College Football HQ

James Franklin ‘not expected’ to receive interest from major SEC college football program

Rowan Fisher Shotton|
Former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium.
Former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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Auburn Tigers

Auburn fired Hugh Freeze on November 2 and immediately launched a broad search that, according to reports, has included conversations with nearly a dozen head-coaching candidates and coordinators.

Athletic director John Cohen said interest in the job has been “extremely high and the school has explored multiple possibilities while weighing the timing around the end of the college football season. 

On Sunday, On3’s Pete Nakos backed up Cohen’s comments, saying that Auburn has “had conversations with roughly 10 candidates,” including Jon Sumrall, D.J. Durkin (interim), Clark Lea, Brent Key, Eli Drinkwitz, Eric Morris, Alex Golesh, Ryan Silverfield and others. 

More surprisingly, however, Nakos reported that “Sumrall, Lea, Durkin and Drinkwitz are viewed as frontrunners, sources have said,” while “(James) Franklin is not expected to be a factor in the search.”

A notable development since Franklin had been viewed earlier as a top candidate for multiple vacancies around the cycle, primarily at Auburn.

Franklin was fired by Penn State on October 12, after a 3-3 start. Since his dismissal, he has been actively engaged in discussions with other programs, with Virginia Tech reportedly in early talks with him as of Saturday. 

Franklin enjoyed a long, largely successful run at Penn State, accumulating a 128-60 overall head coaching record, multiple bowl appearances, a Big Ten title in 2016, and a College Football Playoff appearance last year.

Unfortunately, he fell short of the program’s biggest goal, a College Football National Championship, and that miss played a key role in his departure.

Former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin.
Former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Since his Penn State exit, Franklin has been floated as a candidate for multiple Power Five vacancies, notably Auburn, Florida, LSU, and Arkansas.

Nakos’ latest report signals Auburn’s preference toward coaches already on the rise or sitting with SEC experience. 

With bowl season around the corner, activity should pick up for both Auburn and Franklin, even if they appear to be moving in different directions. 

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Rowan Fisher
ROWAN FISHER SHOTTON

Rowan Fisher-Shotton is a versatile journalist known for sharp analysis, player-driven storytelling, and quick-turn coverage across CFB, CBB, the NBA, WNBA, and NFL. A Wilfrid Laurier alum and lifelong athlete, he’s written for FanSided, Pro Football Network, Athlon Sports, and Newsweek, tackling every beat with both a reporter’s edge and a player’s eye.

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