What's Next?: Potential Job Openings for James Franklin

Written by Carter Ball

Just three weeks ago, led by James Franklin, Penn State was a top-5 team in the country and one of the favorites to win it all. Today, however, the Nittany Lions are 3-3, and James Franklin is out of a job. In this article, we give three potential landing spots for James Franklin this offseason.

3. Arkansas (Head Coach)

With minimal ties to the South outside of Franklin’s multi-year coaching stint at Vanderbilt a few years ago, I do not expect Franklin to be at the top of the Razorbacks’ board. However, the group currently has an interim coach after firing Sam Pittman and could be desperate for a proven coach as the program is currently a dumpster fire. Expectations for success would be minimal, and resources would be plentiful. Arkansas could be a perfect low-pressure opportunity for Franklin to rebuild a solid SEC program.

2. Wisconsin (Head Coach)

The Badgers have started the year at 2-4 and still have to face the #1, #3, and #8 teams in the country. Current pleas to fire current HC Luke Fickell will only get louder, and Franklin has experience in the Big Ten and has produced great RBs and O-lines during his time at Penn State, which are the staples of Wisconsin’s program. Franklin fits the culture and the identity of Big Ten football, and if Wisconsin’s HC job opens up, I expect Franklin to be at the top of the Badgers’ list.

1. Auburn (Head Coach)

After a rough start to the 2025 season, wasting one of the Tigers’ best rosters in years due to inadequate QB play from Jackson Arnold, Hugh Freeze is likely to be done after this year. The fit with Freeze never made sense to me for Auburn, as although Freeze is an elite recruiter, recruiting has never been the problem for Auburn; it has always been culture and development. At Penn State under Franklin, the program has been the opposite. Penn State has had an elite culture under Franklin, but has lacked the firepower necessary to break through. At Auburn, with elite SEC resources and a location near the nation’s greatest recruiting hotbed, the Auburn NIL money recruits itself. Auburn provides the perfect opportunity for Franklin to build the same elite culture he built at Penn State with increased financial backing to take the team to the next level. If Hugh Freeze is fired, Auburn would be a perfect fit for Franklin.