Penn State approves contract update for James Franklin

Penn State football coach James Franklin is receiving an update to his contract to align with the sport’s new landscape. On Friday, the Committee on Equity and Human Resources within the university’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to revise the performance incentive structure of Franklin’s contract to reflect the new 12-team College Football Playoff format.

“The Committee on Equity and Human Resources voted unanimously to revise the performance incentives section in Coach James Franklin’s contract,” a statement from Penn State athletics said. “The change accounts for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) format, which beginning this year includes one additional game compared to the previous four-team single elimination CFP format from 2014-2023.”

The details of the changes were not immediately made publicly available. In 2021, Franklin signed a 10-year contract worth $7.5 million annually, plus incentives. Under that contract, the 11th-year Nittany Lions head coach would have received a $400,000 bonus for making the four-team playoff.

Penn State football is currently ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff. Under the new 12-team format, the Nittany Lions would earn the No. 6 seed and a home first-round playoff game if the postseason started today.

James Franklin and the Nittany Lions close out the regular with a battle with Maryland on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

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