Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour discusses James Franklin’s new contract, her future and more
There were plenty of reasons Sandy Barbour wanted to get a new contract done with James Franklin. The Penn State athletic director saw a fit between the head football coach and the university and saw enough success that she wanted to secure the program’s leader for the long haul.
By the end of the season, the deal was in place.
Barbour helped the program sign Franklin to a new 10-year contract in November that ties the university to him for the long haul and, in the athletic director’s view, sets it up for success in the long term based on his past success and alignment on its future. She took questions on the matter Thursday morning in Tampa, Florida, ahead of the team’s Outback Bowl appearance for the first time since the deal was announced.
“I think his body of work really, really spoke to me and spoke to the leadership on campus,” Barbour said. “We wanted to send a signal to him and we wanted to send a signal to everybody else how much he’s appreciated. ... He’s our guy.”
With Franklin’s long-term future secured, much of his and Barbour’s attention has turned toward improving the program. Some of that is underway with the ongoing construction of part of the football facility and the weight room renovation.
Barbour pointed to those renovations and other projects as part of the areas of progress the program is looking to make during the next phase of Franklin’s tenure.
“James is passionate about investing in the program,” Barbour said. “Some of it is facilities, and those are all things that we’ve heard. ... We’re in the middle of the biggest piece. We’re under construction for the biggest piece of the Lasch improvements. ... But it’s also little things. It’s also things that don’t directly speak to on-field success but speak to that student development piece.’
However, there are other aspects that haven’t been worked on. Franklin frequently mentions the need to compete 365 days per year, which presumably includes all aspect of student-athlete life and making it more appealing to potential recruits.
Student housing near the facilities is something Barbour said the program continues to monitor as the needs of student-athletes evolve.
“Housing has been something we kept our eye on for a long time,” Barbour said. “...The university has made some really, really good improvements there. All of this, we’re never done. All of this we need to continue to monitor and make sure we’re investing in the proper way.”
Those additions are things the athletic director says she and Franklin are aligned on, as well as on what it takes to get the program to the next level and how the university and athletic department can get it there.
Some of the changes that needed to be made in the past have already taken place, including Franklin’s ability to hire assistant coaches. Barbour estimated the assistant coach salary pool at Penn State is near, if not at, the top of the Big Ten. While the financial issue is near the top in the conference, there’s also the aspect of how quickly hires can be made through the hiring processes at Penn State.
Barbour said those issues have been taken care of for some time.
“I think we addressed that probably four or five years ago and put in place a way for us to have resources to make sure that we could react (when hiring a coach quickly),” Barbour said. “I don’t think that’s been a particular issue in quite a while.”
The Penn State athletic director frequently mentioned her alignment with Franklin on all of those issues, but it remains to be seen how long she will be at the helm of the university’s athletic department. Penn State will have a new president in Neeli Bendapudi beginning this summer and Barbour’s contract runs out in 2023.
While her future is uncertain, Barbour made it clear what she wanted to be doing and where she wanted to be doing it.
“Those will be conversations our new president and I will have,” Barbour said. “I’ve got a year and a half left. ... From my perspective, I love Penn State, I love what I’m doing. As long as my health is good and I’m having fun, I certainly see that in my future.”
Quick Hitters
- Barbour agrees with Franklin in her belief that the College Football Playoff should be expanded, and said as much Thursday morning.
- Penn State has done well with Name, Image, Likeness legislation in Barbour’s opinion and believes more uniformity in NIL laws could be coming down the line.
- Barbour said it’s possible NIL could help widen or tighten the gap between normal bowls and New Year’s Six bowls, in part because those bowls have more money available.
- Penn State is not currently considering a vaccine mandate to attend sporting events, but it’s something the department will continue to monitor as things change.
- Penn State’s facilities construction will not be impacted by the possibility of virtual learning for the university this spring, nor would the ability for student-athletes to practice for in-season sports. Barbour added that she doubted it would impact spring sports either.
