After his graduation from Arkansas State, Franchione received his first official coaching job as an assistant at
Fort Scott Community College, working with quarterbacks and the
punt team and serving as video coordinator. After a year there, Franchione move to
East Central University, where from 1999 to 2001 he was the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, as well as the academic and special teams coordinator. He helped lead the 2000 team to its first winning season in 17 years. In 2001 and 2002, Franchione was an assistant coach at the
University of West Alabama, where he worked with
linebackers and the punt and kickoff teams. He held the same position at the
University of Tennessee at Martin in 2002. The next season (2003), Franchione was an associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and recruiting coordinator at
Bacone College. The team earned second place in the
Central States Football League (CSFL). In 2004, Franchione served as
defensive line coach at
Texas A&M University–Commerce. In his single season there, he was also the academic, travel, and video coordinator for the team. He was responsible for recruiting at
Kansas junior colleges and in central
Texas, an area that included his next school, Blinn. ==Blinn College==