Penn State Football: What James Franklin’s new deal means for Nittany Lions

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 20: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 20, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 20: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 20, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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James Franklin and Penn State football inked a new contract for 10 years. What does this mean for the future of the Nittany Lions’ program?

Penn State football announced a massive new deal for head coach James Franklin on Tuesday. The deal is worth $7 million a year for a total of 10 years. Franklin is now locked up into the next decade.

It was leaked last mid-last week Franklin told the members of the State College Quarterback Club he was not going anywhere. He was asked after the Rutgers game about it and said he thought something would have happened sooner but wanted to focus on Rutgers and could likely discuss it more at his Tuesday press conference.

The Board of Trustees met late Tuesday afternoon to finalize the deal. Both the university and Franklin released statements praising the deal. I mean who wouldn’t want to earn 7 million a year? There are also some incentive bonuses for Franklin winning championships, going to bowl games, etc.

So this ends the speculation of Franklin leaving for another high-profile job after this season. There are some who think the deal was a bad one, but for the most part, it seems the fanbase is happy with the new deal.

So was it a good deal for the Nittany Lions to make with a guy who is experiencing a 7-4 season and is 11-9 over the last two seasons? Let’s take a further look.