New Penn State head coach James Franklin

BY ROCK HOFFMAN

Langhorne native and Neshaminy High School grad James Franklin has been named head coach at Penn State replacing Bill O’Brien, who left the Nittany Lions’ program to become head coach of the Houston Texans.

Franklin, who played collegiately at East Stroudsburg University where he was twice an All-PSAC quarterback, takes over at Penn State after spending the last three seasons as head coach at Vanderbilt University. At the helm of the Commodores, Franklin led them to a 24-15 record and three bowls games. They had nine wins and a bowl victory in each of the last two seasons.

Vanderbilt was 2-10 in each of the two seasons prior to Franklin’s arrival in Nashville and had compiled a 1-15 mark in the SEC.

“Coach Franklin’s record of success is extraordinary,” said Penn State President Rodney Erickson in a press release, “but even more impressive is his passion for not only the game of football, but also creating an atmosphere in which student-athletes can succeed.”

Franklin has spent 18 of his 19 year coaching career in college football (he was wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers in 2005) and is known for his ability as a recruiter and motivator.

The Nittany Lions are coming off of a 7-5 season and return the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in quarterback Christian Hackenberg. They are still under NCAA sanctions (a bowl ban and scholarship reductions) because of the crimes of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to come home,” Franklin stated in a release. “I grew up watching Penn State football and now to be at the helm of such a storied program is a tremendous honor. It’s important to me to be a part of a University that strives for excellence in everything they do. When football student-athletes come to Penn State, they have a unique opportunity to receive a premium education while playing at the highest level of competition.

“I’m incredibly excited to get to know the students, alumni, and fans who have demonstrated such loyalty to the University as a whole and to the football program in particular. I’ve worked my way through every division of football and no other school boasts a fan base like we do. We Are…Penn State!!”

e-mail Rock Hoffman at Rock@footballstories.com