ESPN's Matt Barrie, Tom Luginbill float Virginia Tech, UCLA as potential James Franklin landing spots

Could James Franklin find himself on the sidelines as a head coach next season? There are certainly a few options for him to consider.

ESPN’s Matt Barrie and Tom Luginbill pitched a couple of Power Four openings for Franklin to possbily take during Thursday night’s college football matchup between Tulsa and ECU. Aside from Penn State, there are seven college football openings already with more sure to come this offseason.

“I would imagine, unless he doesn’t want to be because he’s getting paid good money not to (coach),” Barrie said during the third quarter. “But I’d be interested to see what his next move is because certainly, there are going to be some jobs opening that would want James Franklin as their head coach. … You look at a job like Virginia Tech. The energy that James Franklin would bring to a Virginia Tech.”

Franklin will receive a $49 million buyout from Penn State in the fallout. Coaches often take a year off between jobs, especially high-profile ones before getting back to it. Though, that’s not always the case. And it’s not if Franklin will be strapped for cash anytime soon. His buyout is the second-largest in college football history after former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher’s $76 million buyout in 2023.

If he did choose to coach again right away, Virginia Tech would be an interesting option. An ACC school that recently invested over $220 million in its athletics department, Franklin would have resources that former coach Brent Pry didn’t have right away. He could help turn the Hokies’ program around in short order.

“James Franklin coached at Maryland. Very familiar with the DMV, the DC, Maryland, Virginia, tri-state area, the state as a whole,” Lunginbill said.

If not Virgnia Tech, there may be another school that’s looking for a new head coach may fit Franklin’s bill. That being the UCLA Bruins, who fired second-year coach DeShaun Foster, like Pry, after an 0-3 start to the year.

“I could see him going out west, maybe for a fresh start,” Barrie said. “UCLA would love to have a guy like James Franklin.”

That would keep Franklin in the Big Ten. Though, that could continue the criticism he received at Penn State for his record against some of the best the conference has to offer. He would continue to play the same teams, not to mention his former team at some point down the stretch.

Whether Franklin chooses to immediately jump back into coaching remains to be seen. Though, it would be surprising if his phone didn’t ring at least a couple of times by interested programs.