Auburn football is in for their first real test this weekend on the road at Penn State, but the Nittany Lions could be facing trouble behind the scenes. After The University of Southern California lost at home to Stanford, the program announced they would be parting ways with head coach Clay Helton, and one of the first names thrown out as his replacement was none other than Penn State head coach James Franklin.
Coach Franklin–who, as it turns out, did not mock Bryan Harsin and is actually a believer in the 1-0 mentality–spoke to the press on Tuesday during his weekly press conference, and the answer he gave when asked about the job opening could not have done anything to soothe fans’ fears.
Rather than committing to the Nittany Lions, Franklin told the media that he can’t stand distractions and he’ll be discussing it with the leadership council:
Franklin is asked about USC's vacancy: "As you guys know, I can't stand any form of distraction. I will discuss this today with the leadership council so that we can make sure that all of our energy is on our preparation for Auburn."
— David Eckert (@davideckert98) September 14, 2021
It seems clear that Coach Franklin is focused on getting a win for the Nittany Lions over the Tigers, but is he also focusing on securing a new job at USC? David Jones of Penn Live writes that in Los Angeles, they don’t just want a good football team that wins, but they also want a full show with an emcee as head coach and dancers as cheerleaders, and Jones says Franklin is the perfect fit:
"I’ve heard through my agent and Los Angeles sources and written for three years that he has significant support within the USC board of trustees chaired by billionaire Rick Caruso. So have all the national college football writers, guys who have many more coaching agent sources than I do."
The speculation on Franklin remaining at Penn State does not, by any means, ensure an easy win for Auburn football or an ill-prepared Nittany Lions team. However, any distraction in the program gives the Tigers an advantage heading into Beaver Stadium on Saturday.