By Harry Allison
Penn State opens at Wisconsin on Sept. 4 in a battle of Big 10 powers, and head coach James Franklin hasn’t impressed Pro Football Focus:
18. JAMES FRANKLIN, PENN STATE
We must start with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt, where his 18-8 record in 2012 and 2013 is the best two-year mark since the 1920s. It is unheard of to have back-to-back nine-win seasons at Vanderbilt, and the program quickly fell off when Franklin left for Penn State.
Franklin has performed just as well with the Nittany Lions.
And Penn State’s 4-5 season in 2020 is the only reason why he’s as low on this rankings list, as he went an astounding 42-11 from 2016 to 2019.
Assuming 2020 was just a blip and not the beginning of a downward trend, Franklin has proven himself to be one of the top coaches in college football.
