The three most important letters in college athletics right now are NIL. The name, image and likeness game is a sport-within-all-the-sports that is already changing the very nature of amateur athletics and will continue to do so in ways both foreseen and unforeseen.
Another three-letter combination, at least for athletic administrators, that is nearly as important and will remain so is ROI. When it comes to coaches, particularly those in the high-profile and highly profitable sports of football and men’s basketball, getting a good return on investment can be the difference between a healthy athletics program and a perennial zombie.
Penn State made a substantial investment in James Franklin and, in turn, the football program last year, extending the head coach’s contract to one that runs through 2031. What follows is a closer look at what sort of return Franklin is offering on that investment, both in comparison to his peers and relative to the quality of teams with whom he is competing against those peers.
