Tenn Truth
Fansided

Vols Football: 5 Coaches That Absolutely Won’t Be Coaching Tennessee In 2018

By Zach Ragan

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 12: Josh Malone
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 12: Josh Malone /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on from the sideline against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 9, 2017 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on from the sideline against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 9, 2017 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

James Franklin — Penn State

I know there’s a large contingent of the Vol fan base that can’t stand James Franklin, but it’s hard to argue that the guy can coach.

Franklin led Vanderbilt to back to back nine wins seasons, which is something that some of the local media in Knoxville have heaped praise on Butch Jones for doing.

It took him a couple of years to get things humming at Penn State, but he appears to have found his groove with the Nittany Lions (in a situation that wasn’t exactly ideal). Franklin led Penn State to an 11-3 record last season (and an appearance in the Rose Bowl), and he has his team off to a 6-0 start this season.

So it’s obvious why some Vol fans have suggested that Franklin would be a good fit at Tennessee. He’s proven winner and he has SEC experience. But I can’t see him leaving Penn State for any job at this point. Not even Texas A&M (CBS recently reported that Franklin would be a target of the Aggies).

Franklin is a Pennsylvania native. He coached at Maryland for years before he went to Vanderbilt. This is a destination job for him, I can’t see him even entertaining the idea of leaving for a “rebuild” at Tennessee.

Home/Tennessee Volunteers