James Franklin

Former head coach at Penn State (2014–2025). Fired mid-season 2025 following losses to Oregon, UCLA, Northwestern, Iowa, and Ohio State. Now coaching at Virginia Tech.

The interception by Dillon Thieneman in double OT against Oregon is widely seen as the moment that broke Penn State's 2025 season and accelerated Franklin's firing.

Current Show Posture

As of 2026-06-16:

The show is giving Franklin a fresh Virginia Tech evaluation, but not a clean erasure of the big-game label. The Blacksburg job has different expectations than Penn State, and Franklin has already made Virginia Tech more interesting through organization, portal talent, and recruiting energy. That is enough for Ty to start over 6.5, because the new roster is not a normal 3-9 rebuild.

The 2026 schedule is almost too perfectly designed for the narrative: the early slate can bank wins, while road games at Clemson, SMU, and Miami can either start retiring the label or carry it into the next version of the Franklin era.

Running Takes

• 2026-03-24: 2026-03-24 Penn State Whiteout Thieneman INT is Full Wiggum — Whiteout 2OT = Franklin-era pivot
• 2026-05-21: 2026-05-21 Virginia Tech Has a Tiny Playoff Path — Franklin's transplant build is the variable that makes a tiny Virginia Tech playoff simulation possible.
• 2026-05-26: 2026-05-26 James Franklin Big Game Narrative Survives the Move — the Virginia Tech reset changes the context, not the proof burden.
• 2026-06-16: 2026-06-16 Virginia Tech Franklin Reset Is More Than Year One Rebuild — Franklin's portal-era reset makes Virginia Tech's over-6.5 case credible.

Episode Appearances

• 2026-03-24 The Wiggum Scale - Rating 2025's Most Heartbreaking Moments
• 2026-03-31 The Annual College Football Business Update with Matt Brown
• 2026-04-09 CFB Masters - Elite Coaches, QBs, Losers, and Schedule Gauntlets
• 2026-04-16 Typotheticals - Season Scenario Vibe Checks
• 2026-05-21 Tony Petitti's Playoff Pitch and an ACC Vibe Check — Virginia Tech transplant-build question and playoff-path simulation.
• 2026-05-26 Bed or Built - College Football Narratives to Put to Rest — big-game narrative kept built to last until Virginia Tech produces ranked proof.
• 2026-06-16 Teeter Teams - Florida, Arizona State, Wisconsin and Teams Living On The Edge — over-6.5 teeter case built around Franklin's quick organizational and portal reset.