James Geoffrey Franklin is an American football coach and former player. He was named the 16th head football coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions on January 11, 2014. He has 29 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and NFL levels. Franklin is one of the four current FBS coaches to lead his teams to a bowl game in 12 of their first 13 seasons and has taken Penn State to five New Year’s Six bowls. Under his leadership, Penn State has secured three New Year’s Six bowl victories, making it one of only six FBS programs with three or more wins since 2014.
Franklin became the first African American head coach to win a Big Ten title after leading Penn State to the 2016 championship. His career record stands at 112-54, with five Top 10 finishes (all at Penn State) and eight Top 25 finishes (two at Vanderbilt, six at Penn State). He is one of six FBS coaches with all 100 of their first career wins at a Power Four program.
Where did James Franklin coach?
James Franklin began his coaching career at Kutztown University as the wide receivers coach in 1995. He then moved to East Stroudsburg University as a graduate assistant working with the secondary in 1996. His career continued with various roles, including offensive coordinator at Roskilde Kings in 1996 and wide receivers coach at James Madison in 1997.
In 1998, Franklin was a graduate assistant for tight ends at Washington State and then served as the wide receivers coach at Idaho State in 1999. He joined the University of Maryland in 2000 as the wide receivers coach and was promoted to recruiting coordinator in 2003. After five years at Maryland, he was the wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers in 2005.
Franklin then became the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Kansas State in 2006-2007, helping the team to its first winning season in four years. He returned to Maryland in 2008 as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator until 2010. In 2011, Franklin took over as head coach at Vanderbilt, where he led the team to three bowl games, including wins in the Music City Bowl and the BBVA Compass Bowl. His successful stint at Vanderbilt included consecutive Top 25 finishes and a 9-4 record in 2012.
Since 2014, Franklin has been the head football coach at Penn State, where he has guided the team to multiple bowl games, including three New Year’s Six bowls, and won the 2016 Big Ten Championship.
Where does James Franklin coach?
James Franklin, the head football coach at Penn State University, has held the position since January 2014. He is one of five active FBS coaches with a winning percentage above 66% and more than 13 years of coaching experience.
Under his leadership, Penn State has finished in the top 12 of the College Football Playoff rankings six times in the last eight seasons, earned five New Year’s Six bowl game appearances, and won three of those bowls. He also led the team to the 2016 Big Ten Championship. In addition to success on the field, Franklin has guided Penn State to a school-record 93% graduation success rate and achieved a perfect 1,000 APR score for the 2018-19 academic year.
Also read: Penn State National Championship Wins
James Franklin's Head Coaching record at Penn State?
James Franklin's coaching record at Penn State is 99-41 overall and 64-33 in the Big Ten Conference. During his tenure, he has guided the team to five New Year’s Six bowl games, winning three of them. His notable seasons include an 11-2 record in 2017, 2019, and 2022, with bowl victories in the Rose Bowl (2022), Fiesta Bowl (2017), and Cotton Bowl (2019). Franklin's teams have also made bowl appearances in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2023, with his recent loss coming in the 2023 Peach Bowl.
FAQ's On James Franklin Coaching Career
A. In college, James Franklin played as a quarterback.
A. James Franklin played college football at East Stroudsburg.
A. James Franklin's first coaching position was as a wide receivers coach at Kutztown in 1995.
A. James Franklin was the wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers in 2005.
A. James Franklin has coached in 12 bowl games, with a record of 6-6.