Vanderbilt's bid to keep James Franklin as their head football coach has seemingly come to an end, with multiple reports agreeing he will take over at Penn State.

The Scranton Times-Tribune was the first to report Penn State made a formal offer to Franklin Wednesday night, citing two unnamed sources. On Thursday, ESPN and CBS Sports both reported sources had confirmed Franklin is expected to accept the offer to be the 16th head coach in the history of Penn State football.

Two ESPN reporters learned of the news Thursday. Brent McMurphy confirmed the coach's intent to accept Penn State's offer and Joe Schad reported the school targeted Franklin for his "success at a respected academic institution."

Franklin led the Commodores to 24 wins in three seasons, three bowl game appearances and back-to-back wins in those bowl games. Franklin, 41, was one of football's hottest commodities this offseason with several NFL vacancies and openings at schools like Texas and Penn State.

Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams was vocal about his desire to keep the coach, but his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, the Times-Tribune reported.

"I'd shave my head (to keep Franklin)," Williams said Wednesday on Nashville radio station 104.5 FM, "and I'd give him the money I saved going to the barber shop."

Franklin was mentioned alongside another Pennsylvania native, Mike Munchak, who is a Penn State alum, unlike the now former Vanderbilt coach. Munchak was recently fired by the Tennessee Titans and was seen as a fitting candidate for the Nittany Lions. Greg Schiano, recently fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was another Penn State alum seen as a fit.

Schiano was later revealed to not being targeted at all by Penn State and Munchak confessed his talks with the school were not formal interviews.

Franklin will take over a team that is halfway through a four-year bowl ban and well on its way to recover from significant scholarship losses. Bill O'Brien coached the team to a 15-9 record in two seasons and even attracted a five-star quarterback recruit.

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