SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Penn State coach James Franklin on Sunday doubled down on his stance that college football needs a commissioner overseeing the sport — and this time he suggested Nick Saban take on the role.
“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 at Fiesta Bowl media day ahead of Tuesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Boise State. “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?”
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Franklin has long been in favor of having a commissioner and said as much earlier this month when backup quarterback Beau Pribula entered the transfer portal ahead of the Nittany Lions’ first-round Playoff game against SMU. Pribula will play next season at Missouri. At the time of Pribula’s transfer, Franklin said his quarterback was put in an “impossible situation” thanks to a challenging calendar that had the transfer portal window overlap with the first round.
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Franklin isn’t the only person to suggest Saban, the longtime Alabama football coach who spent this season on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” take on the role. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin also mentioned this month that Saban would be an ideal fit.
Some great stuff here. I vote Coach Saban https://t.co/S15oFydPGY
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 23, 2024
The challenges that would await a commissioner would be plentiful in a new era that the NCAA has struggled to navigate because of a wave of lawsuits challenging its ability to limit players’ rights. A commissioner would likely confront similar questions and issues such as collective bargaining and players as employees.
The season is longer than ever with conference championship games and a 12-team Playoff. The transfer portal and name, image and likeness have evolved with limited restrictions, and revenue sharing is expected to be implemented as soon as this summer as part of the House v. NCAA settlement.
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This past month, coaches welcomed their 2025 signees the same week they were preparing for conference championship games. Many players, Penn State’s included, were taking final exams the week of the first-round Playoff games.
Penn State is preparing to play in its 15th game this season, and should the Nittany Lions make the national title game on Jan. 20, it would mean the season spanned the entire fall and the start of the spring semester.
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The need for players to have a break is also something Franklin, who makes more than $8.5 million per year, has spoken about during this season in particular. One of Franklin’s recommendations would be to start the season a week earlier in August and thus make the academic calendar less daunting. By starting the season earlier and making sure all conferences are playing the same number of in-conference games — and eliminating conference championship games — it would help make the season more manageable, he said.
“God forbid we talk about academics, right?” Franklin said Sunday. “That used to be every conversation started with academics, and that’s becoming less and less. Maybe I’m old school and maybe I’m a traditionalist, but I still believe in the model. Rather than just say this is a problem, I thought I would throw out a few recommendations, but I think one of the most important things we can do is let’s get a commissioner of college football.”
(Photo: Butch Dill / Getty Images)
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