Franklin has never indicated who he voted for (or if he did), but there are a myriad of reasons to think his political leanings might run counter to the natural majority of rural America and rural Pennsylvania. Franklin graduated from East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University in 1995 with a degree in psychology and earned a masters degree in educational leadership from Washington State University. October 26, 2021 7:44 am PT. 5 by Rivals and No. Inside Russell Wilson's first year in Denver Bracket watch Penn State finished the 2019 season ranked #9 in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. For Franklin, the importance and impact of that diversity goes beyond his own team and beyond race. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania (Sanders) for the first time since Jared Odrick (2006). Franklin is second all-time in winning percentage by an FBS African American head coach (minimum 80 wins) and is third in total wins. Jordan Matthews set a single-season record with 1,262 yards receiving. Zettel earned All-Big Ten first-team honors, while receiver DaeSean Hamilton garnered All-Big Ten second-team accolades after pulling in 82 catches for 899 yards. [15] They took graphic photos and videos of the rape. Kicker Carey Spear scored a school record 81 points. The Commodores had played in four bowl games all-time in the 121 seasons prior to his arrival, none in consecutive years. Franklins recruiting classes in the last five years have been ranked an average of 12.0 nationally. There are two black head coaches in the NFL. And then you know obviously, [when I was younger] you just didnt know if there would be someone that looked like me in this job or in this position I try to avoid politics as much as I possibly can. In the 2020 spring semester, 14 Nittany Lions posted a perfect 4.0 GPA and 89 squad members with at least a 3.0 GPA with the alternative grading also in effect. Dotson also finished the year averaging 24.6 yards per punt return, a school record. Additionally, Vanderbilt's 25 combined wins in Franklin's three years in charge was the Commodores' highest total in school history. It was hard, it was challenging. Penn State finished the season ranked No. The 2010 squad was among the national leaders in scoring offense at 32.2 points per game and was led by ACC Rookie of the Year quarterback Danny OBrien. Under James Franklin, the Nittany Lions look to become a true College Football Playoff contender by complementing the current roster with new pieces capable of plugging holes. [36] The Renaissance Fund dinner was held on October 30, 2019, at the Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State. Franklin left the Wildcat coaching staff prior to Ron Prince's 2008 dismissal, and subsequent return of Coach Bill Snyder. [33] The team was invited to the Outback Bowl and a matchup with Arkansas, the first ever meeting between the two schools. But I [also] grew up in a predominantly white area in a suburb just outside of Philadelphia. In that position, he set seven school records and was a Division II player of the year nominee in 1994. James Franklin, a 27-year football coaching veteran, was appointed Penn State's 16th head football coach on January 11, 2014 and enters his 12th season as a collegiate Under Franklins tutelage, Carl Nassib claimed a trio of national awards Lombardi Award, Lott IMPACT Trophy and Ted Hendricks Award and became Penn States 13th unanimous Consensus All-American. In 2017, the newest set of Nittany Lions finished in the Top 15 in the country, ranking as high as 12th by Rivals. Prior to the regular-season finale against Michigan State, Franklin agreed to a 10-year, $75 million extension to remain as Penn State's head football coach through the 2031 season. [4], Franklin began his coaching career in 1995 coaching wide receivers at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. The 2018 TIDES report, which grades race and gender hires in sports, gave the collegiate level a C for its racial diversity in head coaching hires and an F for gender diversity. The Pittsburgh neighborhoods that James Franklin grew up in were no different. I dont think were there yet. [12] Franklin was the first half African American to be head coach of a major sport at Vanderbilt, and the third to be a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference (after Sylvester Croom, formerly at Mississippi State, and former Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips).[13]. You know, thats all of it. In November 2000, head coach Ron Vanderlinden was dismissed and replaced by Ralph Friedgen, a Maryland alum and former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator. They know if theyre successful its going to open up opportunities for more [minorities]. Donald Driver was among the top receivers in the NFL, ranking second in receptions and eighth in receiving yards, with a then-career-high 86 catches for 1,221 yards. Its amazing to me how common [multiracial families are] nowadays andI think its one of the more positive things and one of the more hopeful things that I have for our country and our society. [18], A minor controversy occurred when Vanderbilt canceled games at home with Northwestern and away games with Ohio State. You can even have confrontations. Penn State Football. So I think more progress needs to be made. It wasnt a dream to have, a goal to chase, a career path to ponder. Penn State finished the season 94, ranked #17 in the AP and Coaches Poll. .bio-section-header Like most things, it is a matter of opportunity, even if that simply means getting in the door. 9 in the final CFP rankings. The Nittany Lions surged in 2016, winning nine consecutive games en route to the Big Ten Championship, a Rose Bowl berth and an 11-3 overall record. Penn State allowed just 11 passing touchdowns on the year, ranking fourth in the nation, while allowing 199.8 passing yards per game, ranking 23rd. Mrs. Bradshaw was a major benefactor/donor for Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. Dear James Franklin, We know you are busy trying to go 1-0 this week, but the college football world is not going to let you focus solely on Penn State beating Illinois. Franklin was the highest-salaried employee on Penn . Backgrounds play a part in that, age, experience all of it. Despite missing five of Penn States nine games due to a season-ending injury, Freiermuth led all Big Ten tight ends in receiving yards (310). James Franklin hosts newcomers for pizza, tacos, and water ice Share this article 73 shares Kevin McGuire June 23, 2022 11:00 am ET It has become a bit of an annual tradition for Penn State. So for me its kind of interesting because youve got people that grow up in White America, youve got people who grow up Black America and youve got myself, who kind of grew up in a mix of both. 2 Alabama 340. Penn State signed a Rivals No. Penn State continued to be among the nations elite in 2017, climbing as high as No. The first 9 win season since 1915. The Nittany Lions had 15 players garner All-Big Ten accolades, including two first-team selections in Amani Oruwariye and Yetur Gross-Matos. Vanderbilt continued its historic rise under Franklin during the 2013 season, capping a school-record 9-4 campaign with a 41-24 win over Houston in the BBVA Compass Bowl. The Nittany Lions had 19 players garner All-Big Ten accolades, including two first-team selections in Micah Parsons and Yetur Gross-Matos. There are no new white faces setting the racial achievement bar higher for people like them to chase and beat. The team posted a 3.39 mark with 29 players earning Academic All-Big Ten recognition. Perhaps most importantly, Franklin was seven, 40 years ago on the nose, whenWillie Jeffries, the first black Division I-A head football coach, was hired to work at Wichita State. Apke was the MVP of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Northwestern, like Vanderbilt in the SEC the sole private institution in the Big Ten, alleged that the real reason was fear on the part of Vanderbilt to continue playing its Big Ten counterparta series which had been referred to as the Battle of the Nerds.[19]. The Backdoor Roth IRA: A Very Little Key May Open a Very Heavy Door. The Penn State defense was a permanent fixture in the oppositions backfield, leading the country in sacks (3.62) for the second time in the last four years and ranking fourth in tackles for loss (8.2). Franklin led Vanderbilt to a bowl game all three of his seasons as head coach at Vanderbilt, a team that had never previously participated in a bowl game in consecutive seasons, making him the only football coach in program history to do so. Oweh and Toney became the first Penn State defensive end duo to receive first team honors since Courtney Brown and Brad Scioli in 1998. 12 according to ESPN.com, No. On the offensive side of the ball, the Nittany Lions posted their highest rushing average (204.9) since 2008 (205.8) and were No. "My family and I are very thankful to be a part of the Penn State community," Franklin said in a statement. Franklin helped Matthews develop into a two-time All-American and the SECs career leader in receptions (262) and receiving yardage (3,759). It was Penn States highest finish in the polls since 2005. The Nittany Lions posted their third-straight season with at least nine wins in 2018 with a 9-4 overall record. James Franklin was named Penn State's 43rd Annual Renaissance Fund honoree in 2019. Jonathan Sutherland led the way with a pair of blocked punts in the season-opener against Idaho, marking the first time since 2000 the Nittany Lions had two blocks in a game. The Nittany Lions took a step back from their recent success, finishing their regular season 93 overall and 63 in conference games. The Ole Miss riots of 1962 and their tie to football were then as memorable as Selma just a year later. 5-rated recruit in the 247Sports Composite, which is the highest recruit signed by Penn State since 2005 when Derrick Williams was the No. First 8-win season since 1982. In February 2015, Franklin was the lone college head coach among the speakers and panelists at the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston. In each of his three seasons in Nashville, Franklin signed classes that finished in the top 50 nationally. Id love to have more open discussion, and Ive had them with the team. 4 by ESPN.com, the highest finish in program history. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings and No. The Nittany Lions laid claim to the No. Franklin guided Penn State to back-to-back New Years Six bowls in 2016 (Rose) and 2017 (Fiesta) for the first time since 1985 (Orange) and 1986 (Fiesta). Head coach James Franklin is entering his eighth season leading the Penn State Nittany Lions football program after he joined the program in 2014. Barkley was selected as the Graham-George Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year and Chicago Tribune Silver Football winner for the conferences top player. font-weight:bold; Sort of. Defensive end and second-team All-American Arnold Ebiketie paced the Big Ten with 17.0 tackles for loss and was second among Power Five defensive linemen in tackles for loss and tied for seventh in sacks. In the 2020 fall semester, five student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average (GPA), 37 made Dean's List (3.5 GPA or higher) and 86 posted a 3.0 GPA or higher with the Universitys alternative COVID-19 grading system in place. Born outside of Philadelphia to a white mother and black father, Franklin was a product of those two different Americas. Third-team All-America wide receiver Jahan Dotson was a Biletnikoff Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist and finished his stellar career third all-time at Penn State in career receiving touchdowns (23) and fourth in receptions (175) and receiving yards (2,620). Matt Thomas. You know, and the good thing is, that responsibility aligns already with what Im doing.. Those maps, and the birth of redlining a policy that can broadly be defined as the denial of real estate and financial services based on the racial composition of neighborhoods and communities can still be found online. If Franklin ever starts those discussions remains to be seen, though in all likelihood that day will never come. }, 2014-current - Penn State (HeadCoach) Defensively, the Nittany Lions were seventh in FBS in scoring average (16.5 ppg) and sacks (3.23 spg), while coming in 17th in total defense (329.5). The Nittany Lions, started the season off with a 50 record and with wins over #12 Wisconsin and #22 Auburn were ranked as high as #4 in the country. Quarterback Sean Clifford (2021) and linebacker Brandon Smith (2017) were selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works team for their selflessness and community service. Prior to the 2018 season, Penn State lost several key contributors from the previous seasons. Penn State had an emergence of true freshmen skill players on offense in running backs Keyvone Lee and Caziah Holmes, wide receivers Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and tight end Theo Johnson, with true freshmen accounting for 1,486 of Penn States 3,873 yards (38 percent), marking a school record for most combined scrimmage yards by true freshmen in a single season. Franklin led Vanderbilt to a bowl game in each of his three seasons in Nashville, with the last two years resulting in wins over NC State (Music City Bowl) and Houston (BBVA Compass Bowl). Analysis of James Franklin's switch to superagent Jimmy Sexton. Everything is magnified, especially when you exist against the grain, against what has always been the safe hire. The Commodores had a breakthrough campaign in 2012 under Franklin, finishing on a seven-game winning streak (longest since 1948) to post a 9-4 mark, Vanderbilts most wins in 97 years, and a berth in the Music City Bowl, in which VU defeated NC State, 38-24. Vandy defeated Houston Cougars in the BBVA Compass Bowl 4124. Penn State ranked third in the Big Ten in total defense (328.8; 17th nationally), second in in passing defense (198.6; 24th), second in tackles for loss (6.7 per game) and fourth in rushing defense (130.2). The teams will open the 2022 season on Sept. 1 at West . All of this is the setting for Franklins improbable journey to where he is today, seated at a long table inside the buildings biggest office, at the head one of the most prestigious college football programs in the nation. [11] The Washington Post reported other candidates for the job were Al Golden of Temple and Larry Coker of UTSA (and formerly Miami), and that Franklin was not the frontrunner. 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