James Franklin responds to whether he's been distracted by outside rumblings

James Franklin has been a hot name for job openings with the USC Trojans and LSU Tigers. While coaching the Penn State Nittany Lions is a premier job in college football, the opportunity that USC or LSU presents is tough not to consider.

While the Nittany Lions started off blazing hot, they’ve cooled considerably since. After some heart-breaking losses, many are wondering whether Franklin’s heart has been with Happy Valley.

Earlier this week, Franklin responded to whether he’s been distracted by outside rumblings this season.

“We’ve been in this same situation before, and have had really strong season,” stated Franklin. “We’re also in a situation this year where we’ve lost some games that we’ve had a chance to win, and our record looks a little bit different. So I get people trying to connect the dots there.

“All the things that I’m able to control, I’m controlling. But I get it. I understand the business .. people’s concerns. Again, I would just state — looking at my track record over my time here, eight years. My actions, my behaviors, I think they’ve been pretty consistent since I’ve been here.”

Franklin has enjoyed great success over his time at Penn State, but some recent losses have people wondering if he’ll be their coach much longer. Either way, the losses aren’t good for James Franklin’s future — whether in the eyes of Nittany Lions fans, or the decision-makers at LSU or USC.

Paul Finebaum: James Franklin’s loyalty to Penn State is waning

One person who believes James Franklin already has one foot out the door is Paul Finebaum.

On The ESPN College Football Podcast, Finebaum stated that he wouldn’t go out of his way to pursue Franklin if he were in the shoes of an athletic director. He would only entertain the idea if, for some reason, “you’ve already made the decision to hire [Franklin].”

But after a handful of shaky losses, including Saturday’s loss to Michigan, which featured a number of questionable coaching decisions, Finebaum said “he better get out of there now if he can.”

“He’s losing games that he probably should win, some of these games, not all of them. The Illinois game, you can’t explain,” Finebaum said, adding that the Michigan game is only acceptable because “I’m starting to come around on Michigan and Jim Harbaugh.

“I still think [Franklin] is a good coach, but I will say this: anyone who thought he might be loyal to Penn State, think again,” Finebaum said.

Perhaps Franklin’s loyalty to Penn State really is waning. Or maybe, as Finebaum suggested, he really should take the first available job he can get. After all, he’s coached down his potential salary after losing four of the past five games.

“There’s always this theory about coaches like James Franklin, if you want to hire a coach, you should hire him on his resume, not week-to-week,” Finebaum said. “But [Franklin’s] week-to-week is really starting to cost him some money.”