Nittany Sports Now can confirm the updated details of what Penn State still owes James Franklin.
Jon Sauber of the Centre Daily Times first reported that Penn State negotiated a settlement for his buyout in recent weeks, which gives Franklin $9 million.
Had Franklin remained without a job for the rest of the year, he’d have been owed $48 million.
Instead, Virginia Tech is hiring him to lead its program.
The massive buyout was a massive reason many Penn State fans didn’t expect AD Pat Kraft to let Franklin go. But ultimately, Penn State’s disastrous 3-3 start that included losses to UCLA and Northwestern proved to be the final straw in Kraft’s decision to move on.
WHAT’S NEXT?
So what’s next for James Franklin? Obviously, we know who he is going to coach and when he is going to start. But how he does at Virginia Tech is to be determined. There’s reason to think Franklin might fail. After all, the past two coaches— Justin Fuente (2016-21) and former Penn State DC Brent Pry (2022-25), were unsuccessful. But there’s also reason to think Franklin will change the script in Blacksburg.
After all, he finished in the top ten five times at Penn State, won five New Year’s Six bowl games and led the program to six double-digit win seasons.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.A big part of Franklin’s success at Penn State was his recruiting, and some of his best players came from the D.C., Maryland and Virginia Area.
Virginia Tech is, after all, in Virginia.
WHO’S COMING WITH JAMES?
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
Another big question is who Franklin would take with him from Penn State, whether that’s current players, commits or assistant coaches.
One would think safeties coach Anthony Poindexter has good odds of going with Franklin, perhaps as his defensive coordinator.
As far as players go, plenty of Penn Staters will likely be in the transfer portal regardless of who the next coach is. Considering James Franklin recruited all of them to Penn State, one would think at least a few end up as Hokies.
We will see what happens, but things are going to look different in 2026.
