Report: FSU has contacted former SEC head coach
One of the biggest stories of the offseason will be who Florida State will hire to help rebuild the Seminoles’ program after a major falloff during the last few seasons, including the year-plus era of Willie Taggart that resulted in a 9-12 record and the program missing its first bowl game since 1981 last season.
Names throughout the nation will obviously be thrown around with some big ones coming up. According to 247Sports, a former SEC coach is a target of FSU.
Noles247 confirmed on Wednesday that representatives for FSU and Penn State coach James Franklin have talked at this point in the process. Franklin was believed to be a candidate, and now we know he is a target that FSU has vetted.
Franklin has the Nittany Lions at 9-1 and heading into a big game this weekend against Ohio State that could put them back in the College Football Playoff picture. In his sixth season at Penn State, Franklin has put up a record of 54-22 including a 33-17 conference record and two 11-win seasons.
Prior to taking the Penn State job, Franklin led Vanderbilt to three straight bowl games and two straight nine-win seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Not even the slightest bit of the truth here……….nope not a drop
Why not? All it says it that representatives from both sides talked. If you are his agent then you take the call. If you are the school then I’m callings everyone’s agent right now. Just getting an idea of who might make my short list.
I really want see Florida and Clemson to have to play this guy every year!
I’m sorry but we’re gonna have to disagree on this one.
We played him every year when he was at Vandy, I don’t get your infatuation.
Well let’s see he won at Vanderbilt and don’t take my word for it but nobody wins at Vandy! If you can develope players you don’t have to sign all 4 & 5’s! Florida is praying they don’t Franklin.
As if Dumbo and Bowden didn’t recruit 4 & 5 stars every year. Been there done that. Anything else?
He inherited top talent skill players Jordan Matthews, Zac Stacy, Jordan Rodgers and Chris Boyd. His wins during his tenure came against teams with an average record of 4-8. He had 2 wins over SEC teams with above .500 records in 3 years.
To this day Franklin is 1-14 against ranked teams in true road games. Strong recruiter, motivator, good grad rates, runs a clean program, not a big developer or game coach.
This would actually be a perfect fit because I already dislike him
What’s the beef?
I remember him icing a kicker of a team Penn was up like half a hundred on in the final minute, complaining about recruits flipping and then flipping recruits, having an overall arrogant and whiney attitude and saying “I’ve been saying it for a long time, I will not hire an assistant coach until I’ve seen his wife. If she looks the part, and she’s a D-1 recruit, then you got a chance to get hired. That’s part of the deal.”
He helped cover up a rape for one thing. The guy’s a piece of trash.
He’d fit right in at FSU. They like covering up sexual assaults. Just ask Jameis.
I don’t remember that but I’ll go ahead and add it to the list
Being an FSU fan some of the incidents outside of football are disgusting but please do get off of your high horse… because if I remember correctly Aaron Hernandez and any other criminals including Urban Meyer were apart of UF’s staff.
Being an FSU fan some of the incidents outside of football are disgusting but please do get off of your high horse… because if I remember correctly Aaron Hernandez and many other criminals including Urban Meyer were apart of UF’s staff.
First he didn’t check out the character of his recruits at Vanderbilt (of all places), then his action and inaction after these student athletes committed serious crimes (that’s plural) most certainly should be questioned. I’d be curious to see if he has a better character record. Young coaches certainly do have a learning curve on this. And bad characters do not always come with warning signs. Still think Derek Mason isn’t a great choice at Vanderbilt?
That move would make no sense. From a top tier Big Ten school to the dumpster fire at FSU in a weak ACC? Fisher left FSU because their facilities were so bad and the administration had no plans to upgrade. If you can’t recruit to a school why on earth would you go. Have you ever been to Tallahassee? It’s a poor, dirty town on the FL peninsula. It’s not even a pretty part of the state. The best thing about FSU is Renegade and the horse can’t play football.
You sound like a well informed individual with that assessment of HalfAzzU. Closet Gator, possibly? LOL
The type of players Penn State is recruiting will not allow them to compete with Ohio State every year. They are pretty far behind them right now and Penn state is probably doing the best they can do
Daggum, I could read what BamaAtlanta has to say about FSU all day.
+1,000
Tallahassee is way more fun than Gainesville. UF is the better academic school, but most football players don’t have academics very high on their list. It’s also a lot easier to win at FSU vice PSU, as the only competition is Clemson. Penn State has Ohio State and Michigan in their division. If FSU will pay more, I think they can get Franklin. Franklin is also said to be high on USC’s list. If he is on two lists, you gotta believe he is interested in moving on.
Not sure what evidence you have of FSU being more fun than UF. Gimme a break, most major colleges are all basically the same when it comes to partying and having fun.
I had daughters graduate from both schools, so I spent a lot of time in both places. Certainly more than most.
I’m sure a dad hanging out with his daughters is really similar to what college aged kids experience. There’s plenty to do in Gainesville. Maybe being from a rival school of UF and not of FSU has swayed your opinion. Tally is known for being pretty run down
LSUMC, I have a strong suspicion that you have not spent much time in Tallahassee.
It’s you guys that haven’t spent time there. Anybody they thinks Gainesville is a fun place has never been anywhere. UF is a great academic school. Gainesville is a dump.
Look we know your upset your daughter dropped out there. No reason to take it out on the whole city.
She graduated UF with honors and went to medical school. Nice try though.
I’m beginning to see why you didn’t have fun. Got the sense of humor of a retired Marine with a stick up his rear
Some great comments in this thread.
This seems like a productive argument worth having.
Go, internet, go!!!
I’ve spent a great deal of time in both Gainesville and Tallahassee. Tallahassee is the dump.
Sure gator fan. You’re credible, especially with Nashville in your ID. Lots of time in both. Good stuff. Gainesville is still a dump.
Gainesville is definitively NOT a dump but consider the source. LSU has an inflated ego and thinks his opinions are fact.
I’ve time on both campuses. One thing is for sure. Gainesville has the best looking women and the best weed.
*I’ve spent
Gainesville may have better weed because there is more money there. Anyone claiming the UF brainiacs are better looking women is just making stuff up.
Ah man, not only is LSUMC claiming the city is a dump, now the college girls are ugly. To be fair, he did say his daughter went there.
Well LSUMC, since you persist, I attended for all four years and graduated from UF and have returned there frequently over the years. My son-in-law and daughter lived in Tallahassee for seven years during undergraduate and law school, and my brother-in-law was a Tallahassee bureaucrat for a few years… As a result I have spent a LOT of time visiting Tallahassee. But I will say this: I’d rather spend time in Tallahassee than Baton Rouge.
You can’t be a grad and be that ignorant. I never said they were ugly. Nothing close. My oldest went to Harvard. Those young ladies aren’t ugly either, but they aren’t as hot as FSU or UF.
Actually I am a grad with a degree in biological science so let me throw some science at you. Did you know that there is actually a positive correlation between attractiveness and intelligence? FSU girls are known for being a little more easy. Perhaps that’s where you are getting confused.
Note: Replaced a different word with “easy” so my comment wouldn’t be “awaiting moderation”. That comment may yet come through.
Gatorgrad12, I think we’re dealing with another Monty Python Black Knight here. It’s just a flesh wound. Nothing you say is going to stop the replies.
True enough. Hacking at limbs is only fun for so long.
Lol I’m a die-hard Gator fan but Im with LSUMC. Gainesville like most college towns is a dump. I hated going out in Gainesville. Coming from south Florida I thought the nightlife and bar scene was subpar at best. Tallahassee, on the other hand, was a lot of fun. Every place i went out to was loaded with people and hot chicks. There is no way that anyone not part of a frat at either school that would honestly believe gainesville is a better place to go out at night and party.
I might agree with some of your comments except your disparaging ones about Tallahassee and that part of the state. Anyone who has spent time driving the many oak canopy roads in this area would likewise disagree including the ultra wealthy plantation owners who have invested millions in those showcase properties.
Plantation owners? What?
Hold up Jimbo left Florida St. I am guessing you don’t know the real reason? Jimbo left FL.St because he let Winston run wild and he lost the team! Wait and see but Tex A&M has $10million headache!
Dude, buy a map. Tally Town is not anywhere near the peninsula. It’s in the panhandle of Florida. Miami is on the peninsula.
Tallahassee in the Florida peninsula? Forget Trumps’ tax returns, I want to see your Geography grades from elementary school.
I don’t understand why FSU would want him. He will not be able to recruit a ton of elite players. He is not an elite coach. So why?
And vice versa, I don’t understand why he would want FSU. He’s got a better job already.
Back to back 9 win seasons at Vandy and a Big 10 championship at Penn State. He’s no slouch.
He’s a solid coach that has created two rebuilds from nothing. He’s an awful person but a solid coach.
This
Penn State is number 10 in the 2019 247 team talent composite, which is pretty good for being outside the South and near Ohio State. He also got Vandy to 9 wins, which is nearly impossible to do.
Penn State is a very good job, and he is originally from Pennsylvania. He already makes almost $6 million per year. Good chance he’ll just use outside interest to get more money out of PSU for staff compensation, facility upgrades, etc.
All that said, I too do not care for the guy.
He’s a scumbag. I lost what little respect I had for PSU when they hired him. Vetted….yeah right.
I believe I recall something about sexual assaults being covered up while under his watch at Vandy. Same type of thing with their current OC Briles at Baylor. I also recall a QB named Jameis. Is there a pattern here with F$U? Vetted, LOL.
One of Franklin’s daughters, Addy, has sickle-cell anemia. He will only coach where there is a top-rate hospital/children’s hospital that is set up to treat these patients. Both Nashville and Philadelphia have two of the best clinics in the US for this. Is there one in Tallahassee?
Philly is about 200 miles from Penn State. That’s not exactly close.
There is literally nothing in Tallahassee except the capitol offices and two college campuses. FSU’s medical school has only been around for about 19 years.
One of the things that has likely contributed to FSU’s problems is that the school has always been run by state politicians. The school’s president isn’t a professional educator; he’s a former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. The school’s AD isn’t an experienced professional AD: He’s a former chief of staff for the Florida Legislature.
Philly is but penn state children’s hospital in Hershey isn’t.
@ Nash
Good observation and maybe that’s why LSU likes Tallycrappy so much, he may be an ivory tower type or a bureaucrat living in their tenured fantasy world.
I’m not seeing it. Unless FSU payed him A LOT of money I can’t see him going. Penn State is a top flight grade A place to coach. It’s not like they’re the nuns at “Our Lady of Perpetual sorrow” and have a storied history. While FSU “may” be seen as a top flight destination for a coach at his level, at best it would be a lateral move. Franklin can coach though and would probably turn FSU into a national power again if given the time but I doubt FSU is willing to do what it takes to get him. The reason they got Tagaart was because he was the only one willing to do it. That should tell you all you need to know about a transfer from Penn State to FSU.
A lateral move, at best. Why go from a tradition rich program you’ve got on the rise to a somewhat less tradition rich program that’s in the doldrums? Unless they SIGNIFICANTLY outbid PSU, this makes no sense.
I think FSU should get Lane Kiffin. Whatever you think about him, he is a great coach.
jcolUT…..I agree with you. I believe Lane Kiffin has grown up as a person and as a coach…and now HE IS A SUCCESSFUL HEAD COACH at Florida Atlantic. He is such a good QB coach, anywhere he coaches. He played QB at San Jose State and thinks like a QB and mentors them well. he can and will be a Head Coach somewhere other than Florida Atlantic soon. He sure did a good job as OC while at Alabama for three(3) years.
Vandy has always been a welcome door mat for Florida (except in 2013). Vandy football was the best under Franklin. But he jumped into the Penn State dumpster fire after Paterno and the Nittany Lion (Sandusky) and turned it around. I dont think he’s ready to do it again at FSU.
James Franklin is not coming to Florida State. #1 It is not a good fit for him and the program is a mess right now. Look at where he’s coached….Maryland(as Friedgen’s OC) Vandy(Head Coach) Penn State(Head Coach) and has been successful at each stop. The Florida State Football Program is a different animal from his preference. I could see him at Southern Cal, but not FSU.
Does Franklin seem like an insane person? I don’t think so.
Back to back 9 wins at VANDY is a huge given the high academic standards of the University. He can recruit as it is and going to the ACC would be easier path to the playoffs all you have to do beat Clemson.
Penn State is a really good job. Athlon ranked the FSU head coaching job 9th in desirability and the Penn State job 14th. That’s not enough of a difference to jump from a program that’s rolling to one that’s not, especially when you consider FSU’s facilities (way behind) and financial issues ($6 million athletic department deficit last year).
‘coca-cola’, Please, he beat cupcakes at Vandy. Two SEC wins in 3 years against teams with winning records (Ole Miss 7-6, and UGA 8-5). Average team he beat was 4-8 during his 3 year tenure.
Even though he inherited top talent skill players Jordan Matthews, Zac Stacy, Jordan Rodgers and Chris Boyd. To this day Franklin is 1-14 against ranked teams in true road games.
There’s a lot to like about Franklin running your program (recruiting, motivation, grad rates…), but game day coaching isn’t one of them.
Franklin’s not going to FSU. He has a load of talent returning next year at PSU, and he’s not trading getting by Ohio St for getting by Clemson every year. USC has a better shot at him.
Hey sec mates, duds and dudes,
I’m sure there are hot chicks in Tallahassee, Gainesville and everywhere in between.
Heck, I’ve seen hot woman in small podunk towns who could set trash cans on fire by walking by them.
I’m sure the state administrators who took over FSU administration and AD don’t know very much about problem solving but more about schmoozing.
If you want to see armed robbery watch key plays of Tamu vs GA. Didn’t know you could pull a dbs face mask to get by him. Other blatant missed calls too that aided GA, too.
Seems like that game was rigged!!!
LSUSMC, congratulations on you daughter getting her MD degree.