As James Franklin’s staff begins to take shape in earnest with the hiring of Hokies’ former head coach Brent Pry as defensive coordinator this past Sunday, questions surrounding the other two coordinator positions persist. An area of particular concern for Franklin entering the offseason almost certainly is Virginia Tech’s special teams, a unit that struggled mightily in 2025, finishing 128th nationally, according to SportsReference.com.
Franklin will no doubt prioritize overhauling this side of the ball that the Hokies were once famous for under Frank Beamer, namely by bringing in a strong coordinator to replace Stu Holt. Franklin enjoyed years of success while in Happy Valley, but his coordinator hires were routinely scrutinized. On the special teams front, he hired five different coordinators in his 12 years as the Nittany Lions’ head coach.
As he begins his tenure in Blacksburg, his coordinator hires will be crucial to enabling consistent success. So, who are some candidates to watch for?
Justin Lustig, Penn State Special Teams Coordinator, Outside Linebackers/Nickels Coach
The Nittany Lions’ second-year coordinator spent a little over one season under Franklin before he was fired in October. Prior to joining Franklin’s staff, Lustig made stops as special teams coordinator at Vanderbilt (2021-23), Syracuse (2017-20), Ball State (2011-15), and Louisiana Lafayette (2009-10).
Despite Penn State’s lackluster 2025 campaign, Lustig’s unit held up relatively well. In Beamer Ball fashion, the Nittany Lions led the nation in blocked kicks with five, and finished tied for second in blocked punts with four. Penn State also finished 13th nationally in net punting.
Lustig likewise proved successful during his stint in Nashville as Vanderbilt’s coordinator, improving the Commodores’ formerly struggling unit to a top-50 finish in both 2022 and 2023, finishing 11th nationally in net punting in the latter season. At Syracuse he coached a Ray Guy Award finalist in Sterling Hofrichter as well as Andre Szmyt, who won the Lou Groza Award in 2020.
Hiring Lustig would be the latest in an ongoing exodus of Penn State staffers to Virginia Tech. Not only would he bring over 15 years of coordinator experience, he would also be knowledgeable of Franklin’s scheme, providing continuity in what will surely be an otherwise total overhaul across the program.
His units’ penchants for blocking kicks would be a sight for the very sore eyes of Hokie Nation, who haven’t had much to cheer about in that vein over the last several seasons. As newly hired head coach Matt Campbell starts to assemble his own staff in Happy Valley, Lustig may become available sooner rather than later, and could be on Franklin’s short list of candidates.
