Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA;  Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day celebrates after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Coaches pocket big bonuses with CFP semifinal runs

A berth in the College Football Playoff championship game will be on the line when Texas and Ohio State meet Jan. 10 in one national semifinal, but so will hundreds of thousands of dollars for their head coaches.

Both Steve Sarkisian of Texas and Ryan Day of Ohio State stand to cash in big bonuses with a win at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas.

According to figures from USA Today, Sarkisian has earned $650,000 so far by qualifying for the semifinal after the Longhorns’ double-overtime win over Arizona State on Wednesday in the Peach Bowl. That’s on top of $250,000 he earned by reaching the Southeastern Conference title game.

Should the Longhorns play in the title game, he’ll earn another $250,000 — and that will be doubled with a win.

As for Day, reaching the CFP semifinal with Wednesday’s Rose Bowl win over Oregon in the quarterfinals has brought him an extra $350,000. If the Buckeyes defeat the Longhorns, he will be guaranteed an additional $150,000 — plus $500,000 more if they win the national championship for a total bonus payout of $1 million.

James Franklin’s Penn State team will face the winner of Thursday’s Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame after their victory over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State and Franklin agreed on a contract amendment in November to account for the revamped, 12-team CFP, and details haven’t been announced. Front Office Sports reported that under the four-team playoff structure, Franklin would have received $400,000 for making the field, $500,000 for a semifinal win, or $800,000 for winning the national championship.

Salary figures for Marcus Freeman, the head coach at Notre Dame, were not available because it is a private school. But at public Georgia, Kirby Smart stands to take home $1.175 million in bonuses should the Bulldogs win the national title. He already has earned $425,000 of that amount.

That’s a lot of money but still far short of the $3 million Jim Harbaugh earned last season for leading Michigan to its first title since 1997.

–Field Level Media

Penn State's two freshman quarterbacks, Drew Allar (left) and Beau Pribula, throw during warmups before the start of the 2022 Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College.

Hes Dr 042322 Bluewhite

Penn State, Indiana sideswiped by CFB realities amid playoff prep

With early Signing Day behind him and the portal open, Penn State coach James Franklin met with his current quarterbacks last week to talk about SMU, the Nittany Lions’ first-round playoff opponent coming to town Saturday.

A rapid reality set in when Franklin realized backup quarterback Beau Pribula was pulled into the transfer portal a week before the team’s first College Football Playoff appearance. That hit was offset by news from starter Drew Allar that he was returning to Penn State, resisting the pull of playing in the NFL for one more year.

“He’s a man’s man. Like, came into my office, had multiple conversations with me about this process. We talked last week, had no intentions of leaving,” Franklin said Monday. “But we’ve got problems in college football. And I can give you my word — Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season.”

Pribula, who will not participate in bowl practices or preparation this week, told Franklin he felt like he was put in a “no-win situation” because of the timing of the playoff preparation and the potential opportunities awaiting in the transfer portal.

“I agree with him,” Franklin said, “most importantly, for Beau Pribula. I don’t think it’s in the best interests of the student-athlete. I don’t think it’s in the best interests of college football. But I think that’s our challenge right now, right? Who is really running college football and making the best decisions for the student-athletes and for our sport as a whole?”

“Beau should not be put in this position. … To have a transfer portal/free agency going on right in the middle of the playoffs, there’s just a lot of things that don’t really make sense.”

Franklin said he considered making concessions to the blanket portal policy at Penn State that makes entry into the transfer portal a formal goodbye to the team. But he said Pribula realized he wouldn’t be able to prepare for the game “like the starter” as he has all season while also arranging and taking visits elsewhere.

Indiana, the No. 10 seed, is also in the playoff with a visit to Notre Dame on Friday in the first game of the 12-team bracket. But because of the makeup of the college football calendar with early Signing Day and the transfer portal opening hours after bowl announcements and the playoff bracket reveal, the Hoosiers needed a week to realize they were still going.

“I’m glad that week is behind us,” Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said, outlining his long nights followed by early arrivals — 4:30 a.m. ET — “because you’re dealing with portal evaluations, official visits, and still opponent prep to some degree. Then you’re dealing with your staff and your player retention as well.”

Timing of the recruiting calendar and transfer portal open and close dates are subject to change, but Cignetti admitted he doesn’t have the right answer.

“When you look at it from a player’s perspective, everybody starts school in January, so guys that are switching schools need to have the opportunity to visit prospective schools in December, but yet seasons end at the end of November, championship games the first week of December, and there’s always going to be bowl games, and now there’s the expanded playoff,” Cignetti said. “I don’t really know the answer to that. I don’t think it’s a simple situation, and if it was, it would be remedied by now.”

Franklin said college football could start by electing a commissioner.

“I think it’s pretty obvious we need that. We need somebody running college football,” he said. “We need somebody that is not biased based on a conference and that is out of the financial impacts of it as well.”

–Field Level Media

Apr 13, 2024; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin shakes the hands of fans following the conclusion of the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. The White team defeated the Blue team 27-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State coach James Franklin makes appeal for NIL money

Penn State coach James Franklin made a video appeal to Nittany Lions football fans on Thursday, asking them to contribute to a fund to pay players through the name, image and likeness program.

The funding is key to keeping Penn State competitive in the expanding Big Ten, Franklin told fans.

“Our goal is to compete for championships while doing it the right way. But having an elite NIL program is critical to this mission. A strong NIL program is a foundational component of building and maintaining an elite roster of players that will ensure our program is competitive in today’s college football,” Franklin said.

“Our staff has done an amazing job of bringing in high level players that uphold the standard of wearing the blue and white. Now we must ensure we do everything we can to guarantee our roster is the best it possibly can be for this upcoming season.”

The university said it has raised just 25 percent of its $500,000 goal via donations to Retain the Roar, a campaign run by Happy Valley United, the school’s NIL collective that serves 31 Penn State sports.

“We need your help,” Franklin said. “Every donation matters.”

A study by a Washington, D.C., certified public accountant projected NIL estimates for each of the public Big Ten universities and reported the collective at Ohio State had brought in an estimated $20.3 million, with Michigan second at $16.4 million and Penn State next at $13.8 million. About 75 percent of the money was set to go to football, per the study.

–Field Level Media

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Colts sign LB Zaire Franklin to $31M extension

Linebacker Zaire Franklin agreed to a three-year, $31.26 million contract with the Colts on Monday.

Franklin’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, trumpeted the agreement, which replaces the final year on his deal (2024) worth $3.36 million.

Franklin has 345 total tackles in three seasons, more than any player in the league except Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun, who joined Jacksonville after a breakout season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021.

Franklin, 27, was a seventh-round pick (235th overall) in 2018 and primarily played special teams until entering the starting lineup for Shaq Leonard.

–Field Level Media

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce speaks with the media after the first day of training camp at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia on July 26, 2023.

Jason Kelce admits ‘cheap shot’ sparked Eagles-Colts practice fight

The Philadelphia Eagles’ joint practice with the visiting Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday was cut short by a sideline-clearing brawl.

Veteran Eagles center Jason Kelce later owned up to blindsiding Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin at the end of a play. The ensuing melee between the two clubs led to an early end to the practice, the final one of training camp before they play a preseason finale Thursday.

Reports from the scene said that Franklin delivered two big hits on Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell. After the second, Kelce laid a hit on an unsuspecting Franklin.

Kelce called his actions a “cheap shot” and said he felt ashamed he let his frustration get the better of him.

“That certainly doesn’t belong out there on the field and just a little bit ashamed that it got to that level and that I did what I did,” Kelce said, “so certainly not happy about that, and I think very highly of the guys that were out there.”

Kelce added that he did not meet with Franklin to clear the air after practice because tensions between the Eagles and Colts may have still been too high.

“Forty-four, Zaire (Franklin), I think he’s a tremendous player,” Kelce said. “I think a lot of all their guys up front and they brought a lot of intensity to the day, which made the practice intense. And, you know, I think I didn’t handle things properly there at the end.”

Franklin, a starting linebacker entering his sixth year in the NFL, is a Philadelphia native and told reporters he grew up watching Kelce on the Eagles.

“Growing up in Philly, watching him for a long time — lot of respect for him,” Franklin said. “Talked to him a little bit after we played them last year. I thought the OGs would at least look me in the eye before (hitting me), but it’s all good. I might get a chance to look him in the eye Thursday, so we’re going to be OK.”

Gainwell, for his part, said Kelce was merely protecting his teammates.

“That’s just Kelce being Kelce,” Gainwell said. “That’s just Kelce being a professional and taking players’ backs.”

–Field Level Media

Dec 2, 2022; San Antonio, Texas, USA;  UTSA Roadrunners wide receiver Zakhari Franklin (4) catches a touchdown in the second half against the North Texas Mean Green at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: UTSA record-setting WR Zakhari Franklin enters portal

UTSA star receiver Zakhari Franklin has entered the transfer portal, according to multiple reports Friday.

Franklin is the school’s career record-holder in receptions (262), receiving yardage (3,348) and receiving touchdowns (37).

This past season, Franklin set single-season school marks of 94 catches for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns. That surpassed the program-best marks he set in 2021 of 1,027 yards and 12 scores. He had 81 catches that season, now third best.

Franklin averaged 12.8 yards per catch in 46 games with the Roadrunners. He was a first-team All-Conference USA selection in 2022.

–Field Level Media

Nov 20, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Rutgers 28-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State retains James Franklin with deal through 2031

Penn State rewarded coach James Franklin with a 10-year contract on Tuesday that is worth $70 million in guaranteed money.

The deal runs through the 2031 season.

Franklin, 49, had been rumored to be a possible target of Southern California and LSU for their coaching openings.

In addition to the guaranteed money, Franklin will receive a $500,000 annual retention bonus as well as others bonuses tied to Big Ten and College Football Playoff performances and Coach of the Year honors. The Penn State Board of Trustees’ subcommittee on compensation approved the terms.

“Penn State’s future is bright, and I’m honored to continue to serve as your head football coach,” Franklin said in a statement. “Nine weeks ago, the administration approached me about making a long-term investment in our football program. This prompted numerous conversations outlining the resources needed to be competitive at a level that matches the expectations and history of Penn State. What’s most evident from those conversations is the importance of our student-athletes’ success both on and off the field.”

Franklin is 67-32 in eight seasons at Penn State but is just 11-9 over the past two seasons. The Nittany Lions are 7-4 this season and 4-4 in the Big Ten entering Saturday’s game at Michigan State.

Franklin guided Penn State to a 42-11 mark in a four-season span from 2016-19. The team recorded victories in the Fiesta (2017) and Cotton (2019) bowls, and lost in the Rose Bowl (2016).

He also has recruited top-notch players to the school. With less then a month until the early signing period, Penn State has the No. 1 Class of 2022 in the Big Ten — topping Ohio State — and the No. 5 overall class in the country, according to 247Sports.

Athletic director Sandy Barbour said it was crucial to keep Franklin at Penn State.

“We are excited to have James Franklin lead our football program for a long time,” Barbour said in the news release. “We will continue our collective efforts to constantly improve in all aspects of our program. We have made, and will need to continue to make, significant investment in our football program because we believe we have a very bright future under James.

“With this contract, we are signaling our sustained commitment to being one of the premier programs in the history of college football. Our goals and aspirations relating to football have never wavered and our investments today and in the future of our program will allow us to compete at the highest level.”

The contract calls for Franklin’s buyout to be $12 million until April 1, when it then drops to $8 million through Dec. 31, 2022. The buyout is $6 million in 2023 before dropping to $2 million for 2024-25 and then falls to $1 million.

Penn State President Eric J. Barron also was complimentary of Franklin’s achievements at the school.

“Penn State is very happy to offer this extension to Coach Franklin, who has created an environment in which our student-athletes can be successful on the field, as well as leaders in our community and beyond,” Barron said in the news release. “As head coach, James continues to build the Nittany Lion football program even while navigating a number of exceptional challenges, including COVID-19 and a shift in amateurism rules in college sports. We look forward to his sustained success, his pursuit of excellence, and his remaining an integral part of Penn State football and our University.”

Franklin has a 91-47 overall record in 11 seasons as a coach, including a 24-15 mark in three seasons at Vanderbilt.

The Nittany Lions close the regular season Saturday at Michigan State.

–Field Level Media