There is never a shortage of opinions on James Franklin in the college football landscape. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the head coach of Penn State, and the range of those opinions could span the Grand Canyon. Franklin can be a bit of a polarizing coach when it comes to determining how he ranks among the nation’s top coaches in college football, but the one thing everyone can seem to agree on is his ability to recruit.
True, Penn State doesn’t land the same number of five-star players as Big Ten nemesis Ohio State does, but then again just about nobody does. But a look at the recent recruiting cycles shows Penn State is regularly among the top Big Ten programs in the national rankings. Unfortunately, Franklin’s ability to recruit talent to Penn State in ways that have not been seen so consistently in program history can be overshadowed by the lack of on-field success in the biggest of moments.
That is the argument made by a ranking of coaches from Mike Farrell Sports naming the five coaches who are deemed better recruiters than coaches. Personally, I don’t think you can separate recruiting from the “coach,” but it is clear we are discussing the in-game coaching and not the overall ability to run an effective college football program.
“Franklin has morphed Penn State’s recruiting efforts from the latter days of Joe Paterno and what Bill O’Brien was doing,” the post from Mike Farrell Sports explains. “He’s made inroads in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and other recruiting hotspots where the Nittany Lions have not traditionally challenged for recruits.”
This is true, and for good reason. Franklin has expanded the reach of Penn State’s recruiting map and has been given a better opportunity to recruit than his predecessor, Bill O’Brien, had. To include O’Brien in this at all seems unfair given the circumstances which he oversaw during his brief tenure at Penn State. And Joe Paterno obviously landed some good talent over the years, but one common criticism was Penn State’s inability o land elite athletes compared to others as the years went by.
But, of course, Franklin’s lack of success when it matters the most is difficult to overlook.
“On the flip side, Franklin leaves a lot to be desired in big games. He tends to be overly aggressive at times when simply playing for another down or series comes out,” the post goes on to say about Franklin.
By now, you know the usual evidence that is piled up against Franklin. His record against Ohio State is abysmal, but not many coaches have a winning record against the Buckeyes. Franklin has a losing record against Michigan, but that battle is close to being even (3-3 since 2017, but 0-2 the last two seasons). And Franklin’s record against top 25 and top 10 teams leaves something to be desired, there is no disputing that. Even taking out his record in those situations while the head coach at Vanderbilt and wiping away two massive rebuilding years at Penn State, the record is still nothing to brag about for Franklin.
But to say he has come up short in every big game he has coached is a tad extreme for a coach with three New Years Six bowl victories to his name in four opportunities, including last season’s Rose Bowl against Pac-12 champion Utah. My basic point is you have to win a lot of games just to get into those big spots, and you have to give some credit for that.
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Is James Franklin the greatest coach in the history of college football? Of course he isn’t. But is he deserving of more credit than many will give to him? I argue yes.
I have found myself defending James Franklin far more often than I feel is necessary. Yes, his in-game decision-making is questionable at times, to put it kindly, but take a look at where Penn State football is overall as a program and you cannot tell me he has been bad for the program. He has helped revive the program out of its darkest timeline and turned Penn State into a program just trying to clear the final elusive hurdle to a spot in the College Football Playoff.
And yes, that mission will become easier, in theory, in a couple of years when the playoff expands to 12 teams from the current four, and there will be plenty of naysayers saying the only reason Franklin coached Penn State to a playoff berth is because the field expanded so much. To which I say, so what? The fact he has this program in the position it currently sits is a testament to laying a new foundation based on recruiting and developing talent. The recruiting rankings and players going off to the NFL back that up. But yes, a win against the Buckeyes and./or Wolverines this fall would help.
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