James Franklin Doesn't Hesitate to Address Virginia Tech's Biggest Issue: "Didn't Stay Up to Date"

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James Franklin has already coached in three Power-4 conferences. That experience has helped him identify longstanding issues at Blacksburg. Franklin knows the rich history and the revered traditions of the Hokies. But that past is not enough to win games. Sometimes it requires an outside vantage point for a full overhaul.

“We’re there for a reason. I wish there were three things, but it was pretty much everything,” James Franklin said about VT’s issues during the 2026 ACC Kickoff on July 16. “The program just held on as a lot of schools do with great tradition and history. I think they held on to that for a very, very long time and didn’t stay up-to-date. Didn’t become a modern athletic department. Didn’t become a modern football program. So there were a lot of things to do.”

Virginia Tech boasts of being one of the most historically and culturally rich programs in the ACC. But they last won the conference title was in 2010, and their recent best season came in 2016. The problem was not clinging to tradition and history; it was the lack of resources. Franklin has been provided $15.5 million in staff budget. Brent Pry only got $8.5 million.

Before Franklin arrived, the program didn’t even have a dedicated football office. But now, the new head coach has a renovated $192K football office. Moreover, VT has already promised him private jets and upgrades to major facilities to streamline recruiting. The change is directly tied to VT’s ‘Invest to win’ $229 million campaign that aims to put the Hokies among FBS’s elite programs.

A few months ago, a former VT staffer told The Athletic that earlier head coaches were asked to do more with less. That’s how the athletic department operated. “There were 65 Power 5 teams, and we were one of two that didn’t have (film database) Hudl, which everyone uses to recruit… We eventually got it, but when you’d ask for things, they’d say, ‘Coach Beamer didn’t need this,’” the former staffer said.

Brent Pry did get a higher budget than the previous head coach, Justin Fuente. However, $122 million athletic department budget still ranked 14th in the ACC. In the NIL era, rapid investment is necessary to keep pace with other top rivals, and that’s exactly what VT promised Franklin.

The Hokies gave previous head coach Brent Pry a modest six-year, $27.5 million contract. On the other hand, Franklin got a 5-year, $41.75 million deal. Now, the former PSU head coach’s contract promises him $13.25 million per year by 2030, along with a separate $3 million recruiting budget.

Furthermore, the program has committed major upgrades around Lane Stadium and its football center. VT is even replacing the stadium’s aging video board with a world-class high-definition display. Additionally, it is now doing aggressive fundraising to make its goals with James Franklin sustainable. The program has already received two separate $20 million and $75 million donations from anonymous donors.

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