James Franklin discusses Penn State Nittany Lions’ Cotton Bowl berth, contract terms, and more
James Franklin understands that some Penn State fans might be disappointed the Nittany Lions were passed over for the Rose Bowl on Sunday. But that doesn’t mean the Cotton Bowl is just some consolation prize.
“As you know, there’s always that percentage of fans that may be — they’ll have different opinions on social media and they can be vocal,” Franklin told reporters during a 20-minute teleconference call Sunday night. “But I know the majority, the great majority of our fans, couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity. And I know our team feels the same way.”
The Cotton Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six, the moniker for college football’s most prestigious postseason games, and the Nittany Lions have now reached three such games in the last four years. That’s no small feat. So although some players — such as linebackers Micah Parsons and Cam Brown — admitted last week they would’ve preferred the Rose Bowl, most said they just wanted to return to the NY6.
And Franklin stressed that the Dec. 28 game against No. 17 Memphis is something he’s taking a lot of pride in.
“New Year’s Six bowl games are very, very difficult to get and challenging to get,” Franklin said. “And to be able to play a program like Memphis, we could not be more excited.”
He added, “I have never been to the Cotton Bowl before. I’m looking forward to that opportunity. I’m looking forward to being in Dallas. I’m looking forward to being in Jerry’s World. I’m looking forward to it all. I think it’s going to be a tremendous opportunity for our fans, not only in Dallas and Texas, specifically, but also across the country. It’s going to be fantastic.”
The 84th Cotton Bowl Classic kicks off at noon Dec. 28 at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
Latest on Franklin’s contract
When asked if he knew when the basic terms of his six-year contract extension would be released, or whether they’d be revealed this week, Franklin said he was “not sure.”
He said he hasn’t actually signed the final contract yet since he’s mostly been on the road recruiting. (Three-star LB commit Tyler Elsdon tweeted a photo of Franklin’s in-home visit with him Friday, when the extension was announced.) But, once it is signed, Franklin said it would be released soon afterward.
In a news release Friday, Penn State said it would make the basic terms public in the “near future.”
Regardless, Franklin said the extension helps the football program move forward in a lot of ways — maybe most obviously with recruiting.
“I know it also helps we have a bunch of recruits on campus (Sunday),” Franklin said. “I know that’s been a major point of conversation, is recruits knowing and understanding that I have a contract that’s going to last throughout their career. That’s a big part of it, as well.”
According to 247 Sports, Penn State currently boasts the nation’s No. 15 recruiting class.
‘Really cool’ contract reaction
Whenever a high school player commits to Penn State, Franklin usually tweets out a heads-up to fans by writing, “#WeAre...Better #107kStrong #PSUnrivaled.” It’s become the Nittany Lions’ bat signal of sorts.
So, when the board of trustees’ Compensation Committee approved a six-year extension Friday, fans and players returned the favor with similar tweets, noting Franklin’s commitment to the university.
That meant a lot to the coach who took over in 2014.
“It was really pretty cool to see a bunch of former players and players in the NFL and also our current players all tweeting out ‘We are better’ with a connection to my new contract announcement,” Franklin said. “I thought that was really cool. It meant a lot to me and my wife.”
First impressions
Neither head coach had much time to prepare for his opponent. But both coaches were asked about what they did know about the other team, and both offered their first impressions.
Here’s what they said:
Memphis interim coach Ryan Silverfield on Penn State: “It’s traditionally a strong program. Obviously, Coach Franklin has taken it to a whole other level. I’ve got great respect. They’re a national brand. They have won a ton of football games. Congrats to Coach Franklin’s contract extension; we know they’re a great opponent. Got some familiarity with some of their staff; their special-teams coordinator (Joe Lorig) was here with us at Memphis previously. But, you know, they’re obviously a Big Ten program. They have had a lot of success. We know there will be a lot of challenges facing an opponent like them, but our team is excited and ready to face those challenges ahead in Dallas.”
Penn State coach James Franklin on Memphis: “We are fortunate. We have Joe Lorig on our staff that was at the University of Memphis for a number of years. Me and Joe have known each other for a long time; he’s going to be able give us some perspective. But we’re just getting started and breaking down their personnel and schemes and things like that. ...
“But I have been lucky enough to be able to watch some of their games. Obviously, being a head football coach at Vanderbilt in the same state, I was familiar with Memphis and then also played in a bowl game in their stadium So I got some familiarity and have watched them on TV. From what I’ve seen, they’re a very, very athletic team. They’re a very confident team. They play with a tremendous amount of confidence, and they’re used to winning and have been doing it now for a number of years. I know they’re going to come into this game expecting to do the same thing, so it’s going to be a tremendous challenge. And we’re looking forward to the opportunity.”
Other notes
- Penn State will send a group down to the bowl site by Monday morning to do some early scouting on the area. The Nittany Lions are set to arrive in Dallas on Dec. 22. They’re also slated to practice Dec. 23-26, with a walk-through Dec. 27 and the game Dec. 28.
- Memphis head coach Mike Norvell was officially hired by Florida State on Sunday, so deputy head coach/OL coach/run-game coordinator Ryan Silverfield will act as the interim head coach for the Tigers. That doesn’t necessarily preclude Norvell from coaching in the run-up to, or including, the bowl game. But Silverfield intimated that Norvell would not be involved. “We are moving forward, and we are just focused on myself and the staff that’s in place right now,” Silverfield said. “Coaching this bowl game and the chips will fall where they may. At the end of the day, that’s entirely — the focus is the people.”
- This will be Penn State’s third straight bowl in Texas where the opponent has had an interim coach. (As first noted by the Times-Leader’s Derek Levarse.) In 2011, in the TicketCity Bowl, Houston’s Tony Levine stepped in for Kevin Sumlin, who left for Texas A&M. And, in 2007, Texas A&M’s Gary Darnell took over for Dennis Franchione, who had resigned.
This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 7:32 PM.
