James Franklin the favorite to be the next head coach of an unexpected college football program
James Franklin, who was fired by Penn State in October after its third straight loss, made it clear on ESPN’s “College GameDay” that he plans to return to coaching college football as soon as possible. With many high-profile programs looking for their next head coach, like LSU, Auburn, Florida, UCLA, Arkansas, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State, Franklin’s phone has likely stayed busy in recent weeks.
Franklin is joined by Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as the two biggest names to watch for these available jobs, as well as others expected to become available in the near future, such as Florida State.
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Former Penn State head coach James Franklin is a name to watch in the middle of the college football coaching carousel. James Lang-Imagn Images
James Franklin’s chances of becoming the next head coach of two major college football programs
Franklin is listed as the favorite to become the next head coach of two programs: the expected pick, Virginia Tech, and the more surprising, Arkansas.
The latest odds from BetOnline have Franklin as the clear front-runner to replace Brent Pry in Blacksburg, with Monday odds at +150. Behind him, with odds of +450, is Jon Gruden. Franklin recruited the Virginia area well during his time at Penn State, being described as a “dominant recruiting force in the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia).”
As for the Razorbacks, who fired Sam Pittman in September, Franklin leads with +400 odds, just ahead of Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield and Arkansas interim coach Bobby Petrino.
But would Franklin really want a lackluster job in the SEC? Talk about a tough place to win college football games. The last time he had one, when he was coaching at Vanderbilt, it worked out really well for him because it served as a springboard for him to take over at Penn State. Franklin becoming head coach at Arkansas would be a step backwards. Some might even argue that Vandy is the best position at the moment, given the lack of expectations.
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The initial name to watch for the Arkansas vacancy was SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee. But he just signed an extension with the Mustangs that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. For now, Petrino is running the show in Fayetteville, and he might just be the smoothest, most logical person for the job.
Following the news that Auburn fired Hugh Freeze on Sunday, Franklin’s chances of becoming Virginia Tech’s next head coach actually slightly affected Kalshi, a prediction market that allows users to trade real-world events. The platform shows he’s still the favorite, but his odds dropped 14% after Auburn fired Freeze.
As for old-school Franklin, the current favorite to assume his role at Penn State is Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, with odds going from +140 to -250 over the weekend.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on November 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as your preferred source by clicking here.
