OAKLAND, Calif. — A 27-year-old man was charged Monday with murder in the death of celebrated former football coach John Beam, who died Friday after being shot in the head on the junior college campus in Oakland, where he worked.

Cedric Irving Jr. could face 50 years to life if convicted, Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said Monday at a news conference. Irving also faces enhancement charges alleging he personally fired a gun that caused great bodily injury and that the victim was particularly vulnerable, possibly due to age, according to the charging complaint.

Beam, 66, was a giant in the local community, a father figure who forged deep relationships with his players while fielding a team that regularly competed for championships. The Netflix docuseries “Last Chance U” focused on Beam and the Laney Eagles in its 2020 season. He most recently had been serving as the school’s athletic director after retiring from coaching last year.

“He really is the best of Oakland — was the best of Oakland,” Jones Dickson said. “His spirit is still here.”

The district attorney said Irving had no criminal record. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. The Alameda County Public Defender’s Office said it has not been appointed to represent Irving and declined comment.

Back-to-back shootings at two schools last week have roiled Oakland, a city of roughly 400,000 across the bay from San Francisco. On Wednesday, a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student is in stable condition, and two juveniles were in custody.

Jones Dickson said Skyline students were on a field trip at Laney College and had to suffer through two lockdowns in the same week. She said it was time to bring accountability into the debate over gun violence because too many young people were being hurt by easy access to firearms.

“That’s unacceptable that we have children in our community who now this is the norm. Two days in a row that they’re locked down for gun violence on a campus. I’m not good with that,” Jones Dickson said.

Officers arrived at Laney College before noon Thursday to find Beam shot in the head at the athletics field house. He was treated at a hospital but died the following day from his injuries.

Irving was arrested at a commuter rail station just after 3 a.m. Friday. He was carrying the firearm used to shoot Beam, and he admitted to carrying out the shooting, according to the probable cause document.

Oakland Police Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect went on campus for a “specific reason” but did not elaborate. “This was a very targeted incident,” he said at a Friday news conference.

Beere did not say how the two men knew each other but said Irving was known to hang around the Laney campus. Irving’s brother told the San Francisco Chronicle that Irving had lost his job as a security guard after an altercation and was facing eviction at home.

Beam joined Laney College in 2004 as a running backs coach and became head coach in 2012, winning two league titles. According to his biography on the college’s website, at least 20 of his players went on to the NFL.

Beam previously worked at Skyline High School, where Irving had played football but after Beam had left for another job.

Virginia Tech hired James Franklin to be its next head football coach, the school announced Monday.

He will be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday morning.

“I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” Franklin said in a statement. “My vision is simple: to restore unmatched excellence, to build something that lasts, and to serve this University, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our amazing fan base with honor, integrity, and passion. I look forward to getting to work with our players, our staff, and the entire Virginia Tech community.”

Franklin was originally owed a $49 million buyout after being fired by Penn State on Oct. 12, but part of his deal with the Hokies, sources confirmed to ESPN, includes a $9 million settlement from the Nittany Lions.

Franklin went 128-60 over 12 seasons at Penn State and three at Vanderbilt. He brings a résumé that includes winning more than 68% of his games, an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff semifinals and a Big Ten championship in 2016.

He’ll replace his former defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who was fired in September after an 0-3 start and a 16-24 record with the Hokies through four seasons.

Franklin’s arrival in Blacksburg will give the Hokies their most accomplished coach since Hall of Famer Frank Beamer, who retired in 2015 after 29 seasons at the school. Since that time, Tech has endured the underwhelming tenures of Justin Fuente and Pry as the school struggled to assimilate to modern college football.

After firing Pry, Tech’s board of visitors passed a plan to add $229 million to the athletics budget over the next four years. The move was to help make Tech a more attractive job and attract a candidate who could revive the school’s lagging football fortunes.

“James Franklin embodies the spirit, vision, and relentless pursuit of excellence that will elevate Virginia Tech Football back on the national stage where it belongs,” athletic director Whit Babcock said in a statement. “This is a landmark moment for our program. … James is a dynamic leader, a relentless recruiter, and a coach who has proven he can build and sustain elite, championship-caliber programs. We are thrilled to welcome him and his family to Blacksburg and to entrust him with the future of VT Football.”

In Franklin, the Hokies get an established coach whose availability wasn’t considered a possibility at the start of the 2025 season. Penn State began the season ranked No. 2 in the country and started 3-0 before enduring three straight losses, including a double-overtime loss to No. 6 Oregon when the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 3 in September.

After losses to UCLA and Northwestern, Penn State fired Franklin.

Franklin came to Penn State in 2014 in the throes of NCAA sanctions from the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. Franklin led the Nittany Lions to the Rose Bowl and Big Ten title in 2016.

Franklin’s tenure was ultimately defined by general success that never manifested at the very highest levels of winning, as he finished 4-21 at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents. Over his 12 seasons there, he led Penn State to six seasons of double-digit victories, including three straight from 2022 to 2024.

The Centre Daily Times was first to report about Penn State’s settlement with Franklin.

Virginia Tech hasn’t won double-digit games since Fuente’s first season in 2016. From 2004 to 2011, Tech won double-digit games each season under Beamer.

Franklin brings strong ties to the I-95 corridor, including the talent-rich DMV area. Along with recruiting that area heavily at Penn State, Franklin coached two stints at Maryland as an assistant and one year at James Madison.

Ohio State and Indiana both won big to keep their undefeated seasons alive, but the rest of the top 5 made things exciting. Texas A&M, after trailing South Carolina 30-3 at the half, stormed back to win by a point. Alabama lost its first conference game of the season to Oklahoma. And Georgia, after battling Texas for three quarters, scored three touchdowns in the final period to win 35-10.

What does it all mean for the AP Top 25? Let’s break down the rankings.

Stats courtesy of ESPN Research.

All times Eastern.

Previous ranking: 1

2025 record: 10-0

Week 12 result: Defeated UCLA 48-10

Stat to know: This is Ohio State’s fourth 10-0 start under Ryan Day.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Rutgers

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Previous ranking: 2

2025 record: 11-0

Week 12 result: Defeated Wisconsin 31-7

Stat to know: This is Indiana’s first-ever 11-game win streak.

What’s next: Nov. 28 at Purdue, 7:30 p.m., NBC

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Previous ranking: 3

2025 record: 10-0

Week 12 result: Defeated South Carolina 31-30

Stat to know: Texas A&M’s 27-point comeback against South Carolina is the largest in school history.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Samford, noon, SEC Network+

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Previous ranking: 5

2025 record: 9-1

Week 12 result: Defeated Texas 35-10

Stat to know: Georgia has won 12 straight home games against AP top 10 teams.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Charlotte, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network

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Previous ranking: 6

2025 record: 10-1

Week 12 result: Defeated Florida 34-24

Stat to know: Ole Miss is 2-0 when trailing entering the fourth quarter this season.

What’s next: Nov. 28 at Mississippi State, noon

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Previous ranking: 8

2025 record: 10-1

Week 12 result: Defeated UCF 48-9

Stat to know: All of Texas Tech’s wins this season have been decided by 20 or more points.

What’s next: Nov. 29 at West Virginia

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Previous ranking: 7

2025 record: 9-1

Week 12 result: Defeated Minnesota 42-13

Stat to know: Oregon has won 38 straight games against unranked opponents. That’s the second-longest streak in FBS behind Georgia.

What’s next: Saturday vs. USC, 3:30 p.m., CBS

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Previous ranking: 11

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Defeated Alabama 23-21

Stat to know: Oklahoma had 212 yards of total offense, its fewest in a win since 2001.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Missouri, noon, ABC

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Previous ranking: 9

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Defeated Pittsburgh 37-15

Stat to know: This is Notre Dame’s eighth straight win following its 0-2 start.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Syracuse, 3:30 p.m., NBC

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Previous ranking: 4

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Lost to Oklahoma 23-21

Stat to know: The loss to Oklahoma snapped Alabama’s eight-game win streak.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Eastern Illinois, 2 p.m., SEC Network+

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Previous ranking: 12

2025 record: 8-1

Week 12 result: Defeated TCU 44-13

Stat to know: BYU scored on each of its first seven drives against TCU.

What’s next: Saturday at Cincinnati, 8:00 p.m., Fox

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Previous ranking: 13

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Kentucky, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

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Previous ranking: 15

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Defeated Baylor 55-28

Stat to know: Utah has scored 45 points or more in its past three games.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Kansas State, 4:00 p.m., ESPN2

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Previous ranking: 16

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Defeated NC State 41-7

Stat to know: Miami’s 581 yards against NC State were its most in a conference game since 2020.

What’s next: Saturday at Virginia Tech, noon, ESPN

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Previous ranking: 14

2025 record: 9-1

Week 12 result: Defeated Boston College 36-34

Stat to know: Georgia Tech would secure a spot in the ACC title game with a win next week against Pitt.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., ESPN

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Previous ranking: 17

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Defeated Iowa 26-21

Stat to know: USC has lost six straight games against top 10 opponents, a streak going back to 2019.

What’s next: Saturday at Oregon, 3:30 p.m., CBS

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Previous ranking: 10

2025 record: 7-3

Week 12 result: Lost to Georgia 35-10

Stat to know: The loss to Georgia was the fifth consecutive loss against an AP top-five team for Texas.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Arkansas, 3:30 p.m., ABC

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Previous ranking: 18

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Defeated Northwestern 24-22

Stat to know: Michigan has won nine consecutive games against Northwestern.

What’s next: Saturday at Maryland, 4:00 p.m., Big Ten Network

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Previous ranking: 20

2025 record: 9-2

Week 12 result: Defeated Duke 34-17

Stat to know: Virginia is 9-1 in its past 10 games against Duke.

What’s next: Nov. 29 vs. Virginia Tech

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Previous ranking: 21

2025 record: 7-3

Week 12 result: Defeated New Mexico State 42-9

Stat to know: Tennessee has 434 points this season, its second-most through ten games in school history.

What’s next: Saturday at Florida, 7:30 p.m., ABC

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Previous ranking: 24

2025 record: 9-1

Week 12 result: Defeated App State 58-10

Stat to know: JMU has won eight straight since losing to Louisville in Week 2.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Washington State, 1:00 p.m., ESPN+

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Previous ranking: NR

2025 record: 9-1

Week 12 result: Defeated UAB 53-24

Stat to know: This is the first time North Texas has been ranked in the AP poll.

What’s next: Saturday at Rice, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU

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Previous ranking: NR

2025 record: 7-3

Week 12 result: Defeated Mississippi State 49-27

Stat to know: Missouri’s 49 points against Mississippi State was its sixth-best mark against an SEC opponent since joining the conference in 2012.

What’s next: Saturday at Oklahoma, noon, ABC

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Previous ranking: NR

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Defeated Florida Atlantic 35-24

Stat to know: Tulane is now 2-1 all time against FAU.

What’s next: Saturday at Temple, 3:45 p.m., ESPNU

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Previous ranking: NR

2025 record: 8-2

Week 12 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. TCU, 4:00 p.m., Fox