Last week, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic released his top 10 college football coaches heading into the 2023 season this fall. On his list was a controversial pick: Feldman ranked Penn State head coach James Franklin at No. 5 ahead of Ohio State’s Ryan Day at No. 6. Day, who is 4-0 against Franklin, has quite a loyal fanbase, and one Ohio State writer seems quite upset at Feldman’s rankings.
James Franklin ranks above Ryan Day in Feldman’s top 10
After James Franklin received his new ranking, it didn’t take long for many college football fans — even some Penn State fans — to be upset at the list. James Franklin has done an incredible job with the Penn State Nittany Lions; however, his inability to get PSU over the hump and into national title contention thus far has been a dark shadow over his time in State College.
Franklin — who was hired as Bill O’Brian’s successor in 2014 — has done some great things at Penn State. During the 2014-15 seasons, coach Franklin led the Nittany Lions to back-to-back 7-6 seasons during the infamous sanctioned seasons, which we cannot properly count. In 2016, Penn State’s first year back from sanctions, the Lions went on to beat Ohio State and win the Big Ten title with an 11-3 record.
Since that incredible 2016 run, James Franklin has totaled four 11-win seasons, a nine-win season, four top 10 finishes/five ranked finishes, three New Year’s Six wins, and a Rose Bowl victory in his most recent season. Additionally, Penn State’s head coach has done a great job recruiting, and helped modernize the Nittany Lions’ athletic department, which has been incredibly impactful across many other sports as well.
On the other hand, Ryan Day — who is a solid head coach in his own right — took over one of the most successful and functional programs in the country in 2019, and since Urban Meyer’s players left, the Buckeyes have seen a steady decline. After making the playoff twice, Ohio State is seemingly coming back down to a beatable level for many teams, including Michigan, who now has two blowout wins over Ohio State under Ryan Day.
Ohio State writer is quote upset at Feldman’s rankings
Here is what one Ohio State writer had to say about Feldman’s decision to place James Franklin over Ryan Day (via Scarlet and Game):
“I can’t argue with the top three coaches [Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dabo Sweeny]. All of them have multiple national titles. I even just said you could talk me into Harbaugh being better than Day. But James Franklin???? Are you kidding me??? The guy That went 11-11 from 2020-2021?
“That’s an insane ranking. Franklin has also beaten Ohio State once since he got to State College in 2014. That was back in 2016, and Ohio State still made the CFP over Penn State. To have him ranked over Day is completely absurd and quite frankly stupid.”
Not to say that this guy speaks for the entire Ohio State fanbase, but it’s fun watching other programs melt down about James Franklin being praised. Whether or not you agree with the list is one thing, but seeing the Penn State football program get placed in a positive light is never a bad thing.
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