You can’t really say James Franklin isn’t friendly. The Virginia Tech head coach managed to create one of the more awkward moments during a press conference recently, ahead of his team’s upcoming game against Maryland.
It all kicked off when Michael Howes from the Baltimore Sun introduced himself over Zoom and began to frame his question. However, Franklin decided he wasn’t going to let him proceed until they had a little exchange of niceties first.
Before Howes could dive into his inquiry, Franklin interjected with a friendly, “Hey, Michael,” seemingly trying to elicit a response. When Howes didn’t stop, Franklin repeated “Hey, Michael” multiple times—five, to be exact—before he finally got Howes’ attention and managed to ask how he was doing. It was a nice gesture, sure, but definitely felt a bit cringeworthy.
Howes mentioned on X that he couldn’t actually see Franklin during the call, which made him think maybe there was some sort of technical glitch happening. And honestly, that’s a reasonable assumption given the repetition.
Franklin has kicked off his career with the Hokies quite well, boasting a 2-0 record after victories over VMI and Old Dominion. This weekend, though, presents a significant challenge as they face Maryland, who is currently unbeaten in the Big Ten.
The Hokies have scored an impressive total of 117 points in their first two games, while Maryland’s defense has only let up 14 points this season. It’s also worth noting that aside from the extensive scoring, Franklin made headlines previously by challenging officials during a game when they threw a flag against running back Marcellous Hawkins Jr. for celebrating with cadets after a touchdown in their recent blowout win.
