James Franklin is an African-American by ethnicity. His parents are James Oliver and Jocelyn "Josie" Franklin. He has an English mother and an African-American father, as per State College.

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman on his ethnicity and the symbolism of facing fellow minority coach James Franklin of Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Ohio State LB coach James Laurinaitis ...

How Freeman or Franklin will make history Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry discuss the significance of a Black head coach -- either Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman or Penn State's James Franklin ...