Penn State AD: James Franklin not on hot seat

Many feel James Franklin is in danger of losing his job if he doesn't deliver some serious results this season, but Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour doesn't want to hear it.

Barbour told Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror that Franklin isn't on the hot seat, even if the Nittany Lions struggle the rest of the way.

"He's not on the hot seat, and he's not going to be on the hot seat in December," Barbour said. "James is going to be our football coach. I believe in where this football program is going under James Franklin, and I think he's going to be our football coach, period."

Franklin's tenure started off mediocre, as he posted a pair of 7-6 seasons after coming over from Vanderbilt. The Nittany Lions again find themselves hovering around .500, coming off a blowout loss to Michigan.

"Was Saturday disappointing? Of course it was," Barbour said. "But no one's more disappointed than our coaching staff and our student-athletes in our football program. So I certainly understand where our fans are coming from and the disappointment."

With someone like Les Miles now available, Franklin may be feeling the pressure to deliver immediately, but Barbour is happy with where the program is at.

"I think I've been really, really clear on I think he's doing a spectacular job as a teacher, as a coach, as a leader of these young men," she said. "That's really, really important to Penn State. He and his staff are absolutely nailing that.

"I believe very strongly that we're going to get to a competitive place where everybody's going to be really excited about Penn State. It may take longer than some people want, it may take longer than some people think. Frankly, all of us would like it to happen today. There are just some of us that believe there are some realities - not necessarily that any of us can control - that I think dictate giving it a little bit longer runway than most would like."