Penn State Football: James Franklin’s Answer

Would James Franklin leave Penn State for USC? James prefers to keep his thoughts on that matter within his family. His football family – players, assistant coaches, key staffers.

Certainly, his wife Fumi knows what he is thinking. And is definite helping to formulate those thoughts.

But Franklin is not telling the 107,000 other members of his family – the ones he invites to home games in Beaver Stadium – and the media, by extension.

Though he says he has.

“I have. I have,” was Franklin’s reply when I posed the following question to him after the Nittany Lions’ practice on Wednesday night:

“Your name comes up every year for a job. Is there any reason you just don’t go, ‘Hey listen, I’m not interested. I’m staying.’ ’’

His answer and how he handles his business is his prerogative. As is his desire to keep his thoughts within “the family.” It’s a viewpoint and plan I can understand.

After all, what head coach whose name is being floated for another job says, “Yeah, I’m reading all the reports. And my agent has reached out. And I’m interested.”

No one, basically.

First-year Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, who has switched jobs with great regularity, was asked about the USC vacancy and if he had any interest. “No chance,” said Meyer. “I’m here and committed to try to build an organization.”

As for Franklin…and I’m just sayin’ — he did not exactly say, “I’m staying.”

He did not say that his renegotiated contract, officially announced on Feb. 26, 2020, runs through Dec. 31, 2025. Or that he plans on seeing it through until then.

And history tells us he will not.

If he had said that on Wednesday night, when I posed the question, standing with 25 other masked-up media members (Franklin was not) in a semi-circle, the matter would not have been closed. That will only happen when USC athletic director Mike Bohn announces the Trojans’ next head football coach, likely sometime in late November or December.

It would not have kept Franklin form leaving for that job – or any other — at the current buyout rate of $4 million (money he, or his new employer, would have to pay Penn State).

But, for some Penn State faithful, it would have been nice to hear. That Franklin loves them and the entire job enough to let the whole world know. Instead, it kinda sounds like a married man saying, “My wife knows how I feel about her. I don’t think anyone else needs to hear about it. That’s our business.”

And it is.

And besides, Franklin added last night in his response to me, folks are not happy with what he says – regardless.

(Though I do think a “I’m #110% in” would make a lot of Penn State fans, recruits, players, assistants, students, donors, recruits and folks named Sandy Barbour pretty happy. At least for now.)

What Franklin did say:

“But I’ve also found and tracked this over time that really no matter what you say, people aren’t happy with. So, I’ve decided that I’m going to handle this internally and talk to our team. It happens every single year. I’m not worried about distractions in the media and with the fans. I’m worried about my team. So, I talk my staff about it, I talk to the players about it, the leadership council, in detail. But I think that’s the best approach.”

The timing of Wednesday’s story in The Athletic listing the top jobs in college football couldn’t be more propitious for Franklin and his agent, Trace Armstrong. Read it here:

And more disconcerting for Penn State’s lame duck president, Eric Barron; Barbour; and the Penn State Board of Trustees.

The Athletic’s Top 5 is not a surprise: Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas and LSU. All are current or soon-to-be members of the SEC. No. 6 is USC – yes, that USC. In addition to the Buckeyes, the only other Big Ten schools that made the list are Michigan at No. 11 and Northwestern at 18.

And Penn State at No. 16.

Don’t think that Franklin hasn’t seen the story and hasn’t shared it with Barbour et al. Along with the specter of a move by Franklin to USC, it can certainly serve as leverage if Franklin chooses to stay, at the potential cost – in labor, facilities, support – of millions of dollars.

It also might be a bit of a wake-up call for Nittany Nation, basking (and deservedly so) in the impending spotlight of Saturday night’s WhiteOut.

It also could be the final straw that broke Franklin’s back.

If CJF does leave PSU, then what next?

No. 16 or not, Barbour – whose contract runs out on Aug. 31, 2023, so this could be her last big hire if Franklin departs – might call two guys named Bill and Joe. And it’s a pretty good bet that both would pick up the phone.