Feb. 26, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State head football coach James Franklin will be among an elite group of speakers and panelists who are slated to appear at the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference this weekend in Boston.
Franklin is the lone college head coach among the speakers and panelists at the 9th annual conference, which will be held February 27-28.
In his second year as head coach of the Nittany Lions, Franklin will be a panelist at Friday afternoon's session, "The Formula to Win: College Football Analytics." Franklin will be joined on the panel by CNN anchor/reporter Rachel Nichols, Oliver Luck, the NCAA's executive vice president for regulatory affairs, ESPN college football analyst Tom Luginbill and Bill Connelly, Analytics Director for SB Nation.
The panelists in Franklin's session will discuss what they've learned during the first year of the College Football Playoff, how they expect college football to evolve going forward, scheduling strategies and what innovative technologies are helping programs gain an advantage.
Among some of the other speakers and panelists at the conference are: John Brenkus, ESPN Sports Science; Peter King, Editor in the Chief of the MMQB; Andrea Kremer, HBO and NFL Network correspondent; Jackie MacMullan, ESPN columnist; Rob Manfred, MLB Commissioner and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
In his first season as the Nittany Lions' head coach, Franklin became just the third Penn State coach to lead the team to at least seven wins in his first season, joining Dick Harlow (1915) and Bill O'Brien (2012). Penn State capped the 2014 season with a 31-30 overtime win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, rallying from a 21-7 deficit late in the third quarter. The 14-point deficit is tied for the largest the Nittany Lions have overcome in their 45 bowl games all-time.
From Langhorne, Pa., Franklin is in his fifth year as collegiate head coach, leading his first four squads to a bowl game, with post-season victories the past three years. He owns a 31-21 career record, with three consecutive winning seasons.
Penn State returns 15 starters (7 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist), and 14 additional players who have started, for the 2015 season. The Blue-White Game is Saturday, April 18 at 4 p.m. in Beaver Stadium and there is no admission or parking fee as in previous years. The Nittany Lions open the season on Sept. 5 vs. Temple at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Season tickets for the 2015 campaign are on sale, with more than 1,500 new season tickets having been sold. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2015 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from10 a.m-6 p.m.
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