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Penn State announces Franklin's contract details When James Franklin revealed in Feb- ruary that he hadn't yet signed the con- tract extension that Penn State had announced in mid-December, he cited the complexity of the new pact, noting that a few of the de- tails were still being worked out. "As you can imag- ine, these contracts aren't like three pages of notes," he said. "So it's about language and [balancing] what Penn State is com- fortable with and what we're comfortable with, and that takes time. … There was a verbal agreement made [in December], and then lawyers get involved and make sure everything is ironed out and both parties are protected, and then it's signed. I think that's going to happen soon." In fact, it happened later that same month. On Feb. 26, Penn State an- nounced the details of Franklin's new contract, which extends through the end of the 2025 season. Under the terms of the deal, Franklin's total guaranteed compensation will start at $5.4 million this year, and will rise to $5.5 million in 2021. After that, his salary will increase annually in increments of $250,000. By the final year of the pact, his salary will be $6.5 million. That works out to a total value of $35.4 million over the six years of the deal, or $5.9 million per year. Franklin is also set to receive a series of retention bonuses beginning at $300,000 on Dec. 31, 2020, and $500,000 each December over the sub- sequent 9ve years of the agreement if he stays at Penn State. Factoring in the re- tention bonuses, as well as the $1 million loan he will receive annually for life in- surance, Franklin's deal is worth $44.2 million, or $7.37 million per year. In addition, the contract includes a se- ries of incentive bonuses for appearing in the Big Ten Championship Game ($250,000), winning the Big Ten Cham- pionship Game ($350,000), making a bowl game ($200,000), making a New Year's Six bowl game ($300,000), mak- ing the College Football Playo: ($400,000), reaching the national championship game ($500,000) and winning the national title ($800,000). Franklin will also be due a $100,000 bonus if he is named Big Ten Coach of the Year and a $150,000 bonus for being named National Coach of the Year. His bonuses are capped at $1 million per year. One of the provisions of the contract that has gotten the most attention has been Franklin's buyout. If he were to leave for an NFL or collegiate coaching position a;er the 2020 season, he would owe the university $5 million. A;er that, the buyout drops by $1 million each sea- son. Ever since Penn State's abrupt turn- around in 2016, Franklin has been men- tioned as a potential target of high-pro9le schools with coaching va- cancies. This past December, he was brought up in connection with the Florida State job that eventually went to Mike Norvell of Memphis and the USC job, which never opened up, as the Tro- jans opted to retain Clay Helton. Franklin's new deal replaces a previous contract extension, signed in August 2017, that was worth $34.7 million. Under the terms of his previous con- tract, Franklin's buyout was $1 million. The new pact is expected to make Franklin the third-highest-paid coach in the Big Ten this year, trailing only Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and Purdue's Je: Brohm in guaranteed income. Thanks to the 10 percent raise he re- ceived in January as part of the deal he originally signed in 2014, Harbaugh is now one of only four coaches in the na- tion with a salary exceeding $8 million, joining Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Al- abama's Nick Saban and LSU's Ed Org- eron. Brohm is set to make $6.6 million this year as he enters the second season of a seven-year deal he signed in 2019 a;er his alma mater, Louisville, tried to hire him away from the Boilermakers. Franklin, 48, has guided the Lions to bowl games in each of his six seasons as head coach, including the 2017 Rose Bowl, 2017 Fiesta Bowl and 2019 Cotton Bowl. Penn State is one of four teams to be ranked in the top 12 of the 9nal Col- lege Football Playo: rankings in each of the last four years. (Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma are the others.) Under Franklin, the Nittany Lions have won 11 games in the three of the past four seasons, including an 11-2 mark and a Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis in 2019. The Lions were among the best teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense last season, ranking No. 8 nationally a;er allowing only 16 points per game. The Lions were 9;h in rushing defense (95.0 yards per game), seventh in sacks (3.46 per game) and 11th in tackles for loss (7.8 per game). O:ensively, Penn State averaged 411.9 yards and 35.8 points per game. In his six seasons at Penn State, Franklin has gone 56-23 and 34-18 in the Big Ten. Since 2016, he has gone 42-11 overall and 28-8 in conference play. PATERNO SETTLEMENT A;er eight contentious years, Penn State and the Paterno family have agreed to settle what were described as "outstanding is- sues" arising from Joe Paterno's dis- missal in November 2011 and the university's subsequent investigation into the Jerry Sandusky scandal. FRANKLIN F O O T B A L L N O T E B O O K

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