How much did Penn State coach James Franklin make in 2022?
Penn State coach James Franklin led the Lions to a 10-2 regular season and a berth in the Rose Bowl opposite Utah on Jan. 2 in Pasadena, Calif.
“We’ve had 15 practices in terms of preparation that we get that the NCAA allows us to have,” Franklin said Saturday at the bowl’s team media day event. “Our first six or seven back in State College were really almost like spring football, just kind of focused on us, good-on-good, getting our young guys getting involved from a developmental standpoint, and then we obviously started to transition and get ready for Utah.
“The Rose Bowl is always first-class in every aspect when it comes to facilities, when it comes to the hotel. The traditions, we were at Lawry’s last night which was awesome. So it’s been a great experience for our players. But we’re playing a really good Utah football team that we’ve got a ton of respect for. Coach Whittingham has had a hell of a career, and offense, defense and special teams, they’re really strong in every area. So we understand this is going to be a challenge, but I’ve been very pleased with how our staff and players have handled it.”
The ninth-year leader of the Lions signed a new contract in November 2021 that went into effect on Jan. 1 a year ago. It put him among the Big Ten’s and the sport’s highest-paid coaches. According to NBC Sports, Franklin’s base salary, which we’ll detail below, is the 13th highest across college football.
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How much did Penn State coach James Franklin make in 2022?
Franklin’s new contract includes $500,000 in base pay plus $6.5 million in supplemental pay for a total guaranteed amount of $7 million. He also receives $100,000 for life insurance and a $500,000 retention bonus, which is paid on Dec. 31 of each year. The Penn State coach also earned $300,000 for guiding his team to Pasadena. All told, then, he made $8.8 million in 2022.
The Lions face the Utes at 5 p.m. ET on Monday. ESPN is televising the contest.
“I think one of the things that really stands out that if I would say not only this year but traditionally with Utah and specifically in their conference, I think they’re built very much so from an old-school perspective in terms of hard-nosed, physical, sound in everything they do,” Franklin said. “They’ve been able to typically dominate the fronts on the O-line and D-line. That’s something that really jumped out to me right away.
“All the analytics things that you look at that usually determine good football teams, they’re pretty much strong in all those areas. But I think it’s the physicality, the toughness that really stood out to us.”
