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

By Shane Lunnen

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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(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

Was this new contract a good deal for Penn State?

The simple answer is yes. Locking up James Franklin long-term is a good deal for both sides. It ends the immediate speculation of him jumping ship.

Digging further into the contract, the buyout is a big $12 million but only until April 2022, then throughout the rest of next year, it goes to $8 million. In 2023, it decreases to $6 million and then jumps again down to $2 million in 2024.

So we could be back here again in a few years with Franklin’s name a hot commodity. However, there is a ton of football to be played before we get there.

The biggest thing is the current coaching environment and the coaching carousel is heating up. USC and LSU have been known open spots for a while but then Florida entered the mix this past weekend when they fired Dan Mullen.

With so many big-name programs looking for a new coach and perhaps a few more entering the mix soon, this is not the time for Penn State to be hitting the coaching market. If they got in a bidding war for a top coach, they would lose to all three of those schools.

Franklin is not the best in-game coach. This flaw has been well documented here at Saturday Blitz and elsewhere. For the fans that wanted to fire Franklin, the only thing I can say is the grass is not always greener. Just ask Nebraska or Texas.

Franklin is a great recruiter and ambassador for Penn State. He’s had three 11-win seasons, appeared in three NY6 bowl games, winning two of them, and has won a Big Ten championship. Before the COVID-19 year, he had the program at a high level. Can he take them there again?

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