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ESPN Puts Penn State head coach James Franklin in Elite Company: Does He Belong? BWI Live

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•07/16/25•

ThomasFrankCarr

James Franklin Penn State Football On3
Penn State head coach James Franklin was named the fourth-best active coach in College football by ESPN's Bill Connelly. (Franklin photo: USA Today Network)

Penn State head coach James Franklin has captained one of the most consistent programs over the last decade. The team was a regular New Year’s Six participant and routinely won ten games during the current stretch from 2016 to 2024. Yet Franklin’s biggest critics point to his lack of production in big games and the team’s lack of a title during his tenure at Penn State.

So, is Franklin a top-five coach in college football? ESPN’s Bill Connelly thinks so. We’ll discuss his most recent article about the top historical and active coaches in college football on today’s show. We’ll also continue our discussion about Penn State’s open lifting session with reporter Greg Pickel, and discuss the biggest What Ifs from last year. Finally, we’ll dive deep into the numbers to figure out if Penn State should play more three-receiver or two-tight-end sets this year.

Join the BWI Live Show today at 10 a.m. on YouTube! If you can’t make the show live, you can always check it out 24/7 on the channel embedded in this article, or on the site. Of course, the show is available on demand wherever you get your podcasts.

Penn State head coach James Franklin in elite company

ESPN’s Bill Connelly put together a list of the top coaches from the last 20 years of college football. Not only is Franklin on that list for his work at Vanderbilt and Penn State, but he’s high on the list. We’ll discuss where Franklin ranks in the historic context that Connelly compiled using win above the historic baseline and SP+ ranking.

Connelly went a step further to find the best coaches currently active in the sport. We’ll show you where Franklin ranks among the best in his profession and discuss what Connelly’s data indicates.

The biggest What Ifs of the 2024 season and a preview of 2025

Penn State’s season changed on several important moments that shaped the narrative of the team’s postseason run. Pickel discussed the biggest turning points and narratives from last year to reimagine what could have been for the team’s title run. We’ll discuss those on today’s show.

Finally, we’ll preview the upcoming season by discussing how Penn State’s offense should change this year, if at all. Offensive coordiantor Andy Kotelnicki’s first year in Happy Valley was a huge success. The team was one of the most explosive offenses in college football last year, bringing a dangerous and balanced approach to the field. Still, fans will point to the team’s struggles against top opponents and the inconsistencies in its passing game. How can the team tweak that this year? We examined the personnel-level information to determine where explosive plays were generated in the offense.

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