This season, Penn State made the shocking move to fire longtime Head Coach James Franklin as the Nittany Lions were a massive disappointment. While everyone is paying close attention to who Penn State may hire, the firing quietly made Franklin one of the names to watch in the Coaching Carousel. Franklin went on College GameDay after the firing and expressed his interest to coach again soon.
As we see top Power 4 jobs open every weekend, clear potential landing spots to continue to open for James Franklin. If the former Penn State Head Coach is truly going to coach again next season, these 3 open jobs make the most sense.
Ranking the 3 best potential jobs for James Franklin
The Arkansas Razorbacks are looking for a coach that can make them a consistent winner and competitive for the College Football Playoff. While James Franklin didn't always beat the top teams, you could always count on his teams at Penn State constantly competing for Big Ten Championships and the College Football Playoff. Franklin already has experience building at a unique school in the SEC from his time at Vanderbilt which should be attractive for the Razorbacks.
The Auburn Tigers became the latest program to fire their Head Coach on Sunday as they fired Hugh Freeze. James Franklin isn't the biggest name the fanbase will eye, but he'd check a lot of the boxes that Auburn is looking for. Unlike at Penn State, Auburn has the elite talent all over the field, they just need a coach who can do it consistently. The biggest concern for Auburn should be the fact that Franklin has struggled developing quarterbacks which has become an issue at Auburn. Franklin's ability to win consistently would be welcomed at Auburn especially if he could take it up a notch with more talent on the outside.
While it may not be the job that jumps out to everyone, Virginia Tech is a great fit for James Franklin and a job he should be interested in as well. The Hokies are geographically close to all the states that James Franklin already built up relationships with meaning he can help Virginia Tech improve in recruiting the Northeast. While a job in the SEC or the Big Ten may be more interesting, Franklin should look at ACC powers like Florida State, Miami, and Clemson all struggling and think that he has an easier path to the College Football Playoff in the ACC.
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