Athletic Article on Franklin

[GSPMax]

Good and fair article. Compares Paterno's and Franklin's record. Difficulties getting to where we are today. Unfortunately, it is behind a paywall and I can't post a link. Title is "James Franklin: Overrated or Underappreciated? College football may get its answer this year".

Good read if you can get it

 

[Sheriff Coffee]

I am in TX today at a seminar. People were asking me about CJF, if he would be fired if he didn't have a good year. I think PSU is married to CJF as he's been a great ambassador for PSU on and off the field. he may not have won the big games, but he's certainly elevated the PSU brand, which was in the toilet when he took over. The only real problem he would have is if he is embroiled in some kind of scandal.

I think the school LOVES him, and he is doing enough to keep the fans paying big bucks. I mean, the cheap seats for the whiteout are over $400. And if you say that is because it is the whiteout, UCLA (in Pasadena against a very mediocre B1G team) starts at $160.

 

[LMTLion]

I know he drives all of us nuts at times and the big games have been a struggle, but overall he has been fantastic for the program and school. I know there are core strengths in the school and the alumni base that allowed the school to recover post-Sandusky, but he deserves a ton of credit to get the football program back to national prominence. Importantly, he is very similar to Paterno in terms of morals and the development of young men.

 

[GSPMax]

Here is a link. May work or not.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6555743/2025/08/19/james-franklin-overrated-penn-state-football/

 

[ryoder1]

I am in TX today at a seminar. People were asking me about CJF, if he would be fired if he didn't have a good year. I think PSU is married to CJF as he's been a great ambassador for PSU on and off the field. he may not have won the big games, but he's certainly elevated the PSU brand, which was in the toilet when he took over. The only real problem he would have is if he is embroiled in some kind of scandal.

I think the school LOVES him, and he is doing enough to keep the fans paying big bucks. I mean, the cheap seats for the whiteout are over $400. And if you say that is because it is the whiteout, UCLA (in Pasadena against a very mediocre B1G team) starts at $160.

He's a long way from being fired and it would never happen this season even if we did go 3-9, for example. He has done a very good job getting the program back to prominence. Additionally, by all accounts he has built a strong culture focused on building high character guys. I think he looks for high character guys when recruiting. O'Brien did a very good job and held the program together so it is not like when he took over in 2014 we were horrible. Yes, the talent level was down and the depth was very low but we had talent. I would argue the brand was still good and he inherited a decent program.

He has gotten us all the way back to very good and top 10 status but not elite.....yet.

With that said he is not untouchable. This game is still about wins and losses even at Penn State.

He would need to hit a pretty bad dry spell to get fired without cause. Probably some kind of mediocre run over 5 plus seasons where we lose 4 or more games every year, of course don't make the playoffs and slip into irrelevance on the national scene. At that point, if it would ever happen, and we are a mediocre B10 team with no sign of improving then I would imagine a change would be made. This also would assume his buy out would be reasonable.

 

[GSPMax]

Just tried the link on my phone and it worked. ????

 

[Lazy Dave]

With that said he is not untouchable. This game is still about wins and losses even at Penn State.

It would take big booster money to buy him out anytime soon. I don't know that we have any of those flush with cash types who would pay to get rid of him a la Mark Richt even if we bounce between 7-5 and 11-1 the next 5 years.

Additionally, let's just say we do win it all this year (I'm a huge optimist). That still won't silence the sector who are perpetually grumpy the next time he lost a big game. They would just lump him with Jimbo Fisher.

 

[Sheriff Coffee]

He's a long way from being fired and it would never happen this season even if we did go 3-9, for example. He has done a very good job getting the program back to prominence. Additionally, by all accounts he has built a strong culture focused on building high character guys. I think he looks for high character guys when recruiting. O'Brien did a very good job and held the program together so it is not like when he took over in 2014 we were horrible. Yes, the talent level was down and the depth was very low but we had talent. I would argue the brand was still good and he inherited a decent program.

He has gotten us all the way back to very good and top 10 status but not elite.....yet.

With that said he is not untouchable. This game is still about wins and losses even at Penn State.

He would need to hit a pretty bad dry spell to get fired without cause. Probably some kind of mediocre run over 5 plus seasons where we lose 4 or more games every year, of course don't make the playoffs and slip into irrelevance on the national scene. At that point, if it would ever happen, and we are a mediocre B10 team with no sign of improving then I would imagine a change would be made. This also would assume his buy out would be reasonable.

We’ve got at least 7 wins in this schedule. And future schedules don’t look any more difficult. We’d have to go Purdue or NWern

 

[ryoder1]

It would take big booster money to buy him out anytime soon. I don't know that we have any of those flush with cash types who would pay to get rid of him a la Mark Richt even if we bounce between 7-5 and 11-1 the next 5 years.

Additionally, let's just say we do win it all this year (I'm a huge optimist). That still won't silence the sector who are perpetually grumpy the next time he lost a big game. They would just lump him with Jimbo Fisher.

If he wins it this year then, yeah, people will complain when he loses the next big game but the pressure and frustration would be significantly diminished. He may also guarantee his job for life if he wins it all.

I don't see this current contract being bought out but there could be a scenario where say the last 5 years of his contract he underperforms and he is at the end of it with a small buyout. Again highly unlikely but possible.

It could also depend on what the terms are for his contract renewal and if that isn't long term but say 5 years then after 3 years of that perhaps a reasonable buyout could occur if the on field performance warrants moving on from him.