It’s been nearly a decade since Vanderbilt lost its most successful head football coach.
After leading Vanderbilt to three straight bowl games, James Franklin departed for Penn State.
Franklin had made history when he arrived at Vandy in 2011. He was the school’s first Black head coach of any sport.
Franklin got the Commodores into the Top 25 in 2012 with a 9-4 record. In 2013 they once again had a nine win season, were ranked again, and won the BBVA Compass Bowl.
It angered many Commodore fans the way Franklin left, and the ugly scandal with rape allegations against some of his players was unsettling at best. But no coach before or since has matched his three-year Vandy mark of 24-15.
Saturday Franklin’s Nittany Lions, ranked seventh, defeated number 24 Iowa 21-0. It was Iowa’s first shutout loss in 23 years.
Last season was Franklin’s best at Penn State. The Nittany Lions were 11-2, and won the Rose Bowl.
But for some among the Penn State faithful, Franklin will never be fully accepted until he at minimum wins a Big 10 title and at maximum a national championship.
To his critics, James Franklin can’t win the big game. They point to the fact Penn State hasn’t beaten either Ohio State or Michigan since 2016. Those were the only two teams that beat them last season.
But even Franklin’s harshest detractors acknowledge he is a supreme recruiter and decent, if not great, tactician.
This year’s team is superb defensively, allowing Iowa only four first downs and 76 yards of total offense, both Big 10 records.
With that caliber of defense, the offense doesn’t have to be great. But the two biggest games on their schedule are Ohio State on the road October 21 and Michigan at home November 11.
Those are the only ranked teams remaining on their schedule. Realistically, they are also the only ones among the nine remaining schools they face with a shot at beating them unless there’s an unusual set of circumstances.
Franklin is being very cagey and cautious in discussing his team, but he recognizes that this is most likely the best squad he’s had at Penn State. It is without question the best defensive unit.
Interestingly, of the three highest profile Black coaches at FBS schools, Franklin is getting the least amount of publicity despite now being the only one undefeated.
Colorado’s Deion Sanders Buffaloes took a 42-6 loss at Oregon, while Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman saw Ohio State score a touchdown on the final play of the game and grab a 14-10 win, a heartbreaking loss for the Irish.
It will be quite instructive to see over the rest of the college football season how Penn State, Colorado and Notre Dame fare.
Their success or failure will no doubt have impact on opportunities for Black head coaches at FBS schools in the future.
