The Vanderbilt Commodores’ 2024 season was certainly breathtaking. After all, they slayed the mighty Alabama, orchestrating one of the biggest upsets in history. But dial back just 12 seasons, and you will find Vanderbilt pulling these upsets almost every week. The architect was the one and only James Franklin, who stayed for just 3 years at Vanderbilt and turned around the program. A miracle that still keeps analysts baffled. The man changed the consistent doormat finishes and finished with 9 consecutive wins in 2012 and 2013. Despite that, the opinion that Vandy fans have of James Franklin is a bit complex.

To put context into things as to how big of a miracle the Vandy turnaround was. The last time the program had a 9-4 season was almost a century ago in 1915. Moreover, the program hadn’t had a bowl win since 1955 and had just had two winning seasons since 1982 before Franklin’s arrival. The program, in his stint, was beating giants like UGA and was a sensation that was touted to achieve even more with James Franklin. But, in his third year, the head coach left abruptly, and Vandy didn’t take much time in crashing. Thus, one of the most prominent Vandy fans, Skip Bayless, recently shared a sentiment that probably resonates with many Vandy fans.

Guess what would happen when Franklin finally makes his way to Vanderbilt to catch some baseball action, meeting his old pal Tim Corbin? That’s exactly what happened on May 25th when Franklin went to see the Commodores baseball team play. Bayless lashed out at Franklin and accused him of using the SEC platform for his own gain. “I don’t love former Vanderbilt football coach James Franklin in the dugout as my Commodores play Ole Miss for the SEC Tourney title. Yes, he’s a friend of Coach Corbin, but he’s promoting himself – interviewed on the SEC Network. He left us for Penn State after pledging allegiance to us!” But why such a scathing attack on a former coach who took you out of obscurity?

The departure to Penn State is still viewed by Vanderbilt fans as a form of ‘betrayal’ and adds several layers of complexity to Vandy’s relationship with their 3-year messiah. The most notable part of Franklin’s departure was his exit just before the national signing day, leaving the program with a void that they still haven’t been able to fill successfully. Still, James Franklin’s relationship with Tim Corbin and his love for Commodores Baseball have softened some sentiments for Franklin. Even Franklin was all in praise for Corbin when asked about it.

Sporting black aviators and a black half-shirt sporting a goatee, Franklin looked like the man was going to enroll straight for the Secret Service. He answered the interviewer’s question about his relationship with Commodores Baseball head coach Tim Corbin. “We checked the schedule, saw that they’re playing today. So got up early this morning, drove down. Me and Tim I have been very close since my first year available…He was critical in year one, right? Nobody knows. Vanderbilt is better than Tim Corbin. So across the street with them, sit down, talk about Vanderbilt, talk about the SEC. He was a huge part of our success during our time here. We’ve stayed close; he comes to a game, typically, every year.” Well, Franklin is undoubtedly a fan of Tim Corbin and the Commodores, as evidenced by his previous appearances.

Tim Corbin, who has been the head coach for the Commodores’ baseball team since 2003, is one of the most important figures for Vanderbilt. In his tenure, he has won 2 NCAA championships and has made 5 CWS appearances, along with 4 SEC wins. That puts him atop the sporting pyramid. Both Franklin and Corbin share mutual respect for each other since we see the duo in each other’s games frequently. For instance, in 2023, Franklin attended the baseball team’s game against Kentucky, and Corbin even acknowledged his presence and said, “We knew he was coming.”

James Franklin’s secret plan revealed for Penn State

James Franklin is one of the head coaches who has a lot to prove in the 2025 season. The man has been at Penn State since 2014, and the program at this time has seen just one Big 10 title. Last year was a bit optimistic, but losses against ranked opponents still plagued Franklin, and he finally faltered in the playoffs. The worst thing was that his receivers didn’t catch a single ball in the Orange Bowl semifinal against Notre Dame. But now the head coach is making some big moves.

James Franklin is diving deep to rein in commitments for his 2026 class. So far, the class has 17 commits and is ranked 4th in the Big 10. But the head coach is not stopping at this. “I think they’re going to go well past that and I mean you mention all the kids that are committed and boy they got a boatload of kids coming in on official visits they had you know half a dozen or so the weekend of March 16 May 16th but it really ramps up the weekend of May 30th for the next three four weekends…there’s some big fish out there including like Khary Adams out of Towson Loyola Blakefield, and he has Penn State number one right now, so I’m curious to see where this goes,” said Brian Dohn of Lions247.

Well, James Franklin has the roster limit of 105 players, but if he is now willing to go past that, then the head coach is finally making those inroads that he should have made earlier. How much will it benefit? Only time will tell. But Penn State needs to change its recruitment strategy, and James Franklin is currently doing it.