Former Penn State coach James Franklin and Virginia Tech are in the early stages of talks, with a resolution on his candidacy expected in the coming days, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Saturday.
Virginia Tech is still conducting extensive research, but it is clear there is mutual interest between the parties, sources said.
Virginia Tech fired coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14, a day after a 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion dropped the Hokies to 0-3 to start the season.
Penn State fired Franklin on October 12 after 12 seasons following three straight losses, culminating with the Nittany Lions losing their second straight home game when they fell to Northwestern 22-21 in front of a stunned crowd in Happy Valley.
Less than a year after making the College Football Playoff semifinals, Franklin’s program appeared to reach a new low when the Nittany Lions traveled to Los Angeles two weeks prior to lose to UCLA, a team that was not only winless, but had not previously held a lead all season.
Earlier in the season, when the three-game losing streak began against Oregon in Happy Valley, Franklin fell to 4-21 at Penn State against top-10 AP opponents, including 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams in conference play. Franklin’s .160 winning percentage against top 10 teams is tied for the third-worst record by a coach (minimum 25 games) at a single school since the polling era began in 1936, according to ESPN Research.
Franklin won 104 games and reached double-digit wins six times in 11 seasons at Penn State, including the previous three.
