James Franklin Named Finalist For Bear Bryant Coach Of The Year Award
James Franklin is on a hot streak, folks.
The Penn State football head coach was named a finalist for the 2019 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award on Thursday night. Franklin was named to the watch list for the award this past October.
That's our Coach
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) December 13, 2019@coachjfranklin has been named a finalist for the 2019 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award!
#WeAre pic.twitter.com/RRdCVBlBG1
The honor has been given to college football’s national coach of the year since 1986, as the first recipient was none other than Joe Paterno. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney won the award last season.
This honor comes on the heels of Franklin’s contract extension that was agreed upon this past Friday. The financial terms of the deal have yet to be released, but it’s scheduled to keep the head coach in Happy Valley through the 2025 season.
Franklin just closed out his third double-digit win regular season with the Nittany Lions, and has a 55-23 overall record as Penn State’s head coach. Franklin’s teams have qualified for a bowl game in all six of his seasons as head coach, including three New Year’s Six Bowl appearances. The third appearance will be at 12 p.m. on December 28, when No. 10 Penn State takes on No. 17 Memphis in the Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium.
Franklin was among 10 finalists for this year’s award. He was joined by two other Big Ten coaches, including Minnesota’s PJ Fleck and Ohio State’s Ryan Day. The winner of the award will be announced on Wednesday, January 15 in Houston.
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