James Franklin was listed among 23 of the best coaches in college football when he was named to the Dodd Trophy watch list on Thursday morning.

The Dodd Trophy is described as “the most coveted national coaching award” that “honors, scholarship, leadership, and integrity.” The award has been given out to a coach at the end of each college football season since 1976.

Franklin was one of six Big Ten coaches to make the list, which is the most from any conference. Other coaches mentioned on the watch list include Jim Harbaugh, Nick Saban, and Dabo Swinney, among others.

Penn State’s head coach is entering his sixth season in Happy Valley. He has a 45-21 record over the course of his tenure, and an impressive 31-9 record over the past three seasons. Franklin also has a Big Ten Championship victory and two bowl wins under his belt.

Franklin has a fast, young, and exciting team with a great defense to work with, so he should have a great opportunity this season to build on his already impressive resume at Penn State.

About the Author

Will Pegler

Will is a senior majoring in digital and print journalism and is an associate editor for Onward State. He is from Darien, Connecticut and is a lifelong Penn State football fan. He loves a good 80's comedy movie, Peaky Blinders, The Office, and the New York Yankees and Giants. You can catch some of his ridiculous sports takes on his Twitter @gritdude and yell at him on his email [email protected]

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