College football's 20 best coaches not named Nick Saban

College football’s 20 best coaches not named Nick Saban

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney talks into his AT&T headset during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers on January 1, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – APRIL 21: Penn State Head Coach James Franklin looks on as his team sets up for a field goal during the Spring Football Game on April 21, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Three years ago, I would have called you crazy if you said James Franklin was one of the top 10 coaches in college football. He had back-to-back 7-6 seasons with the Nittany Lions after coming over from Vanderbilt and it looked like he was about to be a failed experiment in Happy Valley.

Then, a turnaround finally came.

Franklin had a rough start to the 2016 season which included an embarrassing blowout loss to Michigan on the road, but that was a wake-up call for the head coach. The Nittany Lions caught fire and finished 11-3 with a Big Ten title and appearance in the Rose Bowl — it happened to be one of the most exciting games of the postseason despite the loss to USC.

Penn State is now 22-5 overall and 15-3 in conference play over the past two seasons under Franklin and his recruiting prowess is keeping the Nittany Lions near the top of the conference standings and will do so for years to come.

Let’s not forget what he did at Vanderbilt for three seasons before coming to Penn State. The Commodores — not known for their football program — went 24-15 overall and 11-13 in SEC play.

Franklin has also never missed the postseason in his career as head coach.