James Franklin contract details: Penn State ends LSU, USC rumors with new 10-year extension

One of the hottest names in college football coaching searches is officially off the market.

Penn State's James Franklin agreed to a deal Tuesday that will keep him at the school for the next 10 years, until 2031. Franklin is in his eighth season leading the Nittany Lions.
Franklin had been linked to numerous open coaching gigs, most notably USC and LSU, despite Penn State's relative struggles this season.

However, the 49-year-old who has described Penn State as a "dream job," has also reaffirmed his commitment and loyalty to the program in recent weeks, as well.

"Penn State's future is bright, and I'm honored to continue to serve as your head football coach," Franklin said in a statement. "Nine weeks ago, the administration approached me about making a long-term investment in our football program. This prompted numerous conversations outlining the resources needed to be competitive at a level that matches the expectations and history of Penn State."

The Nittany Lions are 7-4 this year and 67-32 in Franklin's tenure in Happy Valley, with a game against Michigan State in East Lansing set for Saturday.

Here's everything to know about Franklin's contract extension, plus how it came together.

James Franklin contract details, salary
For much of his time at Penn State, Franklin has been one of the highest paid coaches in both the Big Ten and NCAA, with his $7 million annual salary ranking in the top 10.

Franklin will once again be guaranteed $7 million annually according to the terms released by Penn State, plus up to an additional $1 million per year based on certain incentives and bonuses.

Among the incentives and bonuses Franklin will be eligible for are an additional $350,000 to win the Big Ten title, $300,000 for a New Years' Six bowl and $100,000 if he's named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The full terms of the contract can be found here.

Notably, Franklin's buyout if he chooses to leave Penn State for another college or an NFL gig is $12 million if he leaves before April 1, 2022. It then drops to $8 million if he stays until Dec. 31, 2022 before dropping to $6 million after 2023, $2 million after 2024-25 and ultimately dropping to just $1 million per year from 2026-2031.

Why did James Franklin sign an extension with Penn State?
A native of Langhorne, Pa. and a former Division II quarterback at East Stroudsburg, Franklin has long made his love of Penn State known, calling it his "dream job," when he was hired in 2014.

Penn State has routinely been a 9-11 win team during Franklin's tenure in State College and even won a Big Ten title in 2016. But the Nittany Lions have struggled to keep pace with the likes of Ohio State, Alabama and Clemson during that time as well in recruiting, facilities, NIL deals, on-the-field results and more.

But that seems primed to change, and that's the biggest reason why Franklin says he opted to stay at Penn State.

"We've been able to create a roadmap of the resources needed to address academic support, community outreach, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), facility improvements, student-athlete housing, technology upgrades, recruiting, training table and more," Franklin said.

"This renewed commitment to our student-athletes, community and fans reinforces all the reasons I've been proud to serve as your head football coach for the last eight years and why my commitment to Penn State remains steadfast

James Franklin's record at Penn State
Franklin's seemed to win everywhere he's gone. Granted, he only had one stop as a head coach prior to arriving at Penn State, but even as an assistant, Franklin was on successful teams.

His first head coaching gig came at Vanderbilt in 2011, a school which had won just two games the year before and had only been to three bowl games in the 100-plus years of history prior to Franklin's arrival.

He immediately turned around the Commodores program, going 6-7 and reaching a bowl game in his first year before rattling off two 9-4 seasons in a row, culminating in Vanderbilt ending the season ranked in both seasons, something which hadn't happened since 1948. He finished his tenure in Nashville with a record of 24-15.

Franklin then came to Penn State in 2014 where he's gone 67-32 as he gets ready to coach his 100th game with the Nittany Lions. The high point of his tenure thus far was in 2016 when the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten title and finished the season ranked No. 7 and led Penn State to 11 wins in three out of four years from 2016-19.

One of just 13 Black coaches currently at the FBS level, Franklin is among the winningest in that category. His 91 career FBS wins place him third all-time behind former Houston and Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin (95 career wins) and Stanford's David Shaw (93 career wins) for most wins by a Black FBS coach.

College football overtime rules 2021: Explaining how the new OT format works

Overtime is going to look a little bit different in college football games during the 2021 season. The NCAA has once again made some minor tweaks to its overtime rules.

Why? It's all in the name of bringing the game to a quicker conclusion.
The NCAA has made shortening overtime its mission since Texas A&M beat LSU 74-72 in a seven overtime game during the 2018 season. As exciting as that game was, it was long. More than 200 snaps were played, which is certainly not ideal for the players on the field.

So, how is the NCAA changing its overtime rules for 2021? Here's everything you need to know about the differences in overtime this season and how it compares to previous seasons.
College football overtime rules 2021
The NCAA amended its overtime rules in 2021 in an attempt to lessen the number of plays run in an overtime period. Teams are now required to run a two-point conversion after a touchdown beginning in the second overtime period. Previously, that began in the third overtime period.

Additionally, teams will begin running alternating two-point conversion attempts if the game reaches a third overtime. So, it's essentially a one-play drive. The goal of this is to limit the number of plays run from scrimmage by each team.

Here are the rest of the college football overtime rules for the 2021 season.

At the end of regulation, the referee will toss a coin to determine which team will possess the ball first in overtime. The visiting team captain will call the toss. The winner gets to choose to either play offense or defense first or chooses which side of the field to play on. The decision cannot be deferred.
The teams that loses the coin toss must exercise the remaining option. They will then have the chance to choose first from the four categories in the second overtime and subsequent even-numbered OT periods. The team that wins the toss will have the same options in odd-numbered OT periods.
In each of the first two overtime periods, teams are granted one possession beginning at the opponent's 25-yard line, unless a penalty occurs to move them back. The offense can place the ball anywhere on or between the hash marks.
Each team is granted one timeout per overtime period. Timeouts do not carry over from regulation nor do they carry over between overtime periods.
Each team retains the ball until it fails to score, fails to make a first down or turns the ball over.
Beginning with the second overtime period, teams must attempt a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown.
Beginning with the third overtime period, teams will begin to run alternating two-point conversion plays instead of offensive possessions.
The college football overtime rules are the same in both the regular and postseason.
College football overtime rule change proposals
The most recent overtime rule change proposal was passed by the NCAA in 2021. It was made in the name of shortening games and limiting offensive reps, as previously stated.

Below are the rule changes that were ratified for 2021:

Beginning with the second overtime period, teams must attempt a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown.
Beginning with the third overtime period, teams will begin to run alternating two-point conversion plays instead of offensive possessions.
History of college football overtime rules
Up until 1996, most NCAA games did not go to overtime. They simply ended in a tie. However, the governing body adopted overtime rules after pushback on some important matchups ending all square.

The initial overtime rules were in place for quite a while. Each team got the ball at the opponent's 25-yard line and retained the ball until it failed to score, failed to make a first down or turned the ball over. Teams alternated possessions until a team emerged as a victor.

Then, in 2019, the NCAA made a couple of changes in the name of shortening the game. That's when they added the two-point conversion rule, so teams had to start attempting a two-point conversion starting in the third overtime. Then, after five overtimes, teams would start running alternating two-point conversion plays. These changes were, basically, a direct response to the Texas A&M vs. LSU game.

In 2021, the rules were tweaked again, as teams must run two-point conversions in the second overtime period and will begin alternating two-point plays when the third overtime begins.

Mac Jones, child model? Here are the photos, commercials featuring a young Patriots QB

Patriots fans always thought that Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo — affectionately known as "Jimmy GQ" — were the closest things to models that they would ever see at the quarterback position. But now, they have an actual model leading their quarterback room.

That would be Mac Jones. No, we're not kidding.
Jones may be better known as key representation for dad bods everywhere at this point in his young career, but in his even younger career, he was actually a child model. He recently spoke about that in an appearance on WEEI 93.7’s "Merloni & Fauria" when he was asked what his "worst job" ever was.

"I used to be a child model/actor, or whatever, and that was fun," Jones said. "There are a few commercials out there you guys could try and find. I think a lot of people know."

To his credit, Jones has been nothing but open about his modeling career. Still, it was news to quite a few people that weren't familiar with his not-so-secret double life. It may be over now, but there are certainly lasting memories from his modeling career.
Mac Jones child model photos
Naturally, in wake of Jones' revelation on "Merloni & Fauria," many went searching for photos of Jones during his modeling days. They were easy enough to find.

NESN's Dakota Randall dug up a couple of shots of Jones, one in which he's wearing a tie and one in which he is carrying a tennis racket.
NFL reporter Dov Kleiman was able to find a handful of photos of Jones as well. He also found a clip of Jones participating in a fashion show from his youth.
One of Jones' advertisements actually lives on. He's still pictured on the "Adventure Landing" website, a regional theme park in Jacksonville, Fla. He appears on the "Kids Fun Center Parties" portion of the website, wearing an orange polo.
How did Mac Jones become a child model?
As Jones explained in a pre-draft interview with ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, he tried modeling thanks to his parents.

"They never pushed me into sports, which was really cool," Jones said. "So I tried modeling, acting. My sister had done it and there's like a modeling camp and I was like, I'll go try it."

And so, Jones did. And while he said he "didn't really ever want to do that long term," he is grateful for the skills he picked up during that very early part of his career.

"It was good that I tried it and realize that I didn't necessarily want to do that but have that under my belt. Even for stuff like this," Jones said, referencing his interview and photoshoot ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft. "You're just more comfortable around the camera."
Mac Jones commercials
Try as we might, we couldn't find the commercials that Jones said might be out there. That said, if you're inclined to search for them, ESPN's Hallie Grossman gave some hints about where to look.

"[Jones] appeared in local commercials — for the zoo, a medical center, Party City, and that last one popped up for years around Halloween," she wrote in a late-2020 profile of Jones.

The Party City rabbit hole is probably the best one to jump down, as their commercials are the most readily available. The only issue with sorting through them? Most of the kids are in costumes.
Was Mac Jones the kid in that Cam Newton commercial?
This is a popular question that was raised when Jones beat out Cam Newton for the starting job with the Patriots. Was Jones the kid from that commercial with Newton? You know, the NFL "Play 60" one, where the kid threatens to take Newton's job from him in the future?

For those that need a refresher, here's the video of the advertisement.

As ironic and, frankly, mind-blowing as it would have been for Jones to be that kid, he does not play the role of "Nate." That commercial was created during the summer of 2012, ahead of Newton's second season with the Panthers. Jones turned 14 in 2012, so he would have been too old for that role even if his modeling career was ongoing.

The role of Nate was played by a then-7-year-old named James DiGiacomo. Now 16, DiGiacomo, who has acted in commercials and TV shows, spoke about the commercial after it resurfaced following Newton's release from the Patriots.

“I honestly think it’s awesome that people still bring it up,” DiGiacomo told The Eagle-Tribune. "I’ve done a lot of commercials over the years and did some TV work,” he said. “But that commercial with Cam is definitely a highlight. I didn’t realize how big it would be when we made it. But it was really cool. I’m very proud of it."

Henry Ruggs III ordered back to court after former Raiders receiver missed alcohol test

Former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III has been ordered to appear in Las Vegas court on Monday following a missed alcohol test. That is a violation of his bond release restrictions following a fatal crash in which prosecutors say he was driving under the influence at 156 mph.

According to Clarke County court records, Ruggs missed one of four daily court-mandated alcohol tests at 4:41 p.m. local time on Saturday before completing "a client initiated remote breath test" at 6:28 p.m. the same day. The alcohol monitoring agency noted in court filings that it couldn't verify Ruggs' sobriety at the time he was supposed to complete his test earlier in the day.
Ruggs' attorney David Chesnoff told Judge Suzan Baucum — who has ordered his reappearance in court — that the delay in his test was related to trouble with equipment provided to him. Ruggs, 22, could face a return to jail for violating the terms of his release. Ruggs was released on $150,000 bond on Wednesday, Nov. 3 and was ordered to remain on house arrest while undergoing electronic surveillance. He is also to refrain from alcohol or other controlled substances, among other restrictions.

Ruggs was arrested after his involvement in a fatal drunk-driving accident on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Prosecutors said he was driving 156 mph at the time of the crash, with a blood alcohol content level of .16 — twice the legal limit for Nevada drivers. Ruggs' Chevrolet Corvette struck the back of 23-year-old Tina Tintor's Toyota Rav4. Witnesses to the event indicated they tried to help Tintor and her dog escape the vehicle, but were ultimately forced back from flames emanating from the car.
Ruggs faces two felony charges of DUI resulting in death or serious injury. That is considered a category B felony in Nevada, the second-worst violation of state law. The charges are non-probationary, meaning Ruggs will face jail time if convicted. Each charge carries a minimum two-year sentence, but can go as long as 20 years. He also faces two counts of felony reckless driving — charges with penalties of one to six years in prison — and a misdemeanor weapon charge.

The Raiders released Ruggs on Nov. 2 following his DUI arrest. He was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the highest receiver taken in the draft.

When will Stephen Curry pass Ray Allen for most made 3-pointers in NBA history?

Prior to the 2021-22 season, the NBA's historic 75th season, Stephen Curry was hot on the heels of Hall of Famer Ray Allen to become the all-time leader for most 3-pointers made.

Entering the season, Curry needed 142 3-pointers needed to surpass Allen, and 12 games into the season, he's knocked off 76 of the latter's lead.
It's still early but Curry is averaging a career-high 5.4 makes per game, a shade above his previous career-high of 5.3 which he set last year in 63 games. During the 2015-16 season in which he set the all-time single-season record with 402 en route to winning his second straight MVP award, Curry averaged 5.1 makes in 79 games.
Top 10 players on the all-time leader for most made 3-pointers
Curry is one of three active players in the Top 10 with James Harden and Damian Lillard being the other two players.

 Player  3-pointers
  1. Ray Allen 2,973
  2. Stephen Curry 2,908
  3. Reggie Miller 2,560
  4. James Harden 2,489
  5. Kyle Korver 2,450
  6. Vince Carter 2,290
  7. Jason Terry 2,282
  8. Jamal Crawford 2,221
  9. Paul Pierce 2,143
  10. Damian Lillard 2,087
    LeBron James, who ranks 11th, could break into the Top 10 and increase the list to four active players later this season.

When will Stephen Curry surpass Ray Allen?
Curry has hit 42 of the 76 3-pointers in just five games including a red-hot shooting game against the LA Clippers, where he erupted for 45 points that started with a perfect 25-point first quarter and an overall 8-of-13 efficiency from beyond the arc and a 50-piece against the Atlanta Hawks.

As of Nov. 16, the baby-faced assassin, who is considered to be the greatest 3-pointer shooter in NBA history, needs 76 more 3-pointers to overtake Allen.
Going by his season average of 5.4 3-pointers per game, Curry would take anywhere around 14 games to jump to the No. 1 spot on the all-time charts.

That many games mean Curry could make NBA history in mid-December, provided of course that he misses no games moving forward.

Warriors upcoming 2021-22 schedule
With that projection, Curry would likely make NBA history on the road as Golden State would be on a five-game Eastern Conference road trip in mid-December.

14 games ahead on the Warriors schedule will see the team in Indiana, the birthplace of basketball. 15 games ahead will see the Warriors at the iconic Madison Square Garden playing the Knicks.

In case Curry takes a couple more games to surpass Allen, he has a couple of more iconic locations awaiting him in Boston - home of one of the oldest franchises which is tied for the most champions in NBA history - and Toronto - the capital of the birth country of James Naismith, the sport's inventor.

Warriors upcoming schedule
Date Opponent Time (ET)
Nov. 10 vs. Timberwolves 10:00 pm
Nov. 12 vs. Bulls 10:00 pm
Nov. 14 at Hornets 7:00 pm
Nov. 16 at Nets 7:30 pm
Nov. 18 at Cavaliers 7:30 pm
Nov. 19 at Pistons 7:00 pm
Nov. 21 vs. Raptors 8:30 pm
Nov. 24 vs. 76ers 10:00 pm
Nov. 26 vs. Trail Blazers 10:00 pm
Nov. 28 at LA Clippers 3:30 pm
Nov. 30 at Suns 10:00 pm
Dec. 3 vs. Suns 10:00 pm
Dec. 4 vs. Spurs 8:30 pm
Dec. 6 vs. Magic 10:00 pm
Dec. 8 vs. Trail Blazers 10:00 pm
Dec. 11 at 76ers 8:30 pm
Dec. 13 at Pacers 7:00 pm
Dec. 14 at Knicks 7:30 pm
Dec. 17 at Celtics 7:30 pm