Penn State coach James Franklin willing to talk Tuesday about future

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State coach James Franklin declined to discuss a report from earlier this week that he told The State College Quarterback Club he wasn’t leaving the university when he was asked after Saturday’s 28-0 win over Rutgers.

“I’d like to right now talk about Rutgers,” Franklin said Saturday. “I get it. I’d like to talk about Rutgers. I made that statement because I thought something was going to happen a little bit sooner. Tuesday we can talk about that as much as you guys want to talk about that. I’d like to talk about Rutgers.”

On Thursday, the Altoona Mirror reported that Franklin told The State College Quarterback Club during its weekly Wednesday lunch, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Franklin’s announcement was met with a “rousing ovation.”

During Penn State’s 5-0 start, Franklin’s name appeared on lists of candidates from reputable sources for open coaching jobs at USC and LSU. Franklin was asked about his candidacy for those jobs multiple times, but he never offered a concrete answer on his status one way or another.

After Saturday’s game, Franklin declined to delve into the specifics of what exactly his reported statement meant. As he said, he’s next scheduled to meet with the media for his weekly news conference Tuesday afternoon, and it appears that he’ll have some news to share.

As pointed out by StateCollege.com, the Penn State Board of Trustees Subcommittee on Compensation has a virtual meeting scheduled for Tuesday. The agenda has not been published as of Sunday morning. It’s unclear currently whether it’s related to Franklin, but the timing is notable. According to On3, the meeting wasn’t scheduled as recently as Thursday.

But the afterglow of a 28-0 win over Rutgers on Senior Day in which freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in relief of starter Sean Clifford was not the time for Franklin.

“I get it, and I understand the questions,” Franklin said. “I’ve tried to tell you guys before, these things are much more complicated than just a simple yes and no answers, and with me, I just am always trying to be as transparent as possible and tell you guys what I know and when I say something, it’s going to happen. If we could wait until Tuesday, I’d appreciate it, but I also understand the question.”