Lo! The Vanderbilt coaching search lurches back to life! We've got an official word from from an outlet that would know that talked with a person who would know who's willing to put his name to it, and that's as good as it gets until the ink's dry: James Franklin will succeed Robbie Caldwell as the head football coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores. (Reportedly!)
Report: James Franklin Hire By Vanderbilt Being Finalized
Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin is about to be named Vanderbilt’s next football coach, Vanderbilt Board of Trust and search committee member John Ingram said Thursday afternoon.
"We’re about to have this all wrapped up," Ingram said.
And so another coach-in-waiting story topples in the unusually active coaching carousel of 2010. Personality-wise, an ACC guy seems a logical choice for the SEC’s token smart school. (He’s even got kind of a nerdy face, which will only endear him to the locals.) But if the dropoff in administrative ambition from Gus Malzahn to Franklin puzzles you, you’re not alone. SB Nation’s Anchor of Gold, while really, really glad the name on their skipper’s door won’t be Tommy Tuberville’s, shares some reservations about the impending hire:
James Franklin, Vanderbilt's prospective head coach-in-limbo, is generating a lot of praise for his offensive prowess and ability to develop skill players on offense. His work with quarterbacks like Josh Freeman and Danny O'Brien gives him an inside track when it comes to developing a position that has been unstable in Nashville since Jay Cutler left in 2005. However, criticism has followed the Commodores' heir-apparent to Robbie Caldwell, focusing on Maryland's lack of innovative playcalling and failure to dominate in a relatively weak ACC over the past three years. Despite Franklin's abilities as an offensive guru, his teams have yet to get over the eight-win hump despite a schedule that offers up mediocre teams like Duke, Wake Forest, and Virginia on a yearly basis.
There’s much in the way of additional stats and analysis at the above link, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Connect with Vanderbilt and Maryland fans at SB Nation’s Anchor of Gold and Testudo Times.
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