James Franklin provides unsettling perspective on the future of college football

The numerous major changes to the college football landscape were obviously a hot topic at Big Ten Media Days this week. While a lot of coaches across the country are afraid of where NIL may take the sport, Penn State’s James Franklin isn’t panicking yet. He does see some current issues, but believes in time things will level of to a somewhat normal standard.

When he answered questions this week on NIL, he stressed not overreacting to deals and developments on that front right now, because in all likelihood, eveything will look completely different within a matter of years.

“I think this is going to look different three years from now,” said Franklin. “I think college athletics could look very different. College football will look very different. And I actually think this NIL space will look different. It’s like anything else, you’re going to come out and it’s going to be a mad rush and then the pendulum will eventually, it will level back out.”

He says he doesn’t invest too much time researching the details on most of the NIL deals across the country. Though some of the figures he has seen opened his eyes a little bit.

“I have not got into specific numbers. I love it when other people do, because it allows me to use that to illustrate and for people to compare and contrast best practice or whatever it may be, and those things are helpful, especially when one number came out about one school but it was speculating and then you have another school that the coach specifically used numbers. Those things are helpful. I haven’t talked specific numbers, but I’ve been able to use those in comparing talking to commitment level and expectations.”

Above all else, Franklin believes there needs to be more dialogue on the topic, and conversations that also include the players, obviously.

“I think everything is on the table. If you look at what happened with some of the lawsuits in the Supreme Court, the way they ruled is telling. So to me I think everything is on the table. And that’s where these conversations are really important on a conference level. These conversations are really important at a university level. And like always it’s going to start with the relationships in your locker room. Those conversations need to go in both directions. We can learn from them, they can learn from us.”

The future is foggy in the college football world with the NIL changes. James Franklin plans to keep his athletes at the top of the priority list, though.

“But I think ultimately at Penn State I want what’s in the best interest of our student-athletes. I want what’s in the best interest of college athletics. I want what’s in the best interest of college football. That’s where it becomes challenging, is how do you navigate all those things at the same time?”