Penn State coach James Franklin used to be the boss at Vanderbilt, and he showed Sunday that he still has an appreciation for the school.
Franklin was in the Vandy dugout for the team’s SEC Baseball Championship Game against Ole Miss.
This is going to be strange to some people.
For some Penn State fans, it’s weird to see the guy who’s been leading their football program for more than a decade supporting another athletic program. For some Vanderbilt fans, it’s odd that Franklin, and not the team’s current head coach, Clark Lea, sitting in the dugout.
But it does make sense, and Franklin explained it on the ESPN broadcast.
WHY WAS FRANKLIN THERE?
So why was James Franklin at a Vanderbilt baseball game?
Well, he was vacationing in Destin, Florida with his family, saw Vanderbilt was playing and decided to drive four hours to the fans.
Franklin cited his relationship with Vandy’s legendary baseball coach Tim Corbin, who was coaching at Vandy at the same time Franklin was (2011-13).
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“Me and Tim have been very close since my first year at Vanderbilt,” he said.
Franklin said Corbin played a huge role in him getting Vanderbilt football off the ground.
“He was critical in year one, right?” Franklin said. “Nobody knows Vanderbilt better than Tom Corbin… he was a huge part of our success in our time there. We’ve stayed close. He comes to our typically every year up at Penn State, too.”
Overall, Franklin’s having a good time.
“I love it, but I also kind of just want to stay out of the way,” he said. “Because I don’t want to be a distraction. But it’s awesome. What Tim has built here is special, and I’m happy to have a chance to be able to get a peak at it.”
FRANKLIN AT VANDY
Franklin got the Penn State job because of how well he did at Vanderbilt. Before Franklin got to Vanderbilt, the team had been to one bowl game in a quarter century. Franklin led Vandy to bowl games in each of his three seasons, going in each of the last two. From there, it was off to Happy Valley.
