As Franklin talked for about 20 minutes, it was easy to see how this guy who grew up in Langhorne seems to be what Penn State is looking for in its next coach. Approachable and sharp, confident but not overly cocky. A respected offensive mind with a strong resumé that didn't skip any steps, including a season with the Green Bay Packers.
Here's the catch: If Franklin's the right guy for the Penn State job, he wouldn't take it. If he were to jump at it, he's wrong for it.
In obvious need of stability, Penn State doesn't need a Todd Graham, who just left skid marks at Pittsburgh, racing to Arizona State after one season in charge of the Panthers, leaving disgust in his wake, especially among players after a staffer texted them a goodbye message from their already-departed coach. That's essentially what Franklin would be doing if he took the Penn State job, leaving Vandy in the lurch after one season, after he signed an extension early this month and got the school to agree to a significant facilities upgrade.
Franklin, who turns 40 in February, wouldn't exactly be Graham. For all its self-inflicted wounds and the cloud that isn't leaving State College anytime soon, Penn State's program still is in a different stratosphere from Vandy's, for better or worse - and Graham would be coming back to his home state. In some ways, Vanderbilt fans might even be proud to have their coach get the Penn State job. It said a lot for Temple when Miami hired Al Golden. There would be parallels.
If Penn State has cast its net wide, Franklin's name surely was on the internal-discussion list. He declined to answer when I asked him if anybody representing Penn State had called anybody representing him. He said he just wanted to talk about Vanderbilt.
