James Franklin landing spots: Top 4 destinations for fired coach after 12 years at Penn State ft. Florida

The question on the lips of many college football fans is where the next potential James Franklin landing spots would be after losing his job. The Nittany Lions fired Franklin on Sunday after losing three straight games.

The former Vanderbilt football head coach ended his Penn State tenure with a 104-45 overall record after just over 11 seasons. He had led the Nittany Lions to three straight seasons with 10-plus wins.

In the aftermath of his firing, here are our top four James Franklin landing spots.

4. UCLA

It would be an ironic twist for the Bruins to hire Franklin after the part the team took in sealing his fate at Penn State. UCLA was winless and had just hired an interim coach when it shockingly beat Franklin’s Penn State 42-37.

Although Oregon started the streak and Northwestern ended it, the Bruins and their interim coach, Tim Skipper, were actively involved. Now, whether UCLA would stick with Skipper after their winning them a second consecutive game or settle for another coach, like Franklin, will be seen.

3. Wisconsin

Wisconsin is another potential James Franklin landing spot. The Badgers are struggling, languishing at 2-4 and fresh off an embarrassing blowout loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. It is almost a surprise that Luke Fickell is still at his job after four consecutive losses.

Wisconsin is an ideal spot for Franklin; it’s a Big Ten program in dire need of a serious coach to get them out of their current situation.

2. Arkansas

In case Franklin wants a taste of life outside the Big Ten, Arkansas is a potential landing spot. The Razorbacks are a steady SEC program in a transitional phase, with Bobby Petrino as the interim head coach.

There is a faint chance that Petrino might be confirmed as the substantive head coach, given that the team is 2-4. That makes Franklin a viable option.

1. Florida

The Gators are another SEC program that could use a fresh hand at the helm of their football team. With a 2-4 overall record, Florida’s CFP chances are almost zero, and Billy Napier’s seat gets more heated with each passing week.

This makes Florida an ideal potential James Franklin landing spot. Franklin has a proven track record and has shown he can get a CFP berth at any program.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Kayode Akinwumi