Giger: Franklin to USC would make sense

Note: This column has been updated at the bottom to include comments made by national media members about Franklin as a candidate for the USC job.

ALTOONA, Pa. -- I'll cut to the chase here: I have long thought it would make sense for James Franklin to be the next coach at USC, once the school finally moved on from Clay Helton.

Well, USC fired Helton this afternoon. So, let the rumor mill and speculation begin, just like it has the past couple of years when Helton came under fire for his struggles with the Trojans.

I'm writing this about 20 minutes after the Helton news broke, and already the two names being thrown out there for the USC job are the two names that do make the most sense: Franklin and Urban Meyer.

Either would be a good hire for USC.

Would Meyer leave the NFL's Jaguars after only one season and go back to college to take over at USC? I have no idea what will be in his mind, but yes, he would be and should be USC's No. 1 target. If he wants the job, then everything else about Franklin might be a moot point.

But if Meyer doesn't want the job, then USC absolutely should consider Franklin.

And vice versa.

It's USC. A historic program where Franklin could achieve any of the goals that he currently wants to achieve at Penn State.

It's Los Angeles, a culturally diverse place where Franklin's family may prefer to central Pennsylvania.

The money would probably be similar to Penn State. Helton makes $4.6 million a year, Franklin a little more than $6 million. I'm sure USC will be willing to pay what it takes to get the right coach.

Is Franklin the right coach for USC?

Penn State currently has the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports. That alone will be very, very enticing to the folks at USC, who surely will love Franklin's recruiting background and feel like that could help get the Trojans back to national prominence.

Franklin is a very likable, very professional, very charismatic guy. If he succeeds, the folks in L.A. will enjoy that. Obviously, any coach who doesn't succeed will be criticized, but that's just how it is.

If USC can bring Franklin and the key pieces of his Penn State staff, I have to believe that would be very, very enticing. And that includes stud offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, who could be a big factor in all of this.

USC getting Franklin and Yurcich as a package deal certainly would excite everyone out there. Especially if Penn State has an outstanding season and the offense is very productive this year. Then again, as long as we're speculating, if Franklin were to go anywhere, Yurcich could be a candidate to replace him at Penn State.

I have long felt that there are very few college jobs that Franklin would leave Penn State to take. Alabama and Clemson are the obvious ones, and maybe a Notre Dame or Texas.

USC, to me, has always been a no-brainer. It is the kind of program, location and school that could offer Franklin a chance to win, to be a star coach and to compete for a national championship, which is something he deep down wants to win and become the first Black head coach to do so.

Would Franklin and his family want to leave PSU and State College for USC and L.A.? I don't know. None of us can know what's in their hearts or all of the family factors that could go into such a decision, if it comes to that.

Is USC a better job than Penn State? That depends on who you ask, and obviously, most PSU fans would say no. There are pros and cons for both sides, and we can address those in great detail down the line if it looks like there's traction to any of this.

For now, let the speculation begin. And it probably won't be ending any time soon, until USC hires another coach after the season.

Oh, and how about this list of potential candidates, which also includes former Penn State coach Bill O'Brien, now the offensive coordinator at Alabama.

UPDATE: Monday, 10 p.m.

As expected, Franklin's name has been mentioned by just about every national and local media outlet covering the USC coaching search. It's all clearly just speculation at this point, but there's no denying that fans and media alike are discussing the possibility of Franklin as the next USC coach.

Would USC want that? Would Franklin want that? We have no way of knowing right now. It's way too early to tell, and it's not like we're going to hear definitive answers in public from either side during the season.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Here's an overview of what national and local college football insiders have been saying about Franklin being a candidate at USC.

Dan Patrick

The radio host said Wednesday morning that a source told him there's mutual interest between Franklin and USC. Click on the video to hear what Patrick said, including the question of whether USC is a better job than Penn State.

Pete Thamel, Yahoo Sports

He listed Franklin first in his top 10 candidates story.

There’s a lot about this hire that makes sense. Franklin worked miracles at Vanderbilt and has been consistently excellent at Penn State. He has done everything but reach the College Football Playoff, but has shown he has the recruiting chops, coaching ability and staff-hiring savvy to maximize a job like USC. He costs only $4 million to buy out, which is reasonable for a coach with his experience.

Pat Forde, Sports Illustrated

He suggested USC's first call should be to Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley. Then he added this:

Next are the two guys whose names have been mentioned for this job for years, as Helton’s tenure became more tenuous: James Franklin and Luke Fickell (32). Franklin has the personality to sell the program in a pro market, and a very good track record at Penn State and Vanderbilt. Fickell has worked wonders at Cincinnati, where he was under Bohn. Both are program builders and maintainers once they’re built.

But does either want the job? Franklin has achieved breakthrough status in recruiting, with a 2022 class that (as of now) could wind up being No. 1 in the nation. Although he could thrive in L.A., he’s also a Mid-Atlantic guy whose recruiting rarely goes west of the central time zone. Fickell is bedrock Midwestern and stubbornly resistant to job hopping—especially if this hop would be to work again with an athletic director that sources say he coexisted with more than enjoyed. Beware the leverage play.

Bruce Feldman, FOX

He listed Franklin as one of the realistic, viable candidates for the job. He was asked on Twitter, "How is it a better job than Penn State?" Feldman responded:

David Jones, PennLive

He wrote a column referencing a piece he wrote a few years ago citing 10 reasons Franklin would be a good fit for the USC job, and noted that nothing has changed between now and then. He also wrote this about Franklin:

Because the Penn State coach is the perfect fit for USC. He’s the whole show.

The buzz is there for a reason. A lot of people who matter at USC are enamored with Franklin.

Because he doesn’t just win. He does it with pizzazz.

Will he listen? I think he will. He always has. He’d be crazy not to. I’ve thought so since I first wrote this piece almost three years ago entitled “Ten Good Reasons James Franklin Could Leave Penn State for the USC Trojans.” 

Brady McCullough, LA Times

He listed Franklin among the first coaches USC should call.

As rumors swirled about Helton the last few offseasons, Franklin's name has gotten buzz as a candidate for the Trojans when the job did come open. He has the proven track record of making Vanderbilt competitive in the Southeastern Conference and turning Penn State into a Big Ten champion, and his energy will play in the big city with even bigger expectations than in Happy Valley. Is Franklin tired of having to beat Ohio State to have a shot at the national title? There isn't a roadblock like that at USC.