Five Takeaways From James Franklin's Introductory News Conference

James Franklin was officially introduced as Virginia Tech's new football coach on Wednesday in front of a sizable crowd inside Cassell Coliseum. Franklin, along with Virginia Tech Rector John Rocovich, President Tim Sands, and Athletic Director Whit Babcock all delivered remarks before Franklin took to the podium.

If you liked Franklin before Wednesday's news conference, you probably love him now. Franklin said all the right things, igniting optimism in a fan base that desperately wants a winner. In case you missed the presser, here are five key takeaways.

They're All in This Together

The word of the day was "alignment". It was used repeatedly on Wednesday, as Franklin praised university leadership for their forward thinking about what it will take for Virginia Tech to compete at the highest level. Franklin said that when he met members of the search committee, they made clear that Virginia Tech was prepared to commit the appropriate level of resources for an elite football program.

"What was very obvious to me early on was that they had a plan," Franklin said.

That plan, the result of Virginia Tech's $229 million funding initiative to further support athletics, was the first sign that university leadership was serious about elevating Hokie football back to national prominence. The next sign? Upon Franklin's dismissal, Babcock said that the search committee unanimously agreed Franklin was the school's top candidate.

Virginia Tech didn't play games either, making it known to Franklin that he was their guy.

"The very first time we met — I don't want to speak for them — but they were ready for me to say 'yes' that night," Franklin said.

Virginia Tech's search process, combined with Wednesday's news conference, serve as strong evidence that the Hokies are all pulling in the direction — toward the top of college football.

"In today's college football, there needs to be alignment," Franklin said. "There's no other way to do it. That is from the rector, to the president, to the athletic director, to the head football coach, and most importantly, to the fans and alumni."

Welcome to the Big Time

Virginia Tech is often criticized for operating like a mom-and-pop shop. Given the athletic department's roots and culture, it's no surprise that Virginia Tech has always resembled your local pizza joint instead of the big tech firm downtown.

That's about to change. Franklin envisions Virginia Tech football as an elite program in every capacity, both on and off the field.

"These young men that we're going to be recruiting, they're going to be recruited from all the top programs in the country," Franklin said. "They need to walk in to Virginia Tech football and it needs to look, feel, smell, and operate like big-time. Every aspect of it — how we make them feel when they come in the building, how important they are to what we're trying to do. When they walk around our facilities and they see the stadium, they see the indoor facility, and also when they get inside the football facility, it needs to look, feel, and operate like a big-time program because they're visiting all these other places, and the reality is it's not what you have because everybody has it...What stands out is the things that you're lacking."

This sentiment mirrors with what both Justin Fuente and Brent Pry expressed in their early years as head coaches, but neither man was able to turn that vision into reality. For more than a decade, Virginia Tech has rarely attracted elite high school talent.

Not only has Franklin excelled in recruiting, but he's done so at a consistently over the course of many years. Franklin has recruited in the SEC and Big Ten. He's been around and recruited against elite programs. He knows what big-time college football looks like. Franklin is as qualified as anyone to make the necessary changes to elevate Virginia Tech to that level.

An Old School Approach

College football has changed, but Franklin is still the same guy he was when he got into coaching — he wants players to come to Virginia Tech for the right reasons and will hold them accountable.

"The players here at Virginia Tech are going to find out — I'm a players' coach," Franklin said. "That's what it's all about for me. That's what it always will be. Just to be very clear though, just because I'm a players' coach does not mean there won't be discipline and accountability. I'm an old school guy. I'm going to coach you hard, but I'm also going to love you hard as well."

In this new era, where revenue-sharing and NIL deals are often the most important item on players' agendas, Franklin still believes that young men yearn for a coach that will still hold them to a standard.

"Young people want to be coached," Franklin said. "I think there is a myth out there, I think there is a concern out there in today's major college football that you can't coach these guys. I don't think that's true. They're going to be coached hard, they're going to be developed hard, but they're going to be loved and cared for as well."

Coaches don't take that approach as often as they used to in this modern era, but at a school like Virginia Tech, those around the program will appreciate Franklin setting a high standard for his players.

"The reality is that people talk about, 'Is he going to have favorites?' Yes, I am going to have favorites. My favorites are high production and low maintenance players, coaches, and staff," Franklin said.

Building From the Ground Up

Armed with the largest financial backing in the history of the program, Franklin could easily buy the best roster possible through the transfer portal. Franklin, however, isn't interested in building his program via transfers.

"I'm a big believer that this is still a developmental game of young men," Franklin said. "That's developing them on the football field, that's developing them in the classroom, that's developing them to be prepared for the next phase of their life. I still believe that you can run your program from an old school perspective. I want this to be transformational, not transactional. There is more of a business aspect to college football than ever before, but I still believe you can still run your program in a way thats transformational."

In line with the old-school approach, Franklin isn't going to build his Virginia Tech program through college football's version of free agency. It makes sense, as everyone knows the transfer portal can take away from your roster just as much as it adds.

"If you are a portal team, you live by the portal, then every year, you're going to have to live by the portal...It's going to be a high school, developmental program that we are going to complement with the transfer portal," Franklin said.

While Franklin is committed to high school recruiting and development, he understands this offseason may look a little different than offseasons to come. One of the reasons Franklin is in Blacksburg is because the Hokies have been deeply flawed for far too long. The roster needs significant upgrades and it needs them quickly. University leadership already committed to funding an expensive roster, meaning Franklin has plenty of cash to spend this winter. 

"We are going to build it with high school recruits. We are going to complement that with the portal, but I also think that in year one, we are going to have an opportunity to maybe use the portal this year one different than we will in other years," Franklin said.

Brent Pry's Parting Gift

James Franklin became emotional at times in his news conference.

Prior to signing anything, Franklin called Frank Beamer and requested his blessing to take Beamer's old post. Franklin teared up when talking about the Blacksburg legend, showing reverence for the man who built Virginia Tech football so many years ago.

Franklin also struggled when thanking his predecessor and longtime friend, Brent Pry.

There's no need to litigate Pry's shortcomings. Pry wasn't able to find success in Blacksburg and the Hokies moved on. It's that simple.

What wasn't so simple was Franklin needing to learn more about why Pry's tenure didn't work, and whether there were lingering issues that would hold Franklin back.

"The advantage, obviously, is that I'm able to call Brent Pry and he's going to tell me the truth," Franklin said. "I didn't really want anyone to sugarcoat it because none of these places are perfect. I'm not perfect. Let's just talk about the strengths, what are the advantages, what are the challenges? Brent was very, very transparent."

Pry could have easily bad-mouthed his former employer, but that's not the kind of man he is. Pry is a good man and a good Hokie — his short tenure as a graduate assistant under Bud Foster at Virginia Tech instilled a deep love for Virginia Tech. Pry desperately wants Virginia Tech to succeed, even if he won't be the man leading the charge. Franklin noted that Pry has always spoken highly of Blacksburg and the broader Virginia Tech community, even when times were tough.

"I probably would not be sitting here today without Brent's input and thoughts about this place."