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James Franklin reflects on time at Maryland ahead of Week 10 showdown
By Paul Harvey
Published:
James Franklin has an impressive coaching career in college football that spans nearly 30 seasons in the sport. Along the way, he spent two separate prominent stretches at the University of Maryland.
In 2000, he was hired by the Terrapins to be the wide receivers coach by head coach Ron Vanderlinden. Franklin’s time under Vanderlinden did not last long, but he would be retained by head coach Ralph Friedgen.
After leaving Maryland for a stop in the NFL and another at Kansas State as an OC, Franklin returned to Friedgen’s program as the OC and QB coach in 2008. He stayed until accepting his first head coaching job at Vanderbilt following the 2010 season.
During his Tuesday press conference, Franklin touched on his history with the Terrapins and admitted he has a lot of respect for the program. He also referenced working with head coach Mike Locksley during a time when Locksley served as the RBs coach for the program.
“When you kind of get into Maryland, obviously I’ve got a lot of history with the university. I think I was there for 8 years. It was kind of my first big break in the profession, so I’ve got a tremendous respect for the university as a whole and the athletic department,” sai Franklin. “Was there for a long time, two different times. Was with coach Locksley, got a lot of respect for him and what he’s been able to do throughout his career. We were at the University of Maryland I think from 2000-02 together, I think 3 years.”
As for the head-to-head series vs. his alma mater, Franklin is 7-2 vs. the Terrapins during his tenure at Penn State. Franklin did lose to Locksley in a 2020 meeting but most recently beat Maryland in a 30-0 shutout a year ago.
(H/T BTN)
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.