Penn State Discussing Contract Extension for James Franklin

After taking Penn State to the Rose Bowl, James Franklin could be on his way to a new deal.

Penn State’s compensation committee will meet Friday, and sources tell SI that one of the items to be discussed is a contract extension for head coach James Franklin.

Last year, the 45-year-old Pennsylvania native led Penn State to its first outright Big Ten title since 1994. The Nittany Lions went 11–3 despite being one of the youngest teams in college football, emerging from the toughest division in college football, the Big Ten East. Franklin is 25–15 in three seasons at Penn State after taking over a program that was rocked by NCAA sanctions and scholarship reductions.

Before coming to Penn State, Franklin turned Vanderbilt from a punchline to a program that finished in the Top 25 in two of his three seasons there, posting consecutive 9–4 seasons. Prior to his arrival, the Commodores hadn’t finished in the Top 25 since 1948 and had gone 4–20 in the previous two seasons. Franklin also reached a bowl game in all three of his years in Nashville.