Copyright Athlon Sports
James Franklin is one of the hottest names on the college football coaching carousel after Penn State fired him following the team’s 22-21 Week 7 loss to Northwestern. Although his tenure in Happy Valley ended on a sour note, as they went from preseason contenders to losing to a winless UCLA team, Franklin is expected to be one of the more sought after coaches in the sport. In his 12 seasons at Penn State, he led the team to a 104-45 record, while guiding the program to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance this past season. However, Franklin’s biggest issue centered around the fact that he was unable to compete with the best of the best. Under his guidance, Penn State went 4-21 against top-10 opponents, consistently failing to take the next step as one of college football’s great programs. Regardless, he still won a Big Ten title in 2016, and also led the team to wins in four New Year’s Six bowls, and programs across the country would kill for that kind of success. One notable program that Mike Farrell Sports’ Mike Huesmann linked Franklin to is the South Carolina Gamecocks. Although the program has yet to let go of head coach Shane Beamer, the team has fallen to 3-4 on the year and have the No. 11 remaining strength of schedule in college football, according to ESPN’s FPI. There are growing murmurs that Beamer may exit stage left to take over at Virginia Tech where his father, Frank, coached for 29 seasons and is the program’s all-time winningest coach. A move that could pave the way for Franklin to return to the SEC in the eyes of Huesmann. “The added niche here is that Beamer’s dad, Frank, was a coaching legend for the Hokies,” wrote Huesmann. “In the end, I think Beamer stays at Carolina and in the SEC, but if he bolts for Virginia Tech, Franklin and Fran Brown would be my top two choices now.” Franklin confirmed on ESPN’s “College GameDay” that he plans to continue coaching, so it shouldn’t shock anyone that his name will frequently pop up in discussions. In terms of what job Franklin is looking for, that remains the mystery everyone wants the answer to.
