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Where does Penn State coach James Franklin rank among top active coaches and the best ones of the last 20 years?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•07/16/25•

GregPickel

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(Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

Penn State coach James Franklin is viewed favorably in a new data-driven analysis of the best current coaches and those from the last 20 years from ESPN’s Bill Connelly. Those rankings headline today’s newsstand.

Before we dive into the lists, here’s how Connelly explains what he set out to do:

“[ESPN’s May head coach rankings from the outlet’s reporters] made me want to see if there were a way to apply stats to the conversation,” Connelly writes. “If you think about it, we’re basically measuring two things when we’re gauging coach performance: overall quality and quality relative to the expectations of the job. I thought it would be fun to come up with a blend of those two things and see what the results told us.”

Franklin checks in at No. 8 on the list of best coaches over the last 20 years. He falls the likes of Nick Saban, Chris Petersen, Urban Meyer, and Jim Harbaugh, among others, but ahead of program leaders like Dabo Swinney, Jimbo Fishers, and others.

As for the ranking of active head coaches, Franklin is No. 4 on that list. The Penn State coach is behind only Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Tennesee’s Josh Heupel, and Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

You can see the full rankings and the rationale behind them here.

Headlines of the day

Dani Dennis-Sutton eyes monster senior season for Penn State: ‘I want to make it undeniable’: Snyder, BWI

Micah Parsons motivates, inspires Harrisburg-area football players at morning workout: Sostek, PennLive

Everything Guy Gadowsky said about landing Gavin McKenna: The Penn State pitch, recruiting timeline, and more: Pickel, BWI

Where does Penn State’s 2026 class now sit in the Rivals Team Rankings following update?: Snyder, BWI

Penn State’s West Coast travel plan: Simple wins for 2025 trip: Bauer, BWI

Ranking the top Big Ten quarterbacks ahead of the 2025 season: Staples, On3

Quote of the day

“Obviously, I think there’s mutual interest, but nothing was done until after his season and it was known that he did want to explore the NCAA,” Gadowsky said. “So that’s when you really started looking at it. And as far as the pitch goes, I mean, we feel really good about what Penn State has to offer any student athlete. And so that wasn’t a change. Obviously, this is a huge thing for Penn State and Penn State hockey. And a huge thing for college hockey as well.

“So, you’re nervous until it’s done. But, once it was on SportsCenter and done, it felt very, very good. And I’m pumped for the Penn Staters to get to watch this guy.”

PSU hockey coach Guy Gadowsky on the process that led the Lions to land superstar prospect Gavin McKenna.

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