2016 Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year, James Franklin is a head football coach at Penn State University. He led the team to its second Big Ten and Big Ten East Division in 2016. Earlier, he served at Vanderbilt University as head coach (2011 to 2013). Besides, he has served for Maryland, Kansas City, Green Bay Packers, Idaho State, Washington States, James Madison, and many others as QB, OC, WR, and TE coach.
Langhorne, Pennsylvania native, James Franklin was born on 2nd February 1972, under the star sign Aquarius. The son of James Oliver and Jocelyn "Josie" Franklin, he enrolled at Neshaminy High School and went to college at the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania where he was for year varsity quarterback. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 1995.
Penn State coach James Franklin is currently under a six-year contract with the team signed in 2020 which guaranteed Franklin at least $38.2 million, not including incentives or a $1 million annual loan for life insurance.
Here is how James' six-year contract with Penn State looks like:
| Season | Salary | Annual Retention Bonus | Voluntary Buyout (payable to Penn State if Jame quit for another job) |
| 2020 | $5.4 million | $300,000 | $5 million |
| 2021 | $5.5 million | $500,000 | $4 million |
| 2022 | $5.75 million | $500,000 | $3 million |
| 2023 | $6 million | $500,000 | $2 million |
| 2024 | $6.25 million | $500,000 | $1 million |
| 2025 | $6.5 million | $500,000 | - |
Besides, he can earn more is he win College Football Playoff national championship: $800,000, CFP runner-up ($500,000), Qualify for CFP ($400,000), Win Big Ten championship game: ($350,000), Qualify for New Year's 6 bowl game ($300,000), Big Ten championship-game appearance: ($250,000), Win/tie for Big Ten East title ($150,000), National coach of the year ($150,000), and Big Ten coach of the year ($100,000).
James Franklin is ranked #10th among the best college football coaches while Alabama's Nick Saban, Clemson Tigers' Dabo Swinney, and LSU's Ed Orgeron are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively.
James joined Penn State in 2014, agreeing on a six-year contract. He earned $4.3 million for the 2014 season. In 2017, he signed a new six-year contract extension worth $5.738 million per annum with the franchise. Further, Penn State announced, he will have $4.3 million in the 2017 season as part of a contract that will escalate each year through the 2022 season in which he will earn $6.3 million. Also, the deal featured a $2 million buyout for the 2017 season and a $1 million buyout for every subsequent year.
James Franklin's House in Nashville, Tennessee (TN), US SOURCE: relator In 2011, James purchased a 5,500-square-foot home in Nashville, Tennessee (TN), US for $1,162,500. The home sits behind a picket fence on a shaded half-acre and has an open floor plan contains five bedrooms, four baths with a gourmet kitchen.
With his ticket punched for State College, PA, he listed the house asking $1.325 million. No doubt, the coach bought a new house in Pennsylvania. In 2020, the coach revealed he reveled, leaving the family in Florida, where they have a second home.
Also a philanthropist, Franklin has wholeheartedly supported THON through yearly gifts including a $10,000 gift made in honor of football players Nick Scott and Charlie Shuman. Also, he matched a $10,000 donation from Goodyear to the Children’s Medical Center Dallas.
As of 2021, his net worth is approximately $15 million.
James Franklin is married to Fumi Franklin for a long time now. Fumi Franklin was born on March 31, 1978, and is a graduate of Washington State University.
The couple first met in 1998 at Washington State where Fumi was a student and James, a graduate assistant coaching tight ends and pursuing a master's degree in educational leadership. However, the two were later re-introduced by their mutual friend when Franklin was coaching at Maryland. They remained in a long-distance relationship and finally got engaged in February 2005 in Green Bay.
James Franklin's wife and daughters SOURCE: Penn State News Franklin and Fumi tied the knot in a secret ceremony. Even they have not shared about their wedding date and venue, not even their wedding photographs. The couple shares two daughters Shola and Addy. The eldest, Shola is the athletic of the tor. She plays soccer, softball, basketball, runs track, and the trombone. Addy is not into sports and is techy.
The Franklin lives a low-key life. They are nowhere to be found on Instagram, however, James has a Twitter but only for professional uses.
Right after graduation, James Franklin started his coaching career as a wide receiver coach at Kutztown in 1995. The following season, he had a stint at East Stroudsburg as a defensive back coach and then to Roskilde Kings as offensive coordinator. In 1997, he joined James Madison as wide receiver coach held the role of tight end coach at Washington State the following season. In 1999, he served for the Idaho State as a wide receiver coach.
In 2000, Franklin was hired by Maryland as the wide receiver coach where he would serve until 2004. He spent the 2005 season at Green Bay Packers and 2006-07 at Kansas State. In 2008, he returned to Maryland, he held the positions such as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback coach.
On December 17, 2011, Franklin was appointed the head coach of Vanderbilt, becoming the first African American to be the head coach of a major sport at Vanderbilt and the third in the Southeastern Conference. In his two seasons at Vanderbilt, he led the team to a bowl game all.
On January 11, 2014, Penn State hired Franklin as their new head football coach. In 2016, he led the team to Big Ten and Big Ten East Division.
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