It Would Be Shocking If James Franklin Stayed At Penn State After His Most Recent Comments

James Franklin Penn State USC LSU Coaching Rumors Search Sexton Comments Moving Parts

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  • With the coaching carousel rumors circling, Penn State’s James Franklin is reportedly in the mix for LSU and USC’s openings.
  • He spoke about the off-of-the-field whispers on Wednesday and made his intentions pretty clear.
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James Franklin will probably not be the head football coach at Penn State next season. We know this.

The 49-year-old is in the mix for both the Southern California and Louisiana State openings and all signs point toward him heading to Los Angeles in 2022.

Earlier this week, Franklin was clearly distracted and named the wrong opponent for this weekend as well as calling the stadium by the wrong name. One day prior, he switched representation and signed with well-known agent Jimmy Sexton.

As college football fans continue to try and connect the dots, Franklin is not doing himself any favors when it comes to curbing off-the-field speculation. He spoke with the media after Wednesday’s practice and his comments alluded to a potential departure.

Instead of denying the rumors and preaching his love for the Nittany Lions, Franklin could not have been more hesitant to commit to a future in Happy Valley. He danced around a definitive answer and made his intentions pretty clear.

In addition, with No. 5 Ohio State coming down the gauntlet on Saturday, he could have just as easily changed the focus to this weekend. Instead, Franklin gave an answer that does not inspire confidence in him staying with Penn State.

“I think I have shown my loyalty to this team, to this this program, to this community,” he said, before going on to say that there are “a lot of moving parts with all of these things.”

Take a listen to his full response:

If you are able to hear those comments and say with a straight face that Franklin will be at Penn State next year, you are probably a Penn State fan. Either that, or you are banking on neither USC nor LSU offering him the job.

Based on his commitment hesitation, Franklin is at the very least open to hearing offers from other programs. That is not new news, especially after he signed with noted money-getter Sexton.

However, after what Franklin said on Wednesday evening, it would be shocking to see him in navy and white next year.