The Penn State head coach submitted Saban’s name as the “obvious choice” to become the commissioner of college football, a role that Franklin would like to see created.
In the wake of Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula’s surprising departure from the program amidst a College Football Playoff head coach James Franklin called for college football to institute a commissioner to control the transfer portal chaos that has turned the sport on its head in recent years. Then, as his Nittany Lions prepare for a CFP quarterfinal matchup with Boise State on New Year’s Eve in the Fiesta Bowl, Franklin submitted a candidate for the job.
At his media availability ahead of the Fiesta Bowl, Franklin told reporters that Nick Saban is the “obvious choice” to lead the sport into its new era and become its first commissioner. Others have mentioned the seven-time national champion as a potential commissioner and on Sunday Franklin added his name to the list of Saban supporters.
I think one of the most important things we can do is, let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football,” Franklin said. “I think Nick Saban would be the obvious choice if we made that decision. Now, Nick will probably call me tonight and say, ‘Don’t do this,’ but I think he’s the obvious choice, right?”
Despite offering the job to his former colleague, Franklin suggested a few changes that he would make were he in charge of the sport. First, Franklin mentioned eliminating conference championships to shorten the season and give the CFP committee a fairer comparison when evaluating the potential participants. Then, commissioner Franklin took academics in mind, throwing out the idea of starting the season a week earlier to “take some of the stress out of the academic calendar.”
Franklin’s primary focus is on stopping Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty on Tuesday and advancing to the CFP semifinal, but his frustration with the state of the sport is clear and as his platform continues to grow throughout Penn State’s postseason run, he’s using it to send a message to the current decision-makers in the NCAA.
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