The current discourse around James Franklin’s time at Penn State mostly focuses on his disappointing 2025 campaign, which led to his firing. However, just a season prior, he almost led the program to the mountaintop. Franklin turned the Nittany Lions into a winning machine and produced multiple double-digit win seasons. That also reflected in how he was paid at the University.

According to figures obtained by Charles Thompson of Penn Live, James Franklin was the highest-paid employee at Penn State in 2024–25. He earned a total of $8,570,000, including his base salary, bonuses, retirement contributions, and other benefits. He made more than twice as much as the second-highest earner, Stephen Massini, who was the former head of Penn State Health and received $3,595,000.

Then there’s Mike Rhoades, the men’s basketball coach, who was third on the list with $3,547,000. After him, several other top staff members were also highly paid. Football offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki earned $3,014,000, and athletic director Pat Kraft received $1,810,000. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen made $1,633,000, while university president Neeli Bendapudi earned $1,629,000.

Penn State Health executive Deborah Addo received $1.586 million. Along with them, four doctors also earned more than $1 million each, according to the report. That was released after Penn State shared its newest list of top earners under the state’s Right-to-Know Law. This law requires the university to publish the salaries of major employees every year.

One losing season shouldn’t define Franklin’s efforts for Penn State. In the 2024 season, the team went 13-3 under him. They even reached the College Football Playoff for the first time. The team reached the semifinals but lost in the final moments to Notre Dame.

Back in 2016, during his third year with the team, he led them to the Big Ten championship game. And he holds the winning record of 104–45 before getting fired from the team. After Penn State fired Franklin, the school hired Matt Campbell as its new head football coach. Campbell’s contract pays him $8 million in his first year. However, his name does not appear in this salary report because the report covers an earlier period, before he became Penn State’s head coach.

James Franklin has to surpass a familiar hurdle

Brad Crawford of CBS Sports raised a question that many college football fans are already considering regarding James Franklin’s future at Virginia Tech. That concerns his failure to win against ranked opponents at the Lions.

The question makes sense because Franklin’s biggest criticism throughout his coaching career has been his struggles against top opponents. During his time at Penn State, he won plenty of games but often fell short when facing highly ranked teams. His career record against top-ranked opponents is just 2-21, which is one of the worst among FBS coaches who have coached at least 20 ranked games.

The pressure grew even more last season. Penn State lost to Oregon at home, adding to the stance. Then the team also became the first FBS team since 1978 to lose back-to-back games while it was favored by more than 20 points.

Now at Virginia Tech, Franklin faces a similar challenge. The Hokies have also struggled against ranked opponents in recent years. Former head coach and current defensive coordinator Brent Pry went 0-6 against ranked teams during his tenure as head coach.