Penn State's James Franklin Named to Dodd Trophy Watch List

Franklin, in his 11th season at Penn State, is among 21 preseason nominees for the college football coaching award.

Penn State football coach James Franklin shakes hands with fans following the Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State football coach James Franklin is among 21 preseason nominees for the Dodd Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top coach in college football. Franklin joins the Dodd Trophy's preseason watch list for the first time since 2021.

The Dodd Trophy, awarded by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl, recognized 21 coaches from Power Four conferences and independent programs on its preseason watch list. According to the foundation, the Dodd Trophy considers a team's NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR), Academic Progress Rate (APR), community service initiatives and performance forecasts in determining its nominees.

Joining Franklin on the Dodd Trophy Watch list is his former defensive coordinator Brent Pry, entering his third season as head coach at Virginia Tech. Others nominated are Louisville's Jeff Brohm, Miami's Mario Cristobal, Ohio State's Ryan Day, North Carolina State's Dave Doeren, Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, Tennessee's Josh Heupel, LSU' Brian Kelly, Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin, Kansas State's Chris Klieman, Kansas' Lance Leipold, Florida State's Mike Norvell, USC's Lincoln Riley, Georgia's Kirby Smart, Clemson's Dabo Swinney and Utah's Kyle Whittingham.

"The Dodd Trophy continues to be the most coveted coach of the year award due to what we call the 'Dodd Difference,' where coaches are held to a higher standard, both on and off the field," Jim Terry, chairman of the Boddy Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, said in a statement. "This award is about more than just wins on the gridiron, but also focuses on how these coaches embody leadership with their student-athletes in the classroom and throughout their communities. As a result, we only consider coaches whose programs have earned the highest APRs and require coaches to have at least two years of experience leading their current programs, so that they have had time to establish a precedent at their universities."

RELATED: Ten years of James Franklin at Penn State

The NCAA recently released APRs for the 2022-23 academic year. Penn State's APR was 959, up from 914 for the 2021-22 academic year. Among the 21 programs highlighted on the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list, Penn State had the lowest reported APR. Five programs had perfect APRs of 1,000, including Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Franklin enters the 2024 football season with a career record of 88-39 at Penn State. His Nittany Lions teams have won 10 regular-season games five times, and Franklin has a 4-5 record in bowl games.

Franklin is in the third year of a 10-year contract he signed with Penn State in 2021. The Nittany Lions open the 2024 season at West Virginia on Aug. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.

More Penn State Football

James Franklin turns toward Penn State's football lettermen in hiring

Six players poised to take the next step for Penn State in 2024

Penn State releases new renderings of planned athletics projects

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.