James Franklin – Head Coach – Penn State
A coaching option with a little bit of hometown flavor is James Franklin. The former Vanderbilt and current Penn State head coach is a young coach with a lot of potential. For years, he was linked to some of the most prestigious college football coaching vacancies in the country. That all changed when he took over for Bill O’Brien at Penn State. Franklin has brought the Penn State program back to the dominant form it once had. If we know anything about Penn State coaches, it’s that if they keep winning, they will continue to coach there; so if Franklin wins consistently and wants the job for life, it is very possible that he can have it. As exciting as college football is, the NFL is a big sell. Franklin is building something in Happy Valley, but he could leave for the right job.
Franklin prefers to have a varied offense with a lot of weapons, which would be a perfect fit for the Titans. Penn State had a lot of weapons that were essentially dual threats. Saquon Barkley was one of the best running backs in college football, Trace McSorley was a dual threat quarterback and the wide receivers found there way into the end zone a lot in 2017. Franklin would be able to use the same ideas to succeed with the Titans. Also, the Penn State defense was ranked 17th in all of college football, according to the NCAA. Franklin would be able to help on both sides of the ball.