Sporting News ranks all 131 FBS coaches for 2022

Penn State head coach James Franklin may be handsomely paid with a secured contract that runs through the next decade, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some pressure on the head coach of the Nittany Lions entering the 2022 season. And after a pair of mediocre seasons in the win column, Franklin has seen his overall profile drop in the eyes of some.

Sporting News took the time to rank all 131 FBS head coaches entering the new college football season. Franklin is still considered a top 20 coach, but this time last year saw Franklin sitting just on the outside of the top 10 of the Sporting News list. Is Franklin truly trending downward, or is this just a minor setback after two seasons not going according to plan in Happy Valley?

The updated ranking of FBS head coaches for 2022 by Sporting News ranks Frnaklin at No. 17 overall, dropping six spots from his No. 11 ranking from a year ago. Franklin fell two spots from his 2020 ranking of No. 9 to No. 11 in 2021. Two straight seasons of .500 overall football can do that to a coach no matter how much he is being paid.

Here is what Sporting News had to say about Franklin in its 2022 FBS coaching ranking;

Franklin drops six spots in our rankings, and it’s worth noting the Nittany Lions are 11-11 with an 8-10 record in Big Ten play the last two seasons. Franklin signed a 10-year extension last season which would keep him at Penn State through 2031. Franklin does deserve credit for leading the program to its last Big Ten championship, but that was six years ago.

Franklin and Penn State will be entering 2022 with something to prove. Is this the program that can make a run to a double-digit wins season worthy of an appearance in a New Years Six bowl game, or will this be another season floating around .500 for a third straight year? The results will certainly carry some influence in the 2023 FBS coaching ranking put together by Sporting News next year at this time.

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