ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Athletic Director Eric McNelley announced the addition of Josh Franklin as the Head Esports Coach. Franklin, who comes to Eastern after successful stints at Lebanon Valley College and Arcadia University, will work with Stephen Haberman who will remain with the program as the Director of Esports.

"We were pleased to be able to bring a coach with Josh's success and energy to help our new programs grow," McNelley said. "We were impressed with his passion for developing great teams and his understanding of what it will take to build our program. We feel very confident about the leadership of our programs.

Franklin earned a BA in applied Psychology from Penn State. He served as an assistant at Lebanon Valley in that program's first season before moving to Arcadia as the Head Coach for League of Legends and Overwatch for the 2019-2020 year.

In that role, he was active in the recruiting process and in organizing assistants for two larger roster games. Arcadia's Overwatch squad has 11 wins this year and their League of Legends group is 5-4. From Arcadia, he will bring the experience of being part of a larger coaching staff with a rapidly growing roster.

"I am appreciative of the opportunity to share my passion for esports and use my psychology background to build successful and motivated teams," Franklin said. "I look forward to helping students grow at Eastern University."

Eastern Esports joined the Athletic Department in Fall of 2020. They currently compete in League of Legends, Overwatch, Mario Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Madden NFL Football, Rocket League, and Fortnite.

Franklin will start his tenure at Eastern in the middle of March.