That was my thought. His response to the question during his press conference was typical Franklin Sleaze.
This article nails it.
https://www.readingeagle.com/sports...-head-coach-consider-leaving-for-southern-cal
“I guess it's that time of year where all this stuff happens,” Franklin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “It's the crazy, mad time of year where these types of things happen.
“As you guys know, like always, we're focused on Maryland (Saturday's opponent at Beaver Stadium) completely 100 percent. I don't even think it's fair or right to even be talking about that job, from everything I understand about it. We're completely focused on Maryland.”
Well, not everybody. Somebody in Franklin's camp wanted his name linked with the USC job.
Why? Because Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports and The Athletic, one of the writers who mentioned Franklin would be a strong candidate at USC, and Franklin are close.
Feldman said earlier this week on The Rich Eisen Show that Franklin has a “40 percent chance” to be the next USC coach. He said former NFL head coach and former USC player Jack Del Rio has a 30 percent chance to get the job and that Helton has a 30 percent chance to retain it.
“If you're James Franklin, you would go to a division where you're the best-resourced program,” Feldman said. “The Pac-12 South is a mess. … I could see James Franklin as the head coach there.”
Then there was this from Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports:
“The timing is right for Franklin to at least consider a move, with three-year starting quarterback Trace McSorley at the end of his stellar college career.
“Franklin could give USC the opportunity to break its insular hiring cycle, starting anew with a program outsider who can appeal to the mother lode of Southern California talent while running the program with more authority than Helton has been able to muster.”
Now, some folks believe USC is a better job than Penn State because of its fertile recruiting base and that it is in a weaker conference and division than the Big Ten or the Big Ten East. It is not a better-paying position, though.
According to USA Today, Helton is being paid a base salary of $2,625,965 this year, compared to $4.8 million for Franklin.
It would be surprising if Franklin left Penn State with as many as 18 starters returning in 2019, a ton of young talent on the roster and tremendous recruiting momentum.
So, is this an attempt by Franklin to increase the salaries of his assistant coaches and/or to improve Penn State's football facilities, both topics he's discussed many times the last few years?
Or is he truly interested in leaving Penn State for the USC job? He would only have to spend $1 million to buy out his contract, which is peanuts.
Only he knows, for sure.