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Report: Florida State still eyeing James Franklin as priority candidate for head coaching job
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James Franklin has a pretty good thing going at Penn State right now, but that’s not stopping Florida State from attempting to lure him away from State College and into Tallahassee.
According to a report from 247Sports’ Brendan Sonnone, Florida State is still focusing its search on Franklin to fill the open vacancy for its football program. The current Penn State head coach was quickly considered one of the top candidates after FSU parted ways with Willie Taggart earlier this year.
This is the second job in which Franklin’s name has surfaced as a potential candidate. USC is another school in which Franklin has been thought to be a potential leading candidate, should the Trojans part ways with current head coach Clay Helton. However, it sounds like, right now, Florida State is the school that is working hard to put together a convincing pitch.
Florida State would have to make an attractive offer to Franklin, who is currently building one of the top programs in the B1G. The Nittany Lions won a B1G title in 2016 and are one victory away from getting to the 10-win mark this year in what was expected to be somewhat of a rebuilding season. Penn State also currently owns the No. 3 recruiting class in the B1G for 2020, and ranks 14th nationally.
Franklin, 47, is in his sixth year at Penn State. He’s ended each year with a winning record and has gone to a bowl game every season. Assuming the Nittany Lions defeat Rutgers on Saturday, he’ll post his third 10-win season in the last four years.
Leaving Penn State for Florida State doesn’t seem like an appealing move for Franklin right now, but coaching searches are anything but certain. While Franklin has denied interest in leaving PSU in the past, it’s certainly something to keep an eye on as the coaching carousel picks up steam in the coming weeks.
You can get more information on Florida State’s pursuit of Franklin on 247Sports (subscription required).
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