You might have heard that high winds down in Blacksburg blew the skydivers engaged for a special pre-Virginia Tech spring football game to-do on Saturday off-course, with one ending up suspended from the oversized scoreboard ahead of the scheduled start to the James Franklin era.
“First responders from Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg quickly responded and within 15 minutes had him safely on the ground. He was checked by medical on site and was released. No serious injuries. Grateful for the rapid response and safe outcome,” the university said in a statement.
Only one of the members of the three-skydiver team – Team Fastrax Professional Skydiving, which boasts a roster of more than 40 active members with cumulative 175,000 skydives – actually made it onto the field as planned; a second skydiver landed on the practice field located adjacent to Lane Stadium.
The university’s statement indicated “no serious injuries,” but TechSideline.com reported that the skydiver who got caught in the scoreboard, Pasha Palanker, a two-time Purple Heart recipient credited with saving the lives of 15 soldiers by confronting and stopping a suicide bomber in a face-to-face altercation – left the scene with his left arm in a sling.
For those who believe in such things as omens, this would be an omen – though for the rest of us, it’s just an odd coincidence as Franklin showcased his new-look team for Hokie Nation for the first time.
Franklin was hired in November after getting the axe a month earlier at Penn State, which he had led to the 2024 College Football Playoff.
At Penn State, a 3-3 start after a CFP appearance is unacceptable.
At Virginia Tech, where the glory days were glorious, but now more than a decade in the rearview, Franklin will get some leeway for the first year, anyway.
The once-proud program has posted losing records in six of its last eight seasons, the nadir being the 3-9 finish in 2025.
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Chris Graham
