Virginia Tech head football coach James Franklin signed a lucrative five-year contract valued at $41.75 million, which includes a fully guaranteed average annual salary of over $8.2 million. When factoring in the offset structure and buyout negotiations associated with his previous tenure at Penn State, the total financial commitment reaches approximately $50 million. Additionally, the university approved a massive increase to the assistant coaching salary pool, elevating it to $15.5 million to attract elite coordinators.