Could James Franklin be returning to the SEC?

The Penn State coach certainly has things rolling at Penn State at the moment. The Nittany Lions currently rank as the No. 3 team in the nation in the AP Poll and are coming off a Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl appearance. All that success in the Big Ten is followed by Franklin’s consecutive nine-win seasons at Vanderbilt from 2012-2103.

According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, Penn State is “preparing for Texas A&M to make a run” at the former Vanderbilt coach if the school decides to move on from Kevin Sumlin.

No doubt Franklin is regarded as one of the best coaches in the college game today and it’s common knowledge that Sumlin is on the hot seat after his new AD Scott Woodward said so himself this summer during an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show. However, Texas A&M currently has a surprising 4-2 record, with both losses coming by a combined nine points total.

The strong start my not save Sumlin, though, if the Aggies fall apart in November like they typically do. It’s also interesting that this news is out this early in the season with A&M doing so well. Don’t be surprised if Franklin soon agrees to a massive extension with Penn State. Often times when speculation regarding a potential opening arises, a contract extension isn’t very far behind.