Where is Penn State coach James Franklin in CBS Sports' college coaches rankings?

James Franklin has a new home in CBS Sports’ annual rankings of college football’s top coaches. The now 10th-year leader of the Penn State program checked in this year at No. 10. He came in at No. 15 a year ago. And, in 2021, he was No. 13.

“Franklin had been a consistent top-10 finisher in the rankings for years but fell to No. 15 last year after down seasons in 2020-21,” Tom Fornelli writes. ”He quickly recovered thanks to an 11-2 record and a Rose Bowl win last year. One can only wonder what may happen once Penn State gets out of the same division as Ohio State and Michigan when the Big Ten adds USC and UCLA in 2024.”

Two other Big Ten coaches also made the top 10 ahead of the 2023 season. Ohio State’sRyan Day is No. 8 while Michigan’sJim Harbaugh checked in at No. 5. Both were ahead of Franklin last year, as well.

The Franklin at Penn State file

Franklin was hired by Penn State ahead of the 2014 season after his first stint as a head coach, which of course came at Vanderbilt. Over nine seasons with the Lions, the Pennsylvania native has compiled a 78-36 record. That total includes four 11 win seasons, four New Year’s Six bowl game appearances, and three victories in those contest. Penn State most recently finished 11-2 after taking out Utah in the Rose Bowl.

Penn State also won the 2016 Big Ten title under Franklin, of course. According to his school bio, he is “one of eight active FBS coaches with a 66+ winning percentage and 12+ years coaching experience.” All-time, he sports a 102-51 career mark.

In 2023, Penn State is viewed as a top 10 team by many and a top five program by some. The Lions open their latest slate in primetime against West Virginia on Sept. 2. They sport a win total of 9.5 and own the eighth-best odds to win the College Football Playoff. The program has yet to make the four-team postseason Playoff, of course. But, many believe it’s possible this year.

“The coaches and the players, we have to be very intentional about what we do between now and West Virginia,” Franklin said in April. “They need to have a personal plan. What do I need to get better at, what do I do well? What do I need to work on to be a more complete player? Wejust have to be very intentional. As coaches, as players, as individual positions, as side[s] of the ball, and grind on this stuff. We got to go through the tape from spring and make all the cut-ups so we get off the road from spring recruiting.

“We’ll go through the cut-ups from spring ball. We’ll start to come up with what our identity is going to be now on offense, defense and special teams based off of what we did well this spring. So, there’s a ton of work to be done.”