James Franklin has found himself a new home.
Roughly a month after his dismissal at Penn State, the former Nittany Lions leader is poised to become the next head coach at Virginia Tech, sources told Sports Illustrated’s Mike McDaniel, in news reported Monday afternoon.
He will be replacing Brent Pry, whom the Hokies fired in September.
Franklin was always the Hokies' first choice, according to McDaniel; however, the team did its due diligence in at least considering other possible options—three of which we have listed below. It is not certain if the coaches below expressed interest in return, but per sources, Virginia Tech contacted these three, among others, as it conducted a wide-ranging search:
Bob Chesney, James Madison
Chesney, who took over at JMU in 2024 after Curt Cignetti left for Indiana, has ushered his Dukes to a 9–1 start to the season in 2025, and, aside from the VT link, is also believed to be a front-runner for the UCLA vacancy. His team jumped three spots to No. 21 in the most recent AP Top 25 poll.
A native of Kulpmont, Pa., Chesney's first head coaching gig came at Division III Salve Regina in 2010. He later took over at Division II Assumption and then FCS Holy Cross before moving to JMU.
He addressed his name being linked to various openings during an appearance on Wake Up Barstool earlier this month.
“There’s nothing really to talk about,” the coach said. “I worry about what we’ve got to do here on a day-to-day basis, like every other coach in America. But ultimately to me, I think, there’s a lot of different guys that say a lot of different things when it comes down to it. I can tell you that we’re perfectly happy here. If you saw this student body and you saw the stands, this is a big-time place to play and coach football. We love everything about it.
"In every place I’ve been, they always talk about, hey, he’s leaving. That seems to be a thing that happens all the time, especially in recruiting. For me, we just take it one day at a time and do the best we can."
Jon Sumrall, Tulane
Among the Group of 5 coaches, Sumrall has gotten the most attention as a potential hire. In his second season with Tulane, the Green Wave is off to an 8–2 start, 5–1 in conference play, and also jumped into the most recent AP Top 25 poll with a spot at No. 24.
Prior to Tulane, the Alabama native worked for two years as the head coach at Troy, where he finished with a 23–4 record and two Sun Belt Conference championships. In college, he played football at Kentucky, where he later held stints as both a linebackers coach and a co-defensive coordinator. He also had a coaching stop at Ole Miss, as well as stints working on the staff at Tulane and Troy prior to accepting the lead gig at either.
At the minute, you might have seen Sumrall's name linked to the vacancy at Auburn (in addition to the chatter around the Hokies).
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
Fleck, 44, is in the middle of his ninth season as Minnesota’s head coach, which he entered with a 58–39 record (88-61 overall). He has led his Golden Gophers to nine bowl game appearances during his tenure, and holds a 6–0 record in bowl games at Minnesota. Although you might see his name circulating on various lists and coaching carousel posts, the chatter connecting him to other programs is not nearly as strong as some of the other names out there.
Virginia Tech reached out but Fleck was not interested in the Hokies’ gig, per SI's McDaniel.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sources: Three Coaches Virginia Tech Considered for Open Job Before Hiring James Franklin.
