Few coaches in college football are under more pressure than Penn State’s James Franklin, and few players are under more pressure than Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. Which one could have a new home first?
FOX Sports college football analyst Mark Ingram was faced with that question during Saturday’s edition of “Big Noon Kickoff.”
“I have to go James Franklin,” Ingram said when asked whether Franklin or Manning are more likely to be in their last season with their current program. “Penn State’s already getting fed up. They’re already doing a GoFundMe to raise buyout money. They can’t win a top-10 matchup. James Franklin is 4-21 against top-10 teams since he’s been there. They just got stepped on by UCLA.
“And, quite frankly, Arch, he’s continuing to grow. We put a lot on his plate, but he’ll be back in Austin next year, so, right now, I’ve got to go James Franklin will find a different home first.”
Penn State, which was ranked No. 3 in the country just two weeks ago, lost a gut-wrenching game to now-No. 3 Oregon in Week 5. The Nittany Lions followed that crushing loss by losing to then-winless UCLA – who fired head coach DeShaun Foster after three games – which resulted in Penn State now being unranked.
BNK Hot Ones: Will James Franklin or Arch Manning leave first?
Franklin is in his 12th season at Penn State and currently holds a 104-44 record while coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinal round.
Down south, the Longhorns have disappointed after also making the College Football Playoff semifinal round last season. And, like Penn State, Texas is 3-2 and coming off a loss to an unranked opponent (on the road against Florida), which resulted in the Longhorns now being unranked.
Manning, the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the Class of 2023, is in his first season as the Longhorns’ full-time quarterback. Through five games, he has totaled 1,151 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 151.1 passer rating, while completing 60.0% of his passes. Manning has also rushed for 160 yards and five touchdowns.
The redshirt sophomore quarterback threw two interceptions and completed just 55.2% of his passes in the Longhorns’ loss to Florida last week and completed just 56.7% of his passes in their Week 1 loss on the road to Ohio State.
Franklin’s Nittany Lions host Northwestern in Week 7 (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app), while Manning and the Longhorns face off against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Showdown.
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