Vanderbilt hires Franklin as football coach

Franklin, the offensive coordinator who was in line to succeed Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen, was introduced Friday as Vanderbilt’s third head coach this season.

"It was obvious to me right away that this place could be something really special," Franklin said. "It was really about the people. I was blown away by the people. Really, I was in a situation where I didn’t really have to take a job. I had a pretty good situation. It was going to take something really special to get me to jump on board."

Franklin replaces Robbie Caldwell, who took over July 14 when Bobby Johnson unexpectedly retired and resigned Nov. 27.This will be the first head coaching job for Franklin, who turns 39 in February. He will be the first black coach of any major sport at Vanderbilt and only the third in the Southeastern Conference after former Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom and Kentucky coach Joker Phillips. The Commodores are coming off consecutive 2-10 seasons after going 7-6 in 2008, their first winning season since 1982. They’ve only recorded seven wins four times in the past 50 years.

Vice chancellor David Williams, who led the coaching search with help from chancellor Nick Zeppos and a private search firm, said Franklin’s hire is part of an effort to instill a winning football culture at the school.