UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WJAC) — Penn State’s James Franklin has agreed to the terms of a new 10-year contract to remain as the head football coach of the Nittany Lions through 2031.
The terms were approved by the Subcommittee on Compensation of the Penn State Board of Trustees Tuesday.
The new contract increases his pay from $5.5 million this year to $7 million per year, plus an annual $500,000 retention bonus at the end of each calendar year and other performance bonuses.
“Penn State's future is bright, and I'm honored to continue to serve as your head football coach,” said Franklin.
The PSU faithful had mixed reactions to the extension.
Some students are thrilled that Franklin will remain on the PSU sideline, including Nittanyville President, and PSU senior, Matt Solomon.
“I’m very excited...I think he’s a phenomenal coach, I think he's the best option for the program moving forward and I don’t really think there was another clear direction (to go in)," Solomon said. "Coach Franklin’s proven that he can win here, won a Big 10 Championship, got into the Rose Bowl, had New Year’s Six (Bowl) wins, he has one of the most talented classes in the country coming in next year.”
Solomon says Franklin’s personality is just as much of an asset as his coaching ability.
“He is Mr. Penn State, like you see him all of the time at other sporting events, supporting other teams while he’s not in season, you see him everywhere on campus...going on his daily walks, saying hi to students, taking pictures with students, he is phenomenal with the community, he is a leader, people want to root for him, players want to play for him, and that’s shown clearly through recruiting.”
But while everyone agrees he has leadership skills off the field, some question his ability on it.
“I mean, he’s an awesome dude, awesome recruiter and I feel like he’s a great figure for the team but I just feel like when it comes down to actually coaching...the same result is probably going to occur unless something wild changes,” said Nolan Soffer, a PSU alum.
At Penn State, Franklin has a 2-13 record against top-ten programs, and is 11-16 against the top twenty-five.
“There’s been numerous times, especially inversed top teams that they fell short," Soffer said. "I mean, I do give him credit for...they do play good against those teams but they just can’t finish.”
On a lighter note, Solomon is thrilled to see Franklin’s name come off the proverbial coaching carousel for the foreseeable future.
“I’m just happy he’s locked up long term, there’s no more USC rumors every year, and also I think, right now, this shows that he truly is going to be here for the long term," he said. "On top of just the ten year contract, the other job offers out there, LSU, USC, Florida, these are top-tier college football programs, and if Franklin’s not going to leave for those, that shows that he’s fully committed to Penn State and he’ll be here for the long run.”
Franklin will coach his 100th game with Penn State this weekend on the road against Michigan State.
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