James Franklin responds to USC’s rumored interest in him for coaching job
James Franklin knew the question about USC’s rumored interest in him was coming — but he didn’t exactly offer a forceful denial Tuesday afternoon.
Instead, Penn State’s coach tried to deflect the question about the Trojans’ potential interest in him as the next head coach altogether, saying this week is all about the next opponent.
“First of all, I guess it’s that time of year where all this stuff happens,” Franklin said, after turning to a Nittany Lions spokesperson and offering a slight shrug. “It’s that time of year. It’s the crazy, mad time of year where these types of things happen.
“As you guys know, we’re focused on Maryland completely 100 percent. I don’t even think it’s fair or right to talk about that job from everything I understand about it. But we’re completely focused on Maryland.”
Minutes later, on the Big Ten coaches teleconference, Franklin was asked whether he would be the Penn State coach next season. He laughed, then offered a similar answer. The reporter responded, “Yeah, well, it’s a yes-no question. Speculation would be a lot less if you said, ‘Yes, you are.’ Wouldn’t you say?”
Franklin: “Yeah, I answered your question.” Reporter: “Well, you didn’t.” And that was the end of his call.
Current USC head coach Clay Helton is on the hot seat, and it’s widely believed he’ll be fired after this season. The Trojans are 5-6 and on the verge of their first losing season since 2000.
There have been zero reports of Franklin being interested in the USC job, but a number of national media outlets have reported that USC may look at Franklin as a top candidate.
Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel wrote Sunday that Franklin’s “magnetic personality” makes him a “top target.” Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples said Sunday that “the perfect combination of personality, recruiting acumen and style for USC might be Penn State’s James Franklin.” And USA Today’s Dan Wolken wondered aloud two weeks ago whether it might be in his best interest “to take a look around if a top-level job (like, perhaps, Southern Cal) opens up.”
This isn’t the first time rumors have surfaced about Franklin and another job. In 2015, for example, he was tied to the opening at Miami (Fla.) but told reporters at the time, “My family has sacrificed, I worked my ass off to get to Penn State, to get here, and this is where I want to be.” And, in 2017, Texas A&M reportedly had interest, although the athletic department released a statement reaffirming Franklin’s commitment and Franklin tweeted how “people will do anything to create drama.”
With the way Franklin’s contract is structured, he can leave early without much of a penalty — but it’s a lot harder for Penn State to get rid of him. His contract calls for just a $1 million buyout but, if he were fired without cause, the university would be on the hook for more than $20 million in guarantees.
Although Franklin’s intentions remain clear only to himself, it’s possible he could use any ambiguity here toward his advantage in leveraging pay raises for his assistants or facility improvements.
At this point, however, it bears repeating: There are no reports that Franklin is currently interested in USC, only speculation that USC is interested in Franklin.
Franklin is 44-20 in five years at Happy Valley, with Penn State sitting at 8-3 this year. The Nittany Lions are set to host Maryland at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the regular-season finale.
This story was originally published November 20, 2018 at 12:50 PM.