James Franklin shouldn't be out of a job for long, per a clause in his contract according to On3, he has to look for either another coaching job or a job in media and if he takes that job, Penn State will offset the buyout based on his new salary. It makes you wonder, who would be willing to pull the trigger on hiring Franklin? Though his time at Penn State wasn’t successful by Big Ten standards, he still improved a team that was reeling from the Jerry Sandusky-Joe Paterno scandal.
At Penn State, the expectations are a lot higher than some of the other Big Ten programs or other Power 4 schools. There’s at least three schools that should be so desperate to bring Franklin in, they fire their current coach to make sure there’s no doubt. Franklin is a great recruiter, having Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons on his resume.
He also led the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals last year. For Penn State, just getting to the CFP, while losing the important games in the process isn’t enough. But for some other schools who haven’t had national success, that could be what makes Franklin a great coach there.
Michigan State Spartans
This makes sense for a couple of reasons. Michigan State has been to the College Football Playoff just once and after a rapid decline in the Mel Tucker era, they need another big name to help turn things around. Franklin is obviously very familiar with the surrounding area from a recruiting standpoint. Jonathan Smith hasn’t had a great tenure there and a change is necessary. If the Spartans could pinpoint the perfect coach for them it would have to be Franklin.
Michigan State needs to get back to the top of the Big Ten. They haven't been relevant in years and Franklin could change that. Nobody is going to question whether Franklin can turn a team around and Michigan State needs to be remodeled. With Michigan State, it would be a low-pressure situation that would ultimately be mutually beneficial.
Wisconsin Badgers
Luke Fickell was supposed to turn Wisconsin around like he did the Cincinnati Bearcats, and transform them into a contender in the conference and nationally. Instead, the Badgers have been one of the bottom-feeders of the Big Ten and far from contending in the CFP. It’s why Fickell’s days aren’t just numbered, but also why they should jump at the first chance to bring Franklin in. Wisconsin was just blown out 37-0 to Iowa and it’s clear Fickell has done all he can.
Franklin’s familiarity with the Big Ten would go a long way in helping turn the Badgers around. Wisconsin needs a Franklin-level hire to be a serious contender. Fickell was supposed to be that, but coaching in the American Conference isn’t quite the same as coaching in the Big Ten. The Badgers have no reason to retain Fickell with Franklin as a candidate and since he has to, at the very least, explore options, Wisconsin should come calling to see if he’d even consider them.
North Carolina Tar Heels
We can all agree the Bill Belichick experiment has immensely failed. There’s only one coach that could save that team and it’s Franklin. Another low pressure situation where mediocrity would be enough to keep his job. He was mediocre on a national level at Penn State and it got him a 10-year extension back in 2021. Things changed so it’s not a surprise he got fired before that contract was up.
In Chapel Hill, he’d have the benefit of the doubt if he started the year ranked in the top 5, despite dropping the last three games and falling out of the AP top 25 rankings. Franklin would be able to turn this team around, especially in a less-demanding conference like the ACC. Belichick had a mountain of pressure on him to make UNC competitive with his championship acumen.
Franklin would have some of that same pressure, but it’s known that he struggles with the big games and big opponents. At UNC, he would have fewer big games and fewer big teams to play than he did at Penn State. That would take some of the pressure off of him because aside from the last two games, he knows how to win the games he should.