Blue White Illustrated

ued when he took his first head coaching job at Vanderbilt. Franklin transformed the Commodores into consistent winners, and in so doing, he transformed himself into one of the hottest names in the business. So when Penn State found itself in need of a head coach after Bill O'Brien left to take over the Houston Texans, it was only natural that the school extend an offer to the 41-year-old Franklin. And it was only natural that Franklin accepted. "I'm excited to come home," he said at his introduction on Jan. 11. "That is probably the thing that I take the most pride in – coming home. I'm a Pennsylvania boy with a Penn State heart, and I couldn't be more proud." At Vanderbilt, Franklin was known for his bravado. He didn't disappoint in his introduction at Penn State, pledging to "dominate" Pennsylvania in recruiting. His reputation suggests that's no idle threat. He's got a vivacious personality that plays well in schools and living rooms and a history of simply outworking rival coaches. At Penn State, he'll have more resources at his disposal than he did at any of his previous stops. "This school has everything that young men are looking for," Franklin said. "It has everything that families are looking for. That's going to be our plan, and I'm calling all the high school coaches. I'm calling all the people in the state who we need to come together like never before. I think with everybody pulling the rope in the same direction, there's no reason why we can't take this program where everybody wants it to be." And yet, there are those who worry that Penn State should have hired Miami's Al Golden or former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak. Both are Penn State alums. One concern is that Franklin won't stick around long enough to make the impact that his supporters anticipate. Since 1999, he has worked at six schools and has never been at any school longer than five seasons at a time. But there's also reason to believe that he won't be so restless in his new job. While he spent a season in the pros, he described himself as "a college guy." "We're coming here with the mindset that we're going to build this program," J A N U A R Y he said. "We're going to build it the right way, and we're going to build it for the long haul. " The second concern has less to do with whether Franklin will stick around than whether he should have received consideration for the job with four former Vanderbilt players awaiting trial for an alleged rape last June. The players were immediately kicked off the team, and Franklin has strongly denied that he had a hand in covering up the incident. A member of the prosecution team said at a hearing last September that "there's no evidence whatsoever where Coach Franklin was involved in any way in the cover-up or has done anything inappropriate." Nevertheless, the case led to a backlash among some in the media and on Penn State's campus, including an online petition protesting his hire. Mindful of the need to protect the university's reputation in the wake of the Sandusky scandal, athletic director Dave Joyner said Penn State conducted "maybe the most thorough vetting process" in school history. He said Penn State used a variety of independent third-party sources and was confident in its decision. Particularly noteworthy, Joyner said, was the strong recommendation that Franklin received from former Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow. At his introduction, Franklin talked about bringing together all Pennsylvanians in support of the state's biggest university. With roots on both sides of the state, he is uniquely qualified to build a coalition. His father grew up in Pittsburgh's Hill District, and the family later moved to Bucks County after his father took a job at a GM plant in Trenton, N.J. When, as an aspiring college player, Franklin attempted to find a (literal) middle ground in University Park, things didn't work out. But it turns out his Penn State dreams weren't dashed, only delayed. After agreeing to become the 16th head football coach in its history, he called the university "a special place. " "There are only a handful of Penn States in this country, Franklin said. "An " opportunity to coach here is such a tremendous honor that I take so much pride in." 1 5 , 2 0 1 3 2 THE FRANKLIN FILE HEAD COACHING RECORD 24-15 in three seasons at Vanderbilt, including three bowl apperances. Before Franklin's hire, Vanderbilt had never participated in a bowl game in consecutive seasons. CAREER STOPS Kutztown (WR coach, '95) East Stroudsburg (Graduate assistant, '96) James Madison (WR coach, '97) Washington State (Graduate assistant, '98) Idaho State (WR coach, '99) Maryland (WR coach/recruiting coordinator, '00-04) Green Bay Packers (WR coach, '05) Kansas State (OC/QB coach, '06-07) Maryland (Asst. head coach/OC/QB coach, '08-10) Vanderbilt (Head coach, '11-13) P L AY I N G D AY S Franklin was a four-year letterwinner at QB for East Stroudsburg from 1991-94. He earned All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) honors twice. As a senior, Franklin was named team MVP and was a nominee for the NCAA Division II Player of the Year Harlon Hill Trophy. Franklin set seven school records as a senior, including total offense (3,128), passing yards (2,586) and touchdown passes (19). PERSONAL Born on Feb. 2, 1972. Franklin's hometown is Langhorne, Pa. He attended Neshaminy High School near Philadelphia. He and his wife, Fumi, have two daughters, Shola (7) and Addison (6). E D U C AT I O N East Stroudsburg (B.S., Psychology, '95) Washington State (M.A., Educational Leadership, '99) REFERENCES "James will represent the university with all kinds of pride and respect. What an addition he will be to a great university in Penn State." - Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs head coach "One of the best things that ever happened to me was geting to work with Coach Franklin (at Kansas State.) I was very raw, and needed development in really every area. Coach taught me proper footwork, how to better understand pass routes and schemes, just how to play the position. Truly, to this day, my fundamental foundation as a quarterback came from the time with him." - Josh Freeman, Minnesota Vikings QB "James Franklin is a proven commodity as a head coach with all his accomplishments at Vanderbilt. His leadership, integrity and competitive spirit make him a perfect fit for Penn State." - Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN/ABC analyst B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

• Cover