Penn State head coach James Franklin is no stranger to hearing his name thrown about for a number of various coaching rumors. Despite saying he is comfortable in his current position with the Nittany Lions, Franklin remains a coach he gets his name thrown through the wringer when it comes to figuring out potential candidates for open jobs at other college football programs and in the NFL. This week, in a radio interview in Philadelphia, Franklin once again had to tell a radio host in an NFL city that he is comfortable where he is at Penn State.
“I’ve kind of been through that when I took the Penn State job,” Franklin said to 94 WIP morning show host Angelo Cataldi this week (as transcribed by PennLive.com). “I had four or five interviews in the NFL, one or two that I took, and three or so that I turned down once I took the Penn State job.”
Franklin was on the show to discuss a handful of Penn State players that have been added to the roster of the Philadelphia Eagles. A question about a possible NFL future was sure to pop up though.
“This is an unbelievable situation for me and my family.”
Franklin was hired by Penn State after the program lost its last head coach to a job in the NFL. Bill O’Brien left Penn State after two seasons to coach the Houston Texans. O’Brien had never shied away from suggesting that coaching in the NFL was the highest rung on the coaching ladder and it was expected O’Brien would be somewhat likely to leave for the NFL if the right opportunity came his way. Sure enough, it did and Penn State went looking for a head coach to replace him. That ended up being Franklin, who also has some experience in the NFL.
It is worth a general reminder that college football coaches will tend to say things that suggest they are in a stable position and have no interest in leaving their current position. Any inkling there could be thought about leaving for another job would ultimately harm recruiting efforts, so coaches almost have to say they are happy where they currently sit. But it’s also worth noting Franklin is well-paid at Penn State and there may not be too many jobs he would leave the program to take on.