After hearing the recent scuttlebutt about James Franklin changing agents, in the running for the head coaching job at USC, etc. It got me to thinking. Here is my take:
Franklin wants to be the first black coach to win a national championship – period. His ego is more important than his commitment to any institution. The USC opening is appealing because Franklin believes the path to a slot in the championship playoff at USC in the PAC is a whole lot easier than it is in the Big 10 at Penn State, whose perennial nemesis is Ohio State (and that doesn’t look like it is going to change anytime soon).
Look at Franklin’s run in the Big 10, there’s been only one great year… The year he had Trace McSorley and Saquan Barkley, arguably the top player in the country, on the roster. But most years under his tutelage PSU wins the games “they are supposed to” (but not always!) and loses the big ones.
This year has been no exception. Can anyone explain the stubborn reliance on an injured QB in the Illinois game when two strapping young QBs rode the pine? What kind of coach has his backups (apparently) so unprepared? And why rely on a Senior QB who inexplicably still throws the type of inceptions and fumbles away games like a freshman?
What excites fans year-to-year is the way Franklin recruits. Then the season begins and the disappointments start arriving like packages from Amazon. I for one am ready to see him move on. I suspect in his mind he already has. The Tomster
Franklin wants to be the first black coach to win a national championship – period. His ego is more important than his commitment to any institution. The USC opening is appealing because Franklin believes the path to a slot in the championship playoff at USC in the PAC is a whole lot easier than it is in the Big 10 at Penn State, whose perennial nemesis is Ohio State (and that doesn’t look like it is going to change anytime soon).
Look at Franklin’s run in the Big 10, there’s been only one great year… The year he had Trace McSorley and Saquan Barkley, arguably the top player in the country, on the roster. But most years under his tutelage PSU wins the games “they are supposed to” (but not always!) and loses the big ones.
This year has been no exception. Can anyone explain the stubborn reliance on an injured QB in the Illinois game when two strapping young QBs rode the pine? What kind of coach has his backups (apparently) so unprepared? And why rely on a Senior QB who inexplicably still throws the type of inceptions and fumbles away games like a freshman?
What excites fans year-to-year is the way Franklin recruits. Then the season begins and the disappointments start arriving like packages from Amazon. I for one am ready to see him move on. I suspect in his mind he already has. The Tomster
