James Franklin hopes contract will help Penn State football reach next plateau [opinion]

Nov. 25—James Franklin's new 10-year contract sends a clear message about him and about Penn State.

Franklin wants to make history as the first Black college football coach to lead a team to a national championship. He believes Penn State offers him the best opportunity to do so.

He has seen the investment that Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma have made and the success they've enjoyed during his eight years as Nittany Lions coach.

He's seen Georgia make a deeper investment since Kirby Smart's arrival in 2016. It's no coincidence that the Bulldogs are No. 1 today.

Franklin has long sought the Penn State administrators to make a similar commitment if they want the football team to compete for a national title.

Now they apparently have, not only with his $75 million contract but with assurances to improve every facet of the program.

"Say you get three or four more blue-chip recruits a year," Franklin said Wednesday night after practice. "Over four years that adds up. If you have everything you need to develop them, those little margins that you're scratching and clawing for, they all add up.

"We've been close. We've been close in some games. We've been close to getting into the playoffs. We've been ranked pretty high at times, but we have to be able to sustain it. That's what this is all about."

The possible improvements include increasing the salaries of assistant coaches; more access to the university's private jet for recruiting; and perhaps constructing a football-only indoor building or one for Penn State's other varsity sports, leaving Holuba Hall for the football team.

Franklin said more than once that he's in "alignment" with Penn State Board of Trustees chairman Matt Schuyler, outgoing president Eric Barron and director of athletics Sandy Barbour. He said that's a significant factor for the program's future.

"Obviously there's a next plateau that we have to get to," he said. "I recognize that and am committed to doing whatever possible to help us get there with the help of a lot of other people. That (goes) back to the alignment."

Penn State is the last team other than Ohio State to win the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes are on a roll unlike any since the days of Woody Hayes. They've lost just 12 games in the last 10 seasons, an incredible rate of success.

Ohio State has had great coaching and, more significantly, better players than any other team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes continue to be the conference's measuring stick. No team has been more competitive against them than Penn State has in the last six seasons.

Ohio State recruits better than anyone else in the Big Ten. You can't afford to have an off year if you want to beat the Buckeyes.

Starting with 2016, Penn State has finished 20th, 15th, sixth, 12th, 15th and 21st in the 247 Sports recruiting rankings, which isn't awful. Ohio State, on the other hand, has been fourth, second, second, 14th, fifth and second.

Franklin hopes the Lions can close the gap beginning with the Class of 2022, which ranks fifth and includes four-star Gov. Mifflin running back Nick Singleton. But they're just one spot ahead of Ohio State.

"When you're outside the top 25 and you're trying to get in, that's a battle and it's hard," he said. "Once you get into the top 25, it's challenging to get up into the top 10. Once you get up into the top 10, that gap between the top 10 and the top four or five programs is more significant."

Getting into the top 10 on a regular basis will be even more important once the College Football Playoff expands, as expected.

Franklin's critics believe that he won't be able to do that. They'll continue to bash him and Penn State for giving him this contract. If Franklin wound up at USC, LSU or Florida, many would have called it a good hire.

But now it's put-up or shut-up time for Franklin and the administration. The contract buyout numbers speak volumes. If Franklin leaves Penn State, his buyout drops from $12 million initially, to $8 million, to $6 million in 2023 and to $2 million in 2024.

If the administration doesn't deliver on its assurances, Franklin can leave cheaply as early as 2024.

"There probably was a little bit tied to timelines on facilities," he acknowledged.

If Penn State fires Franklin, it must pay him $8 million for each year remaining on this contract. That is exorbitant, which makes it seem unlikely to happen for a long while.

Franklin is an eternal optimist, so he believes the Lions can crack that top four or five and maybe win a national title. It's hard to imagine him coaching at an Alabama or an Ohio State for several reasons.

Penn State is his best shot to make history. It also has provided stability for his wife and their two daughters.

"This is home," Franklin said. "I've coached all over the country in every major conference and the NFL. For me, it's about people. I'm committed to these kids, to the staff and to the people I've gotten to know in the community."