James Franklin Ranked Big Ten’s No. 1 Head Coach Second Year In A Row
James Franklin is once again the No. 1 head coach in the Big Ten, according to CBS Sports.
Penn State football’s head honcho checked in at No. 9 in the country ahead of both Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh. Franklin landed two spots ahead of No. 11, his previous ranking.
.@coachjfranklin is No. 1 in the Big Ten
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) June 18, 2020years running! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/TS3YEb5nh7
Additionally, Franklin ranked ahead of Big Ten coaches including Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (No. 14), Minnesota’s PJ Fleck (No. 15), Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst (No. 17), and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald (No. 21). The Big Ten tied the SEC with seven head coaches in this year’s rankings.
“The Nittany Lions have gone 42-11 since 2016, winning a Big Ten title, a Fiesta Bowl and a Cotton Bowl. However, what they haven’t done yet is get to where they want to be ultimately: the CFP,” CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli wrote. “It doesn’t feel like they’re that far off, however, and that’s why Franklin gets so much respect from our panel.”
CBS Sports’ panel also gave Franklin credit for consistently producing after joining the Nittany Lions under unprecedented circumstances a few years ago.
“He took over a Penn State program still dealing with the repercussions of the horrific acts of Jerry Sandusky,” Fornelli worte. “After an understandably slow start to his tenure, Franklin has turned things up a notch the last four years.”
Franklin is listed behind other notable Power Five head coaches, including LSU’s Ed Orgeron, Clemon’s Dabo Swinney, and, of course, Alabama’s Nick Saban.
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