Penn State: James Franklin Defends Raiding Former Players in Transfer Portal

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New Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin will be surrounded by a dozen of his former players at Penn State for the upcoming season.

Franklin brought in 12 PSU players via the transfer portal, including quarterback Ethan Grunklemeyer, hoping to boost his first roster with the Hokies.

Per 247 Sports, Virginia Tech earned the No. 27 overall transfer class for 2026, bringing in 27 commits.  Three of those commits are four-star athletes, the rest were three-star athletes.

During ACC Kickoff media days in Charlotte on Thursday, Franklin explained why he chose to bring over so many PSU players. He wanted to surround himself with players he was familiar with, and many of his former players trusted the new staff in Blacksburg.

"I think it really just comes down to this… whenever you’re trying to build a company or a program, you want to do it with people that you trust and you know,” Franklin said, via a transcription from On3. 

“They had decisions to make. They were in the Portal, and they were choosing schools. When you go somewhere where you don’t know the people or the head coach, you’re taking on risks."

New Penn State head coach Matt Campbell did the same thing when he took over in December. He brought in 24 of his former players from Iowa State. It remains to be seen how those Big 12 players transition to the Big Ten.

PSU's overall class for 2026 ranks No. 34, eight spots worse than Virginia Tech.

Franklin believes bringing in former players is a way to reduce risks.

“Part of this is that you want to go get the five-star or make the best decision or find the perfect place," Franklin said. 

"Part of it, too, is reducing risks. In any business model, you want to reduce risks. I want to build this with people that I trust and know and love. I think they wanted to go somewhere with someone they trusted and respected too.”

Penn State will operate under a similar philosophy this fall. How those former Cyclones players transition this summer will be key to Campbell having a good season.

Losing those dozen players to Virginia Tech no doubt hurt Campbell for the upcoming season, but it was to be expected.

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