Penn State coach James Franklin is, overall, a polarizing figure, but Oregon boss Dan Lanning feels he’s one of the best in college football.
When Lanning described Franklin on a Big Ten Championship Game zoom call, he used the word “elite.”
“I’ve watched him from afar and seen the success he’s had …,” Lanning said, “one of the elite coaches in the profession right now.”
Lanning and Franklin haven’t known each other for long. This is Oregon’s first season in the Big Ten and Lanning’s third as a head coach overall.
But Lanning has seen Franklin’s work from afar and admires it more than some do.
‘BIG GAME JAMES’
Image courtesy of Seth Engle of State College.Com
The reason James Franklin is a polarizing figure has little to do with his overall record. He’s 99 and 40 over 11 full seasons at Penn State and 64 and 33 in the Big Ten. His teams have won double-digit games in six of the past nine seasons, with four 11-win seasons in there and three New Year’s Six bowl wins. But he is polarizing because of his record against team’s like Lanning’s Oregon. Against top five teams, Franklin is 1-13. Oregon is ranked No. 1, which means that Franklin has a chance to either dispel the narrative or enhance it. As recently as a month ago, Franklin was booed off the field at Beaver Stadium.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Some boos in the tunnel as James Franklin exits. Fire Franklin chants as well. Franklin is now 1-10 vs the Buckeyes. pic.twitter.com/BGGr8gu408
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) November 2, 2024
A win Saturday, and there will be no boos.
‘ELITE’
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – NOVEMBER 16: Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin on the sidelines during the college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Penn State Nittany Lions on November 16, 2024, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)
Lanning using the word “elite” when talking about Franklin will raise some eyebrows. Why? Because that word was at the center of probably Franklin’s most famous press conference at Penn State.
#PennState HC James Franklin explains the difference between being GREAT and ELITE 📈 pic.twitter.com/Gr1YViVjfc
— Penn State Nittany Lions | Happy Valley Insider (@PennStateRivals) October 23, 2024
PSU is scheduled to take on Oregon at 8 on Fox in Indianapolis Saturday, Dec. 7.
