James Franklin Formally Announced As New Vanderbilt Head Coach

Nashville, Tenn. — James Franklin, one of the nation’s top offensive coordinators and recruiters, is a head coach-in-waiting no longer.

How’s that social media announcement going for them? Well, Franklin’s been compared unfavorably to two Bowden brothers so far, so you tell us:

This would be a great time for a disklike button.

Why not go for Terry Bowden????????

So is RonP going to pop out of James Franklin’s chest like that scene in Total Recall or just walkout to “The Final Countdown” as usual.

So if Florida hit a home run with Muschamp, did Vandy just hit a slow roller back to the pitcher’s mound?

FAIL....Tommy Bowden and Tommy Tuberville BOTH wanted the job...PROVEN winners..But you choose a coach that led the 85th ranked offense in 2010...NOT an improvement....More complacency from West End

Yeah, we’ve got a coach!!!

Ah, that old Maryland coaching pipeline! It’s no so much a pipeline as it is an unmarked duffel bag flung five states south, but you know, PIPELINE!

went from almost hiring gus malzon to this?how far down the list was this guy?wonder we always suck each year.where is the did like button

Franklin’s inaugural press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST. For more Vandy athletics news, visit SB Nation’s Anchor Of Gold.

The report comes from the Washington Post, the same source that yesterday had Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn replacing departed Commodores coach Robbie Caldwell in Nashville. in this case getting the news slightly wrong—they did qualify the report as being speculative—is somewhat understandable, as the circumstances of the Malzahn negotiations changed rapidly over the course of just a few hours yesterday.

The collapse of those negotiations leaves Vandy with Franklin, an assistant who while not flashy was impressive enough for Ralph Friedgen and the Maryland administration to name him the head-coach-in-waiting pending Friedgen’s departure. As with Will Muschamp at Texas, this didn’t work out, but Maryland may not be overly emotional over his departure. A contract clause in Franklin’s existing agreement with Maryland specifically requires a payment of a $1 million in January 2012 to Franklin if he is not named head coach by that date. In avoiding that payment and saving Vandy the money it might have had to throw at Malzahn, Franklin’s move continues a pattern of thrift in the 2010 college football hiring season.

Auburn’s all smiles this afternoon, out in the market with basket on arm, cheerfully pooh-poohing the idea that Gus Malzahn was ever in any real danger of leaving the Tigers for the Vanderbilt job.

Kirk Sampson, the school’s assistant athletics director for media relations, said Malzahn will remain in Auburn but would not confirm or deny multiple reports that the second-year coordinator turned down an offer to Vanderbilt’s next head coach.He doesn’t really have to confirm or deny it, not when Vandy’s already done that for us, but no matter: The money has talked, and the coach will not walk:

The Gus Malzahn-to-Vanderbilt deal is far from sewn up, and news outlets everywhere are backtracking from a thousand stories all spawned by one tiny blog blurb on the Washington Post’s website. The Commodores could be back to square one by this afternoon, or basking in the reflected glory of a new coach who may very well alight in Nashville with a shiny new title ring; until then, let’s see if we can’t put together a rough timeline of events and get all our stories straight:

Thanksgiving weekend: Robbie Caldwell, The Interim Head Coach Who Wasn’t, steps down after one season as Bobby Johnson’s replacement at VU.

Thursday, Dec. 9: Incidentally, Malzahn wins the 2010 Frank Broyles Award, bestowed upon the nation’s best assistant coach.

Friday: Malzahn is said to be considering a $3 million offer from the Commodores.

Sunday, early: A small corner of the Washington Post’s Terrapins Insider blog pipes up with the news that Maryland OC James Franklin has been passed over for the Vanderbilt job in favor of Malzahn, who has accepted the position.

Sunday, late: AL.com reports that Malzahn is considering the offer, but that he has neither accepted nor denied the opportunity, and that a decision is expected by early Monday.

Monday, early: The Post stands by its story, reporting that the announcement of Malzahn’s hiring is imminent.

Monday, early: The Tennessean reports that Vanderbilt has denied they’ve hired Malzahn ... sort of:

The Washington Post reports that Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will accept Vanderbilt’s head coaching job, succeeding Robbie Caldwell.

Malzahn, regarded as an architect of potent spread offenses at Arkansas, Tulsa, and Auburn as an offensive coordinator, will be a head coach for the first time at the collegiate level. But it’s not his first stint as a head coach: at Springdale High School in Arkansas, Malzahn coached Mitch Mustain and a slew of other FBS players to an undefeated season in 2005. His team outscored its opponents 664-118 en route to a 14-0 record and a state championship.

Gus Malzahn, perhaps the hottest name on the college football coaching carousel, was reportedly offered the head coaching job at Vanderbilt on Thursday. The Auburn offensive coordinator was in Nashville and reportedly left with a $3 million contract offer from the Commodores. According to The Tennessean’s Jeff Lockridge, Malzahn is mulling over the offer as Vanderbilt looks into contingency plans.

Auburn coor­di­na­tor Gus Mal­zahn, who was in town Wed­nes­day, is thought to have recei­ved another offer from Van­der­bilt that approaches the ball­park of $3 million per year. But if he con­ti­nues to pass, look for Van­der­bilt to move on to Fran­klin or perhaps Roman in the very, very near future (and save some money in the process).Vanderbilt has long been a doormat in the SEC, falling behind the national powers housed in the nation’s premier football conference. A commitment to Malzahn in the neighborhood of $3 million is a sign Vanderbilt is prepared to make real strides in an effort to get itself to equal footing with the rest of the conference.

“Having the opportunity to be Vanderbilt’s head football coach has been a dream come true,” Caldwell said, “and I greatly appreciated the chance to serve, and I gave it my best. However, after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized it is time for me to step aside and let someone else pick up the hard work and efforts of our staff.“The former VU offensive line coach has been a media darling since his uproarious introduction at SEC Media Days in July, and we wish him continued high-profile employment to the end of his days, if only because that would necessarily entail him being placed before a microphone, again and again.

Parameters and preferences for a replacement candidate have not yet been made public.