James Franklin, who was fired by Penn State in October following his third straight loss, made it clear on ESPN’s “College GameDay” that he plans to return to coaching college football as soon as possible. With plenty of big-time programs looking for their next head coach, like LSU, Auburn, Florida, UCLA, Arkansas, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State, Franklin’s phone has likely been staying busy these past few weeks.
Franklin is joined by Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as the two biggest names to watch for these available jobs, along with others expected to become available in the near future, like Florida State.
Advertisement
Former Penn State head coach James Franklin is a top name to watch amid the college football coaching carousel. James Lang-Imagn Images
James Franklin’s Odds to Become the Next Head Coach at Two Major College Football Programs
Franklin is listed as the favorite to become the next head coach at two programs: the expected choice, Virginia Tech, and the more surprising one, Arkansas.
The newest odds from BetOnline have Franklin as the clear leader to replace Brent Pry in Blacksburg, with Monday’s odds at +150. Behind him, with odds of +450, is Jon Gruden. Franklin recruited the Virginia region well during his time at Penn State, being described as a “dominant recruiting force in the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia).”
As for the Razorbacks, which fired Sam Pittman in September, Franklin is the leader with odds of +400, just ahead of Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield and interim Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino.
But would Franklin really want a less-than-stellar SEC job? Talk about a difficult place to win college football games. The last time he had one of those, when he coached at Vanderbilt, it worked out great for him as it served as a stepping stone for him to take over at Penn State. Franklin becoming the head coach at Arkansas would be a step backward. Some might even argue that Vandy is the better job at the moment, given the lack of expectations.
Advertisement
The initial name to keep an eye on for the Arkansas vacancy was Rhett Lashlee, the head coach at SMU. But he just signed an extension with the Mustangs that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. For now, it’s Petrino running the show in Fayetteville, and he just might be the smoothest, most logical person for the job.
Following the news that Auburn fired Hugh Freeze on Sunday, Franklin’s chances of becoming the next Virginia Tech head coach actually took a slight hit on Kalshi, a predictive market that allows users to trade real-world events. The platform shows he’s still the favorite, but his odds dropped by 14% after Auburn fired Freeze.
As for Franklin’s old school, the current favorite to take his role at Penn State is Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, with odds shifting from +140 to -250 over the weekend.
Advertisement
Athlon Sports may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over our coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside. It is your sole responsibility to act in accordance with your local laws. The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice. Gambling involves risk. Please only gamble with funds that you can comfortably afford to lose. While we do our utmost to offer good advice and information we cannot be held responsible for any loss that may be incurred as a result of gambling.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
