Reporter: USC Passed On James Franklin Due To Vanderbilt Players' Ongoing Rape Case
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - USA Today's National College Football Reporter Dan Wolken joined Starkey and Mueller earlier today on The FAN to discuss the potential hire of Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin at Penn State.
Unlike many other reporters, Wolken took a look at some of the downsides to hiring Franklin, including the pending rape case against several of his players at Vanderbilt.
"It's one reason why, frankly, I was surprised this went down," Wolken said. "I know for a fact that that is the reason that he was not in the mix at Southern Cal. They took a look at that situation, they knew about that situation, and he was not in the mix at all for that job primarily because of that."
When it comes to his on the field resume, Wolken also had some questions about the job Franklin has done there as well.
"I do think that you can look at what he's done and say he has done a tremendous job there and also say that it's not a slam dunk that it's going to translate to what you have to do to meet the expectations and demands of a place like a Penn State," Wolken said. "I think there's some question marks about that record. He's won nine games each of the past two years, but on the other hand, you look at in three years of being a head coach, he's only beat four teams with a winning record."
Wolken went on to also discuss why the process of Franklin leaving Vanderbilt for Penn State appears to be dragging on longer than many expected it would once the news broke that the school had offered him the position.
Dan Wolken
The USA Today's Christine Brennan has also weighed in on the matter adding that if Penn State hires Franklin, whatever happens in the ongoing case against the Vanderbilt players will be tied to them, and that's not something this program should bring upon themselves.
Brennan also goes on to outline other controversies Franklin has found himself in including a 2012 radio interview in which he listed a job qualification for his assistants as having an attractive wife.
