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Penn State AD says James Franklin’s new 10-year contract about ‘body of work’
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James Franklin is sticking around Penn State for quite a bit longer. Near the end of the regular season, the athletic department and head coach agreed to a 10-year contract extension, keeping Franklin out of the carousel for quite some time.
On Thursday, Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour met with reporters to discuss a wide array of topics, including Franklin’s lucrative contract extension. She pointed to the head coach’s success during his time in Happy Valley as reason behind the deal.
“If you look at the body of work, what we’ve seen from James … as you really dig into it, that (2016-19) period was as good as we’ve been in 35-40 years,” Barbour said, per Onward Sports. “He’s our guy.”
Franklin is closing out his eighth season with the Nittany Lions. He’s posted a 67-33 record, including a 42-28 mark in B1G play. He’s led Penn State to a bowl game every year but the 2020 pandemic-hit season, when the team finished 4-5.
That 2016-19 run Barbour was discussing was one of the best 4-year stretches in program history. Penn State hit the 11-win mark 3 times, appeared in 3 New Year’s 6 bowl games and claimed a B1G title.
Penn State finished the 2021 season with a 7-5 record. It will take on Arkansas in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day to conclude the year.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB