James Franklin gets new 6 year deal..
James Franklin reportedly set to make an average of 5.8 Million on new deal.
Would make him the 4th highest paid coach.
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2017/08/penn_state_…
August 18th, 2017 at 12:34 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 1:14 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
Charlie Weis approves.
August 18th, 2017 at 12:39 PM ^
EXACTLY what I thought. My God, the guy started last year 2-2, with a loss to in-state non-rival Pitt, and an absolute slaughter in Ann Arbor. Then, they barely beat Temple, and literally enjoy 5 lucky plays to beat OSU. They squeak into the B1G championship and beat Wisky. THAT is worth 6 years at $5.8 million? Wow, PSU is going to regret that...
August 18th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
he gets fired and PSU then pays someone else a metric ton of $$$.
PSU is in that class of about 20-30 FBS schools who will always (1) be able to afford that "metric ton of $$$" and (2) be willing to pay it.
It's not like PSU invests in basketball, after all.
Point being, PSU won't regret this, even if Franklin craters and goes 3-9 every year going forward.
August 18th, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^
Yeah, this may be right. FYI, PSU is in the group finance-wise, but there is no way that group is 20-30 schools. It's MAYBE 12-18.
Also, not trying to rub salt in wounds (honestly), but the school has to be hurting slightly from the pay-outs on the Sandusky thing, right? While I doubt that comes out of the general fund or from only the athletic department, it can't have helped the bottom line? Point being, maybe PSU is SLIGHTLY more concerned about expenses like this, assuming they don't pay out? Just ask us Michigan fans...We know what it's like to go from sell-outs to tickets via Diet Cokes...
August 18th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
PSU, best I've read (I'm hardly an insider in this regard) is financing all the various Sandusky settlements and such. School's credit rating is still perfectly fine (I think it's Aa1), so it's not as terrible as it could be, but still a damn big line-item on the financial ledger. It is a pain point. The $$$ is coming from the "Penn State Incorporated" budget as a whole.
If it gets too bad, PSU always has the "increase revenue via tuition" lever to push. That's not a lever I'd like to see pushed, given that PSU has had very high (unacceptably high) tuition for a land-grant University even before 2011. Graham Spanier's legacy has become something else, of course - but prior to 2011 his legacy in his mind was "empire building coupled with a complete lack of interest in tuition control." That is embarassing, given PSU's core mission as a land-grant institution, but that's a whole nother tangent .....
PSU can definitely have attendance crater in the future. An even bigger risk given its lack of proximity to major metro areas. ADs will cross the fingers and hope that doesn't happen. Not the first folk to have "cross the fingers" as part of a business plan.
August 18th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
Yikes, imagine telling that story to parents paying tuition. "Hey, sorry, but tuition is going up 5% this year, because first we had a serial pedophile on staff, then we needed to pay-off a bad coach we accidentally gave a huge contract."
August 18th, 2017 at 1:44 PM ^
And who could untangle if that story were true anyway? The Sandusky settlements are now part of a "debt financing" line item that's part of a $5.7 Billion annual budget (including the Hershey Medical School). "Penn State Incorporated" would be 455th on the Fortune 500 list if it weren't a, cough cough, "non-profit."
PSU's tuition is only up 2.2% annually since Spanier was fired. Which is below the norm for most schools in the 2011-2017 time period. As I said: PSU's tuition was way too high to begin with. But the 2.2% line item is encouraging, in that it appears the new administrators are more committed to tuition control.
August 18th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
It doesn't pay Federal taxes. The US Government sees PSU as a non-profit.
It's also a non-profit that:
(1) has its highest paid (by far) individual being a football coach.
(2) has historically paid a lot of attention (Graham Spanier) to empire-building and growing the machine.
(3) has many many activities which are a ways from its core mission (providing a quality affordable education to PA residents).
Those things above? Hardly unique to Penn State. Endemic to many big universities.
August 18th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^
I don't really see how (1) and (2) are contrary to the mission of providing a quality educational community.
On (1), having a good football program is very important for a university's mission. When the football team is good, applications go up, and the university can be more selective. Football is perhaps the primary activity that keeps alums connected, and it's better when the program is good. The University's logo is everywhere around the world, in no small part because of football. And no one here would disagree that paying a football coach well is a prerequisite to having a good program. Harbaugh is the highest paid U of M employee, and I think those dollars are very well spent toward the University's mission. Football also brings in money to support all of the other athletes, whose educational and athletic growth is part of the University's mission.
On (2), the university grows to support it's mission. We want more buildings, more programs, better research, better students. Isn't that how a nonprofit is supposed to spend its revenue?
August 18th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
Should be devoted to the reason the non-profit is classified as a non-profit in the first place.
Question --- if "University of Michigan Football" was ever "spun-off" from the larger school, what chance would it have of being recognized as a 501(c) organization? Answer - Zero. Point. Zero. U-M football has a lot more in common with the Detroit Lions than it has in common with the University of Michigan School of Engineering.
Yet - the highest paid employee at Michigan? The football coach.
I get it - Michigan makes many more millions on football than pay out, so why not pay the Coach so much $? But at many FBS schools (much less looking at schools even lower down the NCAA food-chain) - the football program runs at a deficit. Yet, the football coach is the highest-paid employee at those schools also!
Is what it is, but I find it hard to defend. Even at those schools (U-M/PSU both being among them) where football more than pays its own freight.
August 18th, 2017 at 9:13 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
Plus it looks like his buyout is fairly small so even if he does crater at some point it will never be a Charlie Weis situation.
August 18th, 2017 at 6:06 PM ^
Charlie Weis is flat out a thief. Notre Dame has to love that clown. How much did Michigan pay RR and Hoke?. They should contibute to Harbaughs salary especially that waste of space Rodflirpess. Who the fuck hired that clod?.
August 19th, 2017 at 3:45 PM ^
Incorrect. The $2 million is his fee to buy out. Unless he is fired for cause, PSU owes the remainder of the entire $32 million or so that's in this contract. It is guaranteed money, just like Weiss's contract.
August 18th, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 1:28 PM ^
to be lucky then good. I think PSU is still over giddy about last season and feel they need to hold onto him tight. Good luck to them.....
August 18th, 2017 at 12:44 PM ^
and guided the team under far more difficult circumstances than anything Michigan has faced.
Results matter.
August 18th, 2017 at 12:53 PM ^
fucking puh-leeze. Take that shit back to JoePa's tombstone...
August 18th, 2017 at 1:37 PM ^
and he said winning the Big 10 after beating Ohio State is better than losing to Ohio State and never playing in the Big championship.
stop being dumb.
cheer michigan. cheer harbaugh. but it's stupid to pretend that somehow franklin lucked into these wins. he's done it, harbaugh aint. when/if harbaugh does, then we can say so.
August 18th, 2017 at 12:54 PM ^
had a very lucky season never being overly impressive. Lots of coaches have one great season, sign big contracts, and then come crashing back to earth. James Franklin alone doesn't have the chops to compete with Harbaugh and Meyer so he's going to be sad when Moorhead leaves
August 18th, 2017 at 1:22 PM ^
it's fine to cheer for one team but dont' pretend it's luck.
if Michigan beats Ohio State then wins the Big 10 championship it won't be luck
stop
August 18th, 2017 at 1:26 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 1:54 PM ^
If any one of the numereous breaks that went in favor of PSU versus OSU, and went against Michigan versus OSU, had gone the other way then PSU has nothing to crow about. That is a razor-thin margin on which you are balancing your high horse, and if you don't see luck as a factor then you are clearly just trolling.
August 18th, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^
Don't be an idiot. Luck is a huge part of sports, and any fan or coach worth their weight will admit as much. Franklin happened to fall on the positive side of that equation a LOT last year. It's not at all unreasonable to suggest that sheer dumb luck will end.
In conclusion, don't be an idiot.
August 18th, 2017 at 7:33 PM ^
August 19th, 2017 at 7:44 AM ^
Is he being paid for the future or rewarded for last year. They are not going to be happy after this years results. I see they play nobody in non-conference again. When they lose to Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan and then osu will see how happy they are to have him.
August 19th, 2017 at 8:19 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
August 19th, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^
No question he earned his bonuses. I question whether he earned a six-year contract with $32 million in guaranteed money.
August 18th, 2017 at 1:10 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^
Matters even more:
beating Ohio State (Franklin's done it, not Harbaugh)
winning Big 10 (Franklin's done it, not Harbaugh)
neg all you want but I'm 100% right.
If Harbaugh wins the Big and/or beats Ohio State before he leaves for his next job, I'll be happy to note it.
August 18th, 2017 at 1:22 PM ^
Harbaugh is retiring as the UM coach. Sorry to burst your bubble. Guys don't come to teams like Michigan, coach for five, six, seven years and leave for another coaching job.
August 18th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 7:30 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
Let me guess: You believe the '16 UMich team was no better than the '15 team because they both went 10-3, right?
August 18th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^
let me guess: both didn't go to the Big 10 championship?
Franklin got the job done and was rewarded for it.
Pretending it was all some accident is stupid and reveals you aren't equipped to follow football. Too mentally challening.
When/if harbaugh beats ohio state and wins the Big, celebrate. Until then, quit revealing you aint so bright.
August 18th, 2017 at 1:59 PM ^
So, how do you think your buckeyes will do this season?
August 18th, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
and that means I'm a fan through thick and thin but it also means i'm not stupid.
people here saying Franklin lucked into beating Ohio State and winning the Big and going to the rose bowl are stupid.
back to your question: i think they will lose 2 games, 1 being to Michigan.
August 18th, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 2:55 PM ^
that you believed your thoughts on the matter mattered
August 19th, 2017 at 7:32 PM ^
It makes me smile that you believe that you are actually getting away with anything, Buckeye.
August 20th, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^
you get it wrong
August 18th, 2017 at 1:27 PM ^
August 18th, 2017 at 1:56 PM ^
buh bye
August 18th, 2017 at 2:08 PM ^
I am ignoring every single one of your posts.