Following Week 6’s defeat to the previously winless UCLA Bruins, James Franklin’s future with the Penn State Nittany Lions has been put in doubt. Fans and analysts alike are wondering if Franklin is truly the person to take the program to the next level.
Now the world of football is already considering possible options for James Franklin’s replacement. An unlikely candidate has appeared: Former Alabama coach Nick Saban.
It’s an unlikely occurrence, but several analysts have already raised the question. To be expected, considering Saban is the best coach out there, not coaching right now. Pair that with some rumours in the preseason that Saban might be interested in a return to coaching, and it could make sense.
However, reports are that Saban isn’t interested in a return to college football. While there was more noise surrounding a potential return to the NFL, after a botched brief stint with the Miami Dolphins earlier in his career, there seems to be little to no substance to rumours of Saban wanting to return to coaching.
Why Is James Franklin Facing This Kind Of Pressure?
It seems to have been a narrative that paired well with the fact that the former Alabama coach didn’t make an appearance in the SEC media days, and from there took a life of its own. For all intents and purposes, Nick Saban seems to be enjoying a happy retirement from coaching and has no intention of going back.
This isn’t the coach has faced such questioning, with his long tenure at Happy Valley marked by a consistent inability to capture a Big Ten title or make an appearance on the College Football Playoff. While the Nittany Lions have consistently ranked among the top programs in the nation, that hasn’t translated to trophies and titles.
Last year, it seemed like Franklin was beating this narrative, taking the program to the CFP for the first time and going all the way to the semifinals. Yet signs of lost opportunities were there as always, with the Nittany Lions failing to take advantage of Michigan and Ohio State’s inability to qualify for the Big Ten championship game. They lost to newcomer Oregon, a program in its debut season in the Big Ten.
This isn’t just about a couple of back-to-back defeats (One of them was against the No. 3 school in the nation, Oregon, which is barely an indictment) but about an inability on Franklin’s part to reap the rewards of Penn State’s standing in the world of college football over the last decade. Although the defeat was embarrassing, considering the Bruins’ season up until now, and the fact that they were going with an untested offensive play caller in tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel.
Nonetheless, the bigger issue is this: Since 2014, the Nittany Lions have only made one CFP appearance and won one Big Ten title. Not enough for a top program.
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