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Penn State head coach James Franklin is a well-respected coach, but the misfortunes of the 2020 college football season saw the shine tarnished just a bit. Franklin’s profile took a hit following a disappointing 4-5 season by the Nittany Lions, which was to be expected. It didn’t help that a few other coaches around the country had very successful seasons to elevate their coaching profile,
But Franklin is clearly still one of the best coaches in the nation, especially among his Big Ten peers.
Sporting News updated its ranking of the nation’s top 25 coaches recently, in which we saw Franklin drop from No. 9 to No. 11 in the nation. But, naturally, he still ranks quite highly among Big Ten coaches.
Franklin ranked second in the Sporting News ranking of Big Ten coaches, which is funneled down from its national ranking of coaches. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day tops the list following another Big Ten championship and an appearance in the national championship game last season.
Here’s how the Big Ten coaches stack up according to Sporting News for the upcoming 2021 season.
- Ryan Day, Ohio State
- James Franklin, Penn State
- Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
- Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
- Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
- Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
- Tom Allen, Indiana
- P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
- Scott Frost, Nebraska
- Jeff Brohm, Purdue
- Greg Schiano, Rutgers
- Mel Tucker, Michigan State
- Mike Locksley, Maryland
- Bret Bielema, Illinois
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