Penn State’s season was already in free fall long before James Franklin resurfaced at Virginia Tech. A year removed from a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, the Nittany Lions opened 2025 ranked No. 5 and collapsed to 4-6 after a six-game losing streak.

By mid-October, Penn State fired Franklin after twelve seasons, ending an era built on stability but defined by an inability to beat top-10 teams, which the program could no longer accept.

Now, in the middle of trying to salvage what’s left of the season, Penn State is dealing with the fallout of Franklin’s next move.

James Franklin is already pulling Penn State staffers to Blacksburg

Earlier this week, Franklin was officially hired at Virginia Tech. Within hours, he began pulling Penn State staffers with him and contacting players in the 2026 recruiting class. That’s forced interim head coach Terry Smith to prepare for Nebraska while simultaneously reconstructing the operation around him.

Among the departures: Andy Frank, the general manager of personnel and recruiting, and Kevin Threlkel, Franklin’s longtime chief of staff. Both exits gutted Penn State’s infrastructure.

“It’s a challenge,” Smith said after practice on Wednesday. “We lost a number of staff members, and now we have to fill those voids. I’m in charge of it. I have to take time to make sure those responsibilities are handled. We’ll handle it and adjust to it.”

Terry Smith is caught between two realities

What makes the situation even more surreal is that Smith and Franklin remain close. They were the longest-running partnership on the staff. Smith publicly congratulated Franklin on the Virginia Tech job and said the two communicate “every other day.”

Franklin confirmed it to reporters in Blacksburg, telling them Smith was at his house “a couple nights ago” and that they still talk “all the time.”

“Really happy for him,” Smith said. “In this industry of coaching, we all go through highs and lows. At some point, if you’re coaching, you’re going to get fired. I’m just happy for him and his family to bounce back so soon.”

That’s the tightrope Smith is walking on. He has to stabilize a roster that watched its season implode, replace the staffers who left with Franklin, and get the Nittany Lions ready for a game that will define how this strange, fractured year ends.

Penn State is trying to move forward. Franklin is already rebuilding in Blacksburg. And the program Smith is steering through the turbulence is caught between those two realities.

Penn State Nittany Lions News

Experts say James Franklin’s move to Virginia Tech could send shockwaves through Penn State’s recruiting board

James Franklin’s move to Virginia Tech is already shaking up Penn State’s recruiting board as experts say his aggressive recruiting style could trigger major flips.

Nick Wright