Penn State.”

“It’s less than Miami, and it’s less than Penn State,” Staples responded. “But it’s not less than most of the ACC right now, roster talent wise, because he did bring so much from Penn State.”

Taking a look at the talent Franklin brought in to immediately supplement Virginia Tech, it’s near the top of college football. VT ranked out at No. 6 in terms of the 2026 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings, trailing only Indiana, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Louisville and LSU.

“If we’re talking about who has the best rosters in the ACC, Miami is going to be the best,” Staples said. “Clemson is still going to have a very good roster. SMU is in the top two or three. Louisville is going to be in the top five, always. And then it’s a matter of who else. Virginia brings back a lot.”

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.

If anything, Franklin figures out how to win. He went 24-15 in three years at Vanderbilt, ending the year in the top 25 the last two seasons there. At Penn State, he went 104-45, won the Big Ten in 2016 and made the CFP in 2024, falling one game shy of the national championship.