James Franklin’s name has popped up in national head coaching searches over the past few years, but the Alabama opening is like no other during Franklin’s tenure.

With Nick Saban, one of the greatest head coaches of all time retiring unexpectedly, one of the premier destinations in college football is open for the first time in 17 years.

Would Franklin be interested in making a move to follow Saban?

Even if Franklin is interested, would he be a fit in Tuscaloosa? I’ll break down some pros and cons for James Franklin at Alabama.

Pros for James Franklin:

Football Mecca

When you look at college football programs around the country, it is hard to find a more historic place than Alabama.

The Crimson Tide program ranks second all-time in college football in win percentage and first in national championships in the Top 25 era (14). Alabama is also home to two of the greatest coaches of all-time in Nick Saban and Bear Bryant.

The program stands for excellence and success and would be a desirable location for most top coaches.

The Crimson Tide brand carries weight in recruiting and in the media drawing more eyes from prospects, fans, and rivals alike.

Even if Penn State is considered a top 15-20 job in the country, the Alabama job ranks in the top five and would be hard for any coach not to seriously consider.

Resources

In 2022, Alabama ranked third in the nation in football revenue, only behind Ohio State and Oregon and far above most other SEC schools, pulling in a staggering 214.4 million dollars.

This revenue has led to better facilities and resources throughout the football program, where Alabama consistently ranks at the top of the nation.

After fighting for years to improve Penn State’s facilities, James Franklin would walk into top three facilities at Alabama that the 51-year-old would not need to fight to improve.

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Cons for James Franklin

Expectations following a GOAT

This is one of the top reasons why coaches may not want to accept the Alabama head coaching position immediately after Saban’s retirement.

During the past 17 years, Nick Saban built Alabama back into a national powerhouse, consistently ranking as one of the top teams in college football and winning six national championships.

Between 2008 and 2022, Alabama ranked No. 1 in the nation for at least one week in every season and was not unranked at any point in the past 16 seasons.

Following that legendary run has to be intimidating for any coach.

The expectations from the fans, boosters, and administration of the school will be very high no matter who steps into the position.

Franklin has faced a lot of pressure over the past few years from Penn State fans and boosters for underperforming certain expectations relating to Ohio State and Michigan, but would face even more pressure at Alabama.

Saban staying on

After Nick Saban announced his retirement, he announced that he would still have an office in Bryant-Denny Stadium and would remain around the program.

In a sit down with ESPN’s Rece Davis, Saban noted “I can get on your butt from [his office in the stadium] just like I can on the field.”

This puts even more pressure on whoever takes over the Alabama program, knowing that one of the greatest coaches of all time will be looking over your shoulder and offering his own coaching and criticisms while the new coach is building his program.

Having Saban around also has its benefits, especially in recruiting and raising money around the program, but it will come with immense pressure to always perform at a high level and increased scrutiny.

Why Alabama would want James Franklin

James Franklin could be an intriguing name for Alabama for a few reasons.

James Franklin’s record at Penn State stands for itself, as he has taken Penn State out of the sanctions era and back to national relevance.

Franklin has a conference championship and five double digit win seasons. Franklin has won big games including the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl and has an overall winning percentage of .693 at Penn State. He also has proven that he can win in the SEC, taking Vanderbilt to two of its best seasons in program history before coming to Penn State.

Another benefit for Franklin over a few other coaches around the country is James Franklin’s low buyout at Penn State.

If Franklin was to leave for Alabama, his buyout is only $2 million, much lower than most other coaches on Alabama’s radar.

While funding a buyout for their preferred candidate should not be an issue for Alabama, the low buyout does make the financing of a new coach much easier.

Why Alabama would not want James Franklin

Everyone has heard the criticisms of James Franklin as a head coach, he can’t win the big games against Ohio State and Michigan.

While this is certainly a fair point, during his tenure at Penn State, Franklin has typically been the underdog in these games.

Over the last two years, Franklin has won the games he is supposed to win and lost the games he is supposed to lose.

While there is room for improvement, taking over a program where Franklin could recruit not to be the underdog could go along way to watching Franklin jump from 10-11 wins a season to 12+.

It remains to be seen how serious of a candidate James Franklin is at Alabama.

Other coaches would likely have to pass on the opportunity for Franklin to fall into the position of having to decide on whether to leave Penn State for Alabama.

If it gets there, however, I think James would have plenty of reasons to leave for the football mecca that is Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

MORE: 3 Things to Know About New Penn State CB A.J. Harris

 

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