James Franklin, Penn State’s former head football coach, had a lot of people on his mind as he spoke during his introductory press conference at Virginia Tech on Wednesday morning.

Penn State people included.

Franklin, the Hokies’ new leader, became available to the ACC program after Penn State fired him on Oct. 12 following the Nittany Lions’ 3-3 start.

During his time in State College, Franklin went 104-45 and his 2016 Penn State team won a Big Ten title.

The PSU 2024 team advanced to the college playoff semifinals and was expected to contend for a national championship in 2025, which explains why the Lions cut ties with Franklin after six games this season.

Franklin had a message for Penn State on Wednesday.

“I want to thank Penn State,” Franklin said.

“I had 12 years there. (I

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