Urban Meyer makes surprising statement about James Franklin at Virginia Tech

Urban Meyer offered his endorsement of Virginia Tech’s decision to hire former Penn State coach James Franklin, calling the move “a great one” during the latest The Triple Option podcast with Mark Ingram and Rob Stone.

“I don’t think it’s a good one — I think it’s a great one,” Meyer said. “I’m a James Franklin fan. I coached against him. … He’s still a quality coach that won a high percentage of his games at a tough spot.”

Meyer acknowledged Franklin’s widely discussed 4-21 record against top-10 teams, but acknowledged the consistent success Franklin produced during his 11 full seasons in State College. Franklin went 104-45 with six double-digit-win seasons and led Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals last year. He was fired in October after a 3-3 start, including losses to UCLA and Northwestern.

Meyer said Franklin represents the kind of experienced, proven coach that is becoming increasingly rare in an era where athletic directors often hire rising coordinators. He contrasted Franklin with the wave of “hot-shot coordinators” who have recently vaulted directly into major jobs.

“Back when I was a young coach, you had to go to the MAC or smaller conferences and work your way up,” Meyer said. “Now an AD has to pull the string on a guy he really doesn’t know or hire an established winner like Franklin.”

Virginia Tech’s previous coach Brent Pry fit the mold and finished 16-24 before being dismissed earlier this season. This time, Meyer said, the Hokies chose to get it right.

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