Penn State HC James Franklin reveals who should be college football’s commissioner

Last updated: 2024/12/29 at 11:04 PM

BigP Published December 29, 2024

Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner, and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“I think he’s the obvious choice, right?” Franklin said.

Franklin — who joked that Saban wouldn’t be thrilled with his comment — made the suggestion on Sunday at Penn State’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions are preparing for their game against No. 3 seed Boise State on Tuesday.

The veteran coach was responding to a question about Penn State’s backup quarterback situation after Beau Pribula transferred to Missouri just weeks before the CFP began, leaving the Nittany Lions scrambling for options. Pribula’s decision highlighted some of the frustrating aspects of a new college football world in the Name, Image and Likeness era and the transfer portal, forcing players to make tough decisions at inopportune times.

Franklin said that because there isn’t a leader dedicated solely to college football, conference commissioners are left to handle the task themselves. That’s led to bickering between the leagues because different conferences have different interests.

“I think one of the most important things that 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 [are] in the best interest of college football,” Franklin said.

Penn State Nittany Lions

PSU

Boise State Broncos

BSU

The 73-year-old Saban retired after last season as arguably the most successful college football coach of all time. He won seven national titles, including six at Alabama and one at LSU.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience