James Franklin has made it clear that he wants to once again be a college football coach sooner rather than later. The former Penn State coach may have plenty of options given the growing list of programs joining the college football coaching carousel.
If the predictive markets are correct, Franklin may be moving from the Big Ten to the ACC. Kalshi is a predictive market offering realtime odds for sports and current events.
Franklin is given a 73% chance to be named the next Virginia Tech head coach, per Kalshi. James Madison’s Bob Chesney is a distant second at 8%. USF’s Alex Golesh and longtime NFL coach Jon Gruden are also listed among the favorites.
It is worth noting that sportsbooks and predictive markets have had a wide range of future odds amid the Virginia Tech coaching search. Days earlier, one sportsbook listed Gruden as the favorite to be the new Hokies coach.
If you were Virginia Tech would you hire James Franklin? pic.twitter.com/a2sjeH6Fs8
— College Football Zone (@CollegeFBonX) October 12, 2025
Let’s dive into Franklin’s future amid the Virginia Tech rumors.
Virginia Tech could have competition if the Hokies hope to land Franklin. On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Franklin could be one of the top candidates in the latest round of the college football coaching carousel. Virginia Tech’s chances could hinge on whether Florida State fires Mike Norvell.
“Sources have connected former Penn State head coach James Franklin to the Virginia Tech job; however, he is likely to be one of the top names in coaching searches this cycle,” Nakos wrote on Monday.
“His name is also tied to Florida and LSU, and will likely be a top name at Florida State if the Seminoles move on from Mike Norvell. Franklin does have some familiarity with Virginia Tech; his former defensive coordinator at Penn State was Pry.”
It is easy to see why Virginia Tech would find Franklin’s resume attractive. Franklin became a much maligned figure in Happy Valley, but many Hokies fans would love to have had Penn State’s recent success.
“That was it. It was that quick.”
James Franklin opens up about the moment he learned he was being fired by Penn State. pic.twitter.com/fehnzSo25N
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 18, 2025
Virginia Tech was once one of the perennial top teams in the ACC, but the Hokies have not reached eight wins since 2019. The Hokies last double-digit win season came in 2016.
Franklin led Penn State to a 13-3 record in 2024 and a trip to the College Football Playoff. Prior to 2025, Penn State had three straight seasons notching at least 10 wins under Franklin.
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