I'm liking this guy more and more...

The fact that he's at an academic school and how he's fared there. Seems good at recruiting and speaking to the public. The fact that he's African American is good for a number of reasons. He's in the SEC now, but he's been around the country: Is from PA, coached at K-State, even did a year as a grad asst. at Wash St, which I think is a plus, exposing him to our area.

How much does he make at Vanderbilt? If we offered him JT money, would that be a big raise for him?

This is only his second year there, right? Might he feel an obligation to be there longer before moving on?

Can he get out of his contract there?

Also: Does he have an offensive philosophy? What is he running there now?

Go Bears!

Big C_Cal;842019068 said:

---

I'm liking this guy more and more...

The fact that he's at an academic school and how he's fared there. Seems good at recruiting and speaking to the public. The fact that he's African American is good for a number of reasons. He's in the SEC now, but he's been around the country: Is from PA, coached at K-State, even did a year as a grad asst. at Wash St, which I think is a plus, exposing him to our area.

How much does he make at Vanderbilt? If we offered him JT money, would that be a big raise for him?

This is only his second year there, right? Might he feel an obligation to be there longer before moving on?

Can he get out of his contract there?

Also: Does he have an offensive philosophy? What is he running there now?

Go Bears!

---

Not likely available. My neighbor's parents were Vandy profs so he grew up with the team and the report linked below is right in line with everything he's told me. Understand that Cal is a national power in terms of history compared to Vandy.

http://www.vanderbiltsportsline.com/2011/11/james-franklin-becomes-highest-paid.html

In this thread from 10 days ago
http://www.bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66541
this was said in post #7:

socaliganbear;842006055 said:

---

FWIW: Footballscoop (which is one of the better rumor mill sites) said a few weeks ago that he knew for sure Franklin would leave Vandy for Cal for what we pay JT.

---

I don't have any personal knowledge about this beyond what is written.

Franklin is a special recruiter. The buzz he created after he got hired at Vandy was pretty amazing. It's not clear how good a coach he is unfortunately.

He would win a national championship in under four years and his defensive line coach would out recruit anything Tosh ever did (Yeah, I'm still asleep).
Their D-line coach gives the most inspirational speeches I think I've ever seen. To see James Franklin and him on the recruiting trail would be nothing short of Revelation.
So yeah, I like the guy.

AND...he is NOT a Southern Boy, with deep cultural ties to his "homeland."

Started his coaching career at Kutztown!

Could he be the One?

he's 13-11 overall at two mid-level programs - i pray he's not "the one" for Cal.

Why do we like this guy so much? Seems like it's all internet hype. He's got no offensive or defensive identity. No notable draft picks. No big victories. Etc. etc.

touchdownbears43;842019346 said:

---

he's 13-11 overall at two mid-level programs - i pray he's not "the one" for Cal.

Why do we like this guy so much? Seems like it's all internet hype. He's got no offensive or defensive identity. No notable draft picks. No big victories. Etc. etc.

---

Vanderbilt has been the perennial Washington State of the SEC for ages. So one could argue that its equivalent to Washington State taking their current talent, and being able to play up to a level that they have a winning in-conference record in the PAC12.

He has generally been competitive even in his losses against top 10 opponents. He has beaten the middle of the conference. He is youngish, African American and exuberant - suggesting he would CRUSH the rest of the Pac-12 in recruiting. He isn't shy at ALL about the assets of the university - essentially challenging his players that if they are hot **** they can graduate and get good grades.

He is in my top 5 (Strong, Peterson, Rivera, Sonny D, Franklin). Any of the 5 would be a huge upgrade and position us well for the future.

touchdownbears43;842019346 said:

---

he's 13-11 overall at two mid-level programs - i pray he's not "the one" for Cal.

Why do we like this guy so much? Seems like it's all internet hype. He's got no offensive or defensive identity. No notable draft picks. No big victories. Etc. etc.

---

I think we need to extrapolate. There are potential drawbacks with ANY of the guys that have been mentioned, with the possible exception of Petersen (who we may or may not have a shot at).

While I think he is a good coach and would do well here, I don't understand the love for this guy either. I know he's a great recruiter and is doing this at Vanderbilt, but upon further investigation I don't think his resume is impressive.

This year, he lost close to a very good S. Car team, got ripped by a great Georgia team and kept it respectable against a great UF team. He managed to miss Bama, LSU, aTm & Miss St. in the SEC west, teams that make up the top 4 of the SEC west. He won close against Missouri (5-6), AU (3-8) and Ole Miss (5-6), one score close. He played 2 FCS opponents and throttled 2-10 Kentucky and 5-7 UT. It looks like he benefitted greatly from the schedule and could easily have been 6-6 or worse this year. He didn't beat an opponent with a winning record this year.

He's not in my top tier of coaches that would get me excited, but not a WTF hire to me either.

4 of his 13 wins: Elon, Army, UMass, and you guessed it...the Mighty Blue Hose.

HaasBear04;842019446 said:

---

4 of his 13 wins: Elon, Army, UMass, and you guessed it...the Mighty Blue Hose.

---

If you can win at Vandy you can win anywhere. As for the schedule you should look at a typical SEC schedule sometime. I don't think we can afford him!


Jwc...

jcharocv;842019455 said:

---

If you can win at Vandy you can win anywhere. As for the schedule you should look at a typical SEC schedule sometime. I don't think we can afford him!


Jwc...

---

So 13-11 with 4 bodybag games is winning?

Yeah I dont understand the appeal for James Franklin. Much rather go with CP, Dykes, Doreen, and even MM from SJSU before this guy.

Isn't Vandy completing a renovation of facilities?

Cal Panda Bear;842019469 said:

---

Yeah I dont understand the appeal for James Franklin. Much rather go with CP, Dykes, Doreen, and even MM from SJSU before this guy.

---

When you enter the real world and the pipe dreams (Peterson, Strong, no defense Dykes) are done with, we will be left with The MAC guys, McIntyre, maybe Hue, the string of coordinators and Franklin (if Vandy doesn't up his salary to the 3 mil mark)!

Before Cal hires an old guy (Doren, McIntyre and such) who can't recruit I would prefer Franklin. Actually I'd take Taggart before any of these Mac, Wac guys! Cal's success will be directly related to recruiting. If the new coach can't recruit in the top 1/3 of the Pac 12 Cal will not improve. Franklin has shown he can recruit at a strong academic school like Vandy just ask Johnathon McCrary. Can he coach? Well (5-3) in his 2nd year in the SEC and 8-4 overall with a perennial doormat like Vandy is to say the least impressive!


Jwc...

I guess I am wondering why so many think that simply because he's coached at an academically strong school that he would automatically be a good fit for Cal.

I always thought that Tedford's true value was that he never tried to run away from Cal's qualities and environment -- not just the academic side but everything from the local politics to the tepid if not hostile attitude some have towards football and athletics on campus and throughout the Bay Area.

I've read a couple of stories of how Franklin emphasizes Vanderbilt's academic standing to recruits. I suppose that in and of itself is a sign that he is willing to embrace his school's natural advantages, rather than trying to get the institution to adapt to what he feels is necessary to compete in a major conference. But really, he's only been there a couple of years, and we don't know any inside info as to his dealings with Vandy's admissions office or faculty. Perhaps he's pushed for lower academic requirements a la Harbaugh...? That probably would not be a good sign.

I suppose you can draw parallels between Cal and Vanderbilt in that both are academically prestigious schools playing in a competitive conference, but that is where the comparison ends. Vandy is a private school in a football crazy region... to me that has a lot to do with how Franklin has embraced his current job.

jcharocv;842019506 said:

---

Before Cal hires an old guy (Doren, McIntyre and such) who can't recruit I would prefer Franklin. Actually I'd take Taggart before any of these Mac, Wac guys!

---

Just FYI, Doeren is only 40 years old. He's in my Top 5 (after Petersen and Diaco - I guess he'd be after Strong too, except I think Strong is even more of a pipe dream than Petersen), and I definitely prefer him to McIntyre or Andersen.

Not only has Doeren compiled an impressive 22-4 record in his two short years at Northern Illinois, he's got NIU's football program into the top five in Football APR as well. Plus he comes off as a very personable guy.

To compare, Taggart's career record is 15-20 in the Sun Belt. Yes, Doeren inherited a better team, but he's built on that, and done it in a harder conference. Taggart's team this year only went 7-5, same as they did last year.

Does this sound like the background of an academically oriented coach? Attended East Stroudsberg University. Coached at Kutztown, Danish American Football Foundation, James Madison, Idaho State, Washington State, Maryland. That's Franklin's background. Point is he was not an "academic hire" but someone who adopted a strategy for the job. Likewise we shouldn't make an academic hire based on where someone is now coaching but rather on his ability to succeed at Cal, first at football and second at improving graduation rates.

GB54;842019560 said:

---

Does this sound like the background of an academically oriented coach? Attended East Stroudsberg University. Coached at Kutztown, Danish American Football Foundation, James Madison, Idaho State, Washington State, Maryland. That's Franklin's background. Point is he was not an "academic hire" but someone who adopted a strategy for the job. Likewise we shouldn't make an academic hire based on where someone is now coaching but rather on his ability to succeed at Cal, first at football and second at improving graduation rates.

---

I kwibble about trying to separate those two abilities. They are intertwined at UCB.

James Franklin sounds like the ultimate moral victory hire of all time....close losses to south Carolina lololololololol

Meh, I'd rather have Missy Franklin as coach.

touchdownbears43;842019719 said:

---

James Franklin sounds like the ultimate moral victory hire of all time....close losses to south Carolina lololololololol

---

Just curious, who is your dream coaching hire? What Franklin did at VANDERBILT before he coached a game was remarkable and noteworthy. All of the sudden many top kids were listing Vandy out of the blue. Franklin has some recruiting mojo and that is what Cal needs.

Since we are unable/unwilling to pay the going rate for top recruiting assistants it becomes imperative that the new HC is an ace recruiter.

You should be thrilled if the new HC is Franklin. I don't see anybody outside of Petersen who could recruit at Cal like Franklin.

Darby;842019863 said:

---

Just curious, who is your dream coaching hire? What Franklin did at VANDERBILT before he coached a game was remarkable and noteworthy. All of the sudden many top kids were listing Vandy out of the blue. Franklin has some recruiting mojo and that is what Cal needs.

Since we are unable/unwilling to pay the going rate for top recruiting assistants it becomes imperative that the new HC is an ace recruiter.

You should be thrilled if the new HC is Franklin. I don't see anybody outside of Petersen who could recruit at Cal like Franklin.

---

Who exactly has he recruited to Vanderbilt? I keep hearing about this alleged recruiting prowess...

I have no dream HC or someone I want at cal. The interest in Franklin is just odd....he's got nothing on his resume worth the excitement. Plain and simple. I doubt we are gonna hire someone with his resume (with plenty other dudes out there) after buying Tedford out for 6.9 milly.

touchdownbears43;842019891 said:

---

I have no dream HC or someone I want at cal. The interest in Franklin is just odd....he's got nothing on his resume worth the excitement. Plain and simple. I doubt we are gonna hire someone with his resume (with plenty other dudes out there) after buying Tedford out for 6.9 milly.

---

Nothing on his resume? He's an African-American SEC head coach with a rep as an elite recruiter. He just lead his university to it's first 8 win season since 1982. Other than that nothing to write home about. Bring on the SJSU guy. What's his name again?

Darby;842019904 said:

---

Nothing on his resume? He's an African-American SEC head coach with a rep as an elite recruiter. He just lead his university to it's first 8 win season since 1982. Other than that nothing to write home about. Bring on the SJSU guy. What's his name again?

---

I'm not lookin for an argument.....just think Cal can do much better. Plus we're just making all these candidates up with no hard evidence to go on.

HaasBear04;842019866 said:

---

Who exactly has he recruited to Vanderbilt? I keep hearing about this alleged recruiting prowess...

---

He had 9 scholees left when he got there and brought in 9 four star athletes.

touchdownbears43;842019346 said:

---

he's 13-11 overall at two mid-level programs - i pray he's not "the one" for Cal.

Why do we like this guy so much? Seems like it's all internet hype. He's got no offensive or defensive identity. No notable draft picks. No big victories. Etc. etc.

---

franklin coached QB Josh Freeman to a 3000 yard year at Kansas St.

He has been at Vandy for two years and has accomplished a LOT - Vandy has been the perennial doormat of the SEC for as long as anyone could remember...just a train wreck of tough recruiting and an academic bastion in the SEC.
In the five years before he arrived, Vandy was 20-41. In Franklin's two years, they are 14-11. Anyone who scoffs at this record, even with 4 cupcake wins, hasn't seen them play. They are out-athleted in EVERY game they play in the SEC (except for maybe Kentucky), and yet:

- With the win today, Vandy has its first 6-game win streak in nearly 60 years (last one in 1955).

- Under Franklin, the Commodores are 6-2 in the month of November. In the decade before Franklin arrived on campus, Vanderbilt was 3-32 in November games.

- Vandy has scored 40+ points in five games this year, the first time it has done that in at least four games since WWI (1916).

His offenses are balanced, his D is good, he is energetic and is an excellent recruiter...is he perfect? Of course not, but to nitpick exclusively because of his record? Myopic...

And this ...



(Sorry I can't make that a link, posting from my phone)

briloker;842020210 said:

---

And this ...



(Sorry I can't make that a link, posting from my phone)

---

Let me help you out there buddy....

I don't know that looks like a pretty thick playbook they have in that video.

majorursa;842020163 said:

---

He has been at Vandy for two years and has accomplished a LOT - Vandy has been the perennial doormat of the SEC for as long as anyone could remember...just a train wreck of tough recruiting and an academic bastion in the SEC.
In the five years before he arrived, Vandy was 20-41. In Franklin's two years, they are 14-11. Anyone who scoffs at this record, even with 4 cupcake wins, hasn't seen them play. They are out-athleted in EVERY game they play in the SEC (except for maybe Kentucky), and yet:

- With the win today, Vandy has its first 6-game win streak in nearly 60 years (last one in 1955).

- Under Franklin, the Commodores are 6-2 in the month of November. In the decade before Franklin arrived on campus, Vanderbilt was 3-32 in November games.

- Vandy has scored 40+ points in five games this year, the first time it has done that in at least four games since WWI (1916).

His offenses are balanced, his D is good, he is energetic and is an excellent recruiter...is he perfect? Of course not, but to nitpick exclusively because of his record? Myopic...

---

To cite his 14-11 record at Vanderbilt as a NEGATIVE is rediculous. Taking Vanderbilt to the point where they are beating the mid-level teams in the SEC in two seasons is pretty amazing.

JT engineered an amazing turn around for Cal when he took over (although there are posters who now, 11 years later, seem to want to insist that the early part of his tenure was basically lucking into all those studs Holmoe had recruited following that disasterous 1-10 season) and his 1st two years he went 15-11 (a record Franklin could match with a bowl win).

Harbaugh didn't have a winning season until his 3rd year at Stanford.

Graham and Rodriguez took their respective Arizona schools to 7 win seasons that are considered quite successful.

Whether Franklin is the right man for Cal (or is even interested in Cal), it's pretty rediculous to denigrate 7-8 win seasons at Vanderbilt this early in his tenure as "not good enough".

In my opinion, if we can go 8-4 next year, I would say it was a VERY successful 1st season (and something we will hopefully build on to become a 10+ win program) given where we are now.

Honestly - for those "poo pooing" 7 and 8 win seasons (given what Franklin had to work with when he started) what would make for a successful season in 2013 for Cal - coming off a 3-9 season?