James Franklin’s FSU Hope Fades After Virginia Tech’s Big Loss

Virginia Tech’s search for a new head coach took a big turn this week, and it might have ended James Franklin’s chance to get the job he really wanted. The Hokies have talked with the former Penn State coach for weeks. Some insiders even said he was almost 50% likely to take the Virginia Tech job. But everything depended on one thing — the coaching situation at Florida State.

After VT lost 34–14 to Florida State, things changed quickly.

Many people believed James Franklin was waiting to see if the FSU head coaching job would open. Mike Norvell has had an up-and-down run at FSU. In six years, he has had only two winning seasons. FSU already had five losses before playing Virginia Tech. With a 38–32 record, some experts thought he could be fired, even though his buyout is a huge $72.2 million.

But the win over Virginia Tech seems to have calmed things down at FSU. For now, it looks like Norvell will stay. And that means James Franklin may no longer have a chance to coach the Seminoles.

Virginia Tech insider Kolby Crawford said that FSU was the main reason Franklin waited so long to make a decision. He called the FSU job a “massive hinge point.” When reporters asked Franklin about his interest in the Virginia Tech job, he did not answer. He only said he was at Old Dominion to support two former assistants who once worked for him at Penn State.

With FSU no longer looking like an opening, Franklin cannot remain quiet much longer.

James Franklin still has other chances. Arkansas is also interested in him, possibly even more than Virginia Tech. Still, missing out on FSU will hurt. The Seminoles have strong NIL support and one of the best coaching budgets in the ACC. Norvell makes more than $10 million a year, so Franklin would have likely made even more money there.

FSU already said in October that they were “fully committed” to Norvell, and that they would not make any decision before the season ends.

Their win over Virginia Tech helped his case. FSU outscored VT 24–7 in the second half and finished with 431 yards of offense. Their defense also forced two turnovers. Norvell praised his players for their effort, especially on Senior Night.

Wide receiver Duce Robinson had another big game with his third straight 100-yard performance. He is close to becoming FSU’s first 1,000-yard receiver of the decade. Norvell even praised him for a key block, not just his catches.

FSU is now 5–5 and needs one more win to become bowl-eligible. That would help Norvell keep his job for next season.

As for James Franklin, he still has choices. But the FSU door seems closed, and now he must decide which job — Arkansas or Virginia Tech — will be his next move.

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