What, they think Texas will hire him?
With all of this going on, I’m hearing Penn State is aggressively trying to get an extension done with James Franklin.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 25, 2016
Wolken is a sports reporter for USA Today.
Now, until we see some official word, this is just rumor, and, of course, we probably won’t see any official word until it’s a done deal.
This year’s Penn State team has obviously overachieved. Franklin can leverage the opportunity created by his team’s performance and the omnipresent NCAA coaching carousel. Strike while the iron is hot!
There are already a couple of high-profile head coaching openings. LSU appears to be cutting a deal with Tom Herman while Texas is under a lot of pressure to dump Charlie Strong. I don’t think Franklin has the resume for either of those jobs, but stranger things have happened.
Would Franklin leave on his own?
Sanguinarians will be quick to ask the question: Why would Franklin ever want to leave Penn State? After all, Penn State is the best coaching job in the whole entire universe, right?
The same Sanguinarians thought Bill O’Brien would stay forever, too. Why would anyone leave Happy Valley for mere money?
Regardless of whether Franklin would actually leave Penn State or merely threaten to do so as a negotiating stratagem, the Nittany Lions’ 9-2 season record, the number seven CFP committee ranking, and the win over Ohio State have at least for now put the coach in the catbird seat. He needs to play this one out for what it’s worth — namely, some long green and continuing job security.
Thing is, if PSU loses to Moo U. on Saturday, JFrank’s value plummets. Undoubtedly, his agent is working hard to arrive at an agreement with Penn State very soon.
I continue to believe that Franklin has either made the Faustian bargain or has an angel perched on his shoulder.
Franklin’s current contract provides a bonus of $150,000 for tying for the division title but not playing in the Big Ten Championship game. If they get to the title game, he gets $250,000, and he’ll get another $200,000 for taking the team to a bowl game. In contrast, Urban Meyer will get only a $50,000 bonus for winning or sharing the division title, and another $200,000 if Ohio State makes it to one of the six CFP-affiliated bowl games, but nothing for any of the other bowl games.
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Big Al says
Well, this is certainly no surprise to me He needs a Ferentz-like extension because those 4 and 5 star recruits need assurance that he will be their head ball coach for all 5 (6 with a medical redshirt) years of their Penn State career.
If he somehow manages to 10 games NEXT year, Sandy will have to upgrade the facilities to Texas A&M standards – an Italian marble shower room with gold fixtures, an on-site barbershop, and a swagcopter. Maybe she’ll even throw in 24 hour concierge and “escort” services.
The Nittany Turkey says
They’ll probably give him what he wants, anyhow. They have been generous in the past and Sandy has verbalized that James Franklin is the right man at the right time for Penn State.
Besides, what else do they have to do with all that money they saved by underpaying St. Joe all those years?
—TNT
Joe says
Hey 10 wins, a trip to Indy, a New Years Day bowl or an outside chance for a trip to the CFP so why not give the guy an extension and big raise-he must be doing something right to hear his players talk. And the college football world is so ‘effed up that it wouldn’t surprise me that someone could come courting CJF with a big buck offer just because.
If I were Sandy though I would be concentrating on giving JoMo and Pry the big time raises and try to lock them in for at least 3-4 years. Franklin may have set the tone, but those two guys put the game plans together and made the adjustments and that’s what really got us where we are this year.
The Nittany Turkey says
I would echo your sentiments about JoMo and Pry. Although I might condemn JoMo to some extent for the big play gambling offense, some of that is forced on him by the depleted and otherwise mediocre offensive line. I could only imagine what he could have done if the Lions had a viable short game. The defense has made great strides since the Michigan game, too.
Hypercriticality aside, I’m enjoying the ride. It will be fun to see how far they’ll go, although I can’t envision a scenario in which they would be given a slot in the CFP, even if Washington loses to Colorado. If Michigan gets shut out, it will be great fun to watch another Harbaugh temper tantrum.
—TNT
K. John says
I think it is way to early to even think about an extension. In my mind, after under-performing for two years, he hasn’t earned one, even though he is finally achieving reasonable expectations. Yes, competing for a Big Ten title in year three puts him right on track. He is no longer under achieving nor is is over achieving. He is right where he needs to be. However, that does not warrant an extension with multiple years left on the contract when all he has really done is string together a winning streak over teams he should beat sans one.
The Nittany Turkey says
Yeah, that’s what I thought, but the passion of the moment sometimes wins. If Franklin came to me for a raise and an extension, I’d ask him to show me more than a miraculous victory and an eight-game winning streak over teams with mostly losing records. Big Al predicted that Franklin would get locked into a deal on the basis of this Cinderella season and then disappoint us all next year with a 7-5 or something. On the other hand, they could kick ass. In either case, as you say, it’s too soon to know whether Franklin is the solution for the long-term.
—TNT