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James Franklin explains why he was in Vanderbilt dugout for SEC Baseball championship
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As Vanderbilt battled Ole Miss in the SEC Baseball Tournament title game on Sunday afternoon, there was a surprising figure in the Commodores’ dugout: Penn State football coach James Franklin.
Franklin, of course, previously spent 3 years as the head football coach at Vanderbilt. However, that was more than a decade ago — he last coached the Commodores in 2013.
Why was James Franklin in the Vanderbilt dugout?
In addition to being in the dugout, Franklin briefly appeared on the SEC Network broadcast for a short interview. He explained his presence at the game and spoke about his relationship with Vanderbilt baseball head coach Tim Corbin.
Corbin has been the head coach for Vandy baseball since 2003, so he overlapped with Franklin during his 3 years in Nashville from 2011-13. Franklin said he and Corbin have remained close even after his departure to Penn State more than a decade ago.
Franklin said he interrupted his vacation in Destin, Florida, to be at the game on Sunday.
“I was in Destin with my family. We checked the schedule, saw they were playing today so we got up early this morning and drove down,” Franklin said on the broadcast. “Me and Tim have been close since my first year at Vanderbilt.”
How close are James Franklin and Tim Corbin?
Franklin says his relationship with Corbin was “critical” back when he was the head coach of the Commodores.
“It was critical in Year 1,” Franklin said on the broadcast. “Nobody knows Vanderbilt better than Tim Corbin … sit down with him, talk about Vanderbilt, talk about the SEC, he was a huge part of our success in our time there. We’ve stayed close.”
Franklin delivered back-to-back 9 win seasons during his brief time in Nashville. That remains tied for the most victories in a single season in program history.
Franklin added that Corbin typically travels to Penn State for a football game each fall.
Here’s Franklin’s mid-game interview on the SEC Network:
Vanderbilt is playing for its second SEC Baseball Tournament Championship in the last three years.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
