SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Penn State coach James Franklin on Sunday added his identify to the rising listing of faculty soccer voices who imagine the game wants a commissioner and thinks there’s one man proper for the job.
Speaking at media availability for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Franklin mentioned former Alabama coach Nick Saban is the “apparent selection” to navigate faculty soccer by means of a interval of sweeping change.
“I believe one of the crucial vital issues we will do is, let’s get a commissioner of faculty soccer that’s waking up each single morning and going to mattress each single evening making choices that is in one of the best curiosity of faculty soccer,” Franklin mentioned. “I believe Nick Saban can be the plain selection if we made that call. Now, Nick will most likely name me tonight and say, ‘Don’t do that,’ however I believe he is the plain selection, proper?”
Franklin just isn’t alone in nominating Saban for the hypothetical job. Last week, Ole Miss coach and former Saban assistant Lane Kiffin posted on X that he’d vote for Saban in that position.
On Sunday, Franklin added that hiring a commissioner can be an vital first step to “transfer ahead and provide you with some options” to the switch portal and NIL, however he additionally did not maintain again on providing up a few of his personal.
Franklin was requested about what may very well be carried out to incentivize gamers to remain on rosters and proceed to compete by means of the top of the season, and he mentioned it is time for leaders all through the game to cease speaking in regards to the points and begin fixing them.
Franklin proposed eliminating convention championship video games so the season is shorter and the College Football Playoff choice committee can have a extra truthful comparability.
“When you will have a committee sitting in a room attempting to match apples to apples, or oranges to oranges, it is arduous to try this when not all people’s taking part in underneath the identical mannequin,” he mentioned. “Get rid of the convention championship sport. That will shorten the season and assist with the window somewhat bit.”
He additionally instructed each convention play the identical variety of league video games — eight or 9 — and begin the season every week earlier to “take some stress off of the tutorial calendar.”
“God forbid we speak about lecturers, proper?” he mentioned. “That was each dialog began with lecturers and that is turning into much less and fewer. Maybe I’m old fashioned and perhaps I’m a traditionalist, however I nonetheless imagine within the mannequin. Rather than simply say this can be a drawback, I believed I might throw out a number of suggestions, however I believe one of the crucial vital issues we will do is let’s get a commissioner of faculty soccer.”
Franklin mentioned the present management in faculty athletics, which is pushed by one commissioner for every convention, is not working.
“Whenever you will have individuals which are making choices and operating faculty soccer, they will be biased in the direction of what’s greatest to their convention, and that is not in one of the best curiosity of faculty soccer and the scholar athletes,” he mentioned. “… If each choice we make is predicated on cash, then we’re heading within the incorrect route.”
Franklin’s Nittany Lions will tackle Boise State within the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday evening at 7:30 ET on ESPN within the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
