Fansided

Ranking the top 20 college football coaches for 2021

By Cody Williams

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban smile on the field before the 2019 College Football Playoff Championship game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban smile on the field before the 2019 College Football Playoff Championship game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 20
Next
College football rankings
James Franklin, Penn State. Mandatory Credit: Mark Alberti-USA TODAY Sports /

15. James Franklin, Penn State

Coming off of a 4-5 season is not what we should use to frame who James Franklin is as a head coach in college football. After all, it’s quite literally the only losing season out of seven since he came to Penn State. Given all of the tribulations that last year provided the Nittany Lions and others, it feels pretty safe to say that Franklin might deserve a bit of a pass for his team’s shortcomings.

But possibly the most impressive inclusion on Franklin’s résumé to this point has been his three-year stint at Vanderbilt. As we’ve seen over recent years, the Commodores aren’t an easy program to win with. Yet, Franklin was able to go 24-15 overall over three seasons in Nashville, which he then parlayed into the Penn State job.

After back-to-back 7-6 seasons to start his tenure with the Nittany Lions, Franklin reeled off an outstanding run in which he went a combined 42-11 over the next four seasons, a run that included a Big Ten title in 2016 and three finishes inside the top 10 of the final AP poll.

As the cherry on top — especially if you’re still pointing at last year’s record — Franklin’s Nittany Lions started 0-5 and then went on to win their final four games of the year. In a season where things had fallen apart and everything was difficult to navigate, that his team was able to rally for a strong finish speaks to what he’s built in Happy Valley.