Big Ten, Penn State and James Franklin
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USA TODAY College Sports Wire on MSNWhere James Franklin ranks in ESPN college football coach rankingConnelly's mathematical formulas, used to rank just about everything you can imagine in college football, have calculated Franklin to be the fourth-best active college football coach for the upcoming college football season.
James Franklin used his time at Big Ten Media Days to advocate for every team being in a conference and playing the same number of conference games, but not everyone was receptive to his argument.
James Franklin Lets Loose on Expectations originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
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Franklin also anticipates Penn State a huge 2026 NFL draft class. “When it comes to player development, we expect to have anywhere between 10 and 12 guys drafted this year,” Franklin said, referring to 2026. “We’ve averaged over five draft picks per year in my 12 years at Penn State, a stat that we’re very, very proud of.”
You could break Penn State’s defensive tackle depth chart into three or four tiers with preseason camp set to begin next week in State College. Fourth-year Nittany Lion Zane Durant is in a tier all by himself after his breakout 2024 season.