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James Franklin Throws Penn State Under the Bus for Not Caring About Players

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Chumboshifko1

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Moogy said:
He's a narcissist by saying he's about the players. Got it. He failed when it mattered most because he was successful in getting us to moments that mattered. I'd recommend you stop bashing the guy, and hoping for his failure when he brought a ton of success to this program, and helped re-establish it as nationally relevant, even though, as we saw through this replacement-hiring process, it isn't the dream destination that some hoped/thought it was.
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Moogy said:
He's a narcissist by saying he's about the players. Got it. He failed when it mattered most because he was successful in getting us to moments that mattered. I'd recommend you stop bashing the guy, and hoping for his failure when he brought a ton of success to this program, and helped re-establish it as nationally relevant, even though, as we saw through this replacement-hiring process, it isn't the dream destination that some hoped/thought it was.
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LoL!!!!
 
Itraindogs

Itraindogs

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Nov 28, 2024
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Ludd said:
How do we know at this point if Campbell is even a little bit of an upgrade, let alone an upgrade in every which way? Shouldn’t he at least have to win a game at PSU first?
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Agreed. But there is another metric. The judgement of his peers. Franklin had an excellent record defeating teams when the blue chip ratio of the two teams were on opposite sides of the spectrum. However, whenever these ratios were comparable his record also reflects how inept he was. He is singularly responsible for all the disaster OC hires (save Moorehead) that tried to force a square peg in a round hole, thereby ruining (in my opinion) a 5* QB rather than have a system in place to develop them. He also is responsible for Knowles, who on a purported championship run, implemented a system that confused the sh*t out of the players with unenviable results.

Is Campbell an upgrade? Proof will be in the pudding year 2/3. Having said that most analysts think it is. Campbell's name was mentioned for the Michigan job--"call Campbell, see if the ink is dry" I do not think Franklin would have gotten this mention. Campbell is a ball coach; James at his best is a manager.

The most cogent reason decoding Franklin's odd remark is that he was loyal to players who it was clear deserved less time on the field. He was likely pushed on this issue and felt threatened. Nick had no business being on the field over Allen. Nick should come in as a change of pace back but he had no business sharing snaps. If him supporting particular players to the detriment of the team makes him a players coach then that may make him a loyal person but also makes him a terrible coach. There are so many disconnects on players and coaches that it is plain to everyone.

I am not a Franklin hater, by any stretch. But this petty nonsense is beyond the pale.
 
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Moogy

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Itraindogs said:
Exactly, and playing guys because they were upperclassmen even though there were better, younger players in the wings. The clearest example is the misuse of Kaytron Allen.
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The clearest example of playing upperclassmen even though there were better, younger players in the wings is the fact that he didn't use Kaytron Allen - a senior, with 4 years of experience - enough for your liking?!?

You might want to take a second stab at whatever you were thinking here. It definitely didn't come out right.
 
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Ludd

Ludd

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WPB_lion said:
Look, I don’t like a lot of things James Franklin did after he was fired. However, I watched the video of the quoted text and I believe you are taking what he said differently than what he meant.

When he said “when things changed at PSU,” I think he meant when the team started playing bad and losing, not that PSU started to not care about players. When he said “the reason I struggled is because I care about the players,” I think he was saying that when the team started to lose, he struggled because he cared about the players, not because his job was at risk.
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Wow, shocking, Franklin haters taking something he said and changing it around to fit an agenda. Who would’ve thunk it?
 
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Itraindogs

Itraindogs

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Moogy said:
The clearest example of playing upperclassmen even though there were better, younger players in the wings is the fact that he didn't use Kaytron Allen - a senior, with 4 years of experience - enough for your liking?!?

You might want to take a second stab at whatever you were thinking here. It definitely didn't come out right.
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Yes, the example of Allen's misuse does not fit the description of younger, better players. I should have gone with Kobe over Liam but the disparity is not as clear. Allen even though the same age was the most obvious example of mismanagemnt
 
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KingLando

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Nov 29, 2021
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Moogy said:
This is just a bunch of catty nonsense. You're trying way too hard to bash one while elevating the other.

Campbell had periods at ISU that would have made PSU fans call for his head a million times over, if he was our coach. Multiple times (3) his teams had preseason top 25 hype and ended up unranked. They had a 3 year period where they were .500 overall, with 2 7-5 regular season records sandwiching a 4-8 campaign.

People keep focusing on things like "top 10 wins" because it's a convenient way to attack Franklin. If Franklin had top 10 wins, but also then followed up those wins with disappointing losses, when we were favored, critics would have latched onto that data point and said we need someone who can win those games we're supposed to win. Post hoc rationalizations stink. In 2017, Campbell's squad beat a then 3rd-ranked squad, and a then 4th-ranked squad in the same season. Woohoo! Yeah, except they lost 4 games to unranked squads, and another game to a ranked squad, and ended up 7-5 and unranked. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? But, hey ... 2 top 10 wins!

Campbell did what he did in a lesser conference, against lesser teams that had lesser resources ... so that negates part of that criticism. Also, part of a coach's job is to convince the powers that be to procure more resources. That's something at which Franklin excelled.

Franklin won at Vandy, a program that, historically, was much worse than ISU, and facing much tougher competition. It's not like he walked in here unproven and just took advantage of all we had to offer ... he, in fact, led in rebuilding the program, so that it had a lot to offer.

And this nonsense about being a "superficial salesman" ... so childish. The guy won. A lot. Salesman talk, but they don't have the substance to back up what they're saying. His program was highly successful. Not to the level of the "we deserve Nattys" entitlted children crowd, but very successful. This would be the only year where he ran his mouth a bit and didn't have success.

And, after all that, I still think Campbell could be a good hire ... there are positives. We just don't need to be irrational and catty in attacking a guy who did very, very good things for this program.
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Ultimately expectations are contingent on where you're at. The fact he even had enough respect at Iowa State for them to be ranked in the preseason is huge.
I don't think most are being irrational or catty. Maybe a handful but aren't they justified due to Franklin being irrational and catty?
 
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KingLando

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Moogy said:
He's a narcissist by saying he's about the players. Got it. He failed when it mattered most because he was successful in getting us to moments that mattered. I'd recommend you stop bashing the guy, and hoping for his failure when he brought a ton of success to this program, and helped re-establish it as nationally relevant, even though, as we saw through this replacement-hiring process, it isn't the dream destination that some hoped/thought it was.
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He's a narcissist for falsely stating it was about the players when it was always about him.
 
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bbrown

bbrown

Heisman
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J.E.B said:
BGJ is a classic narcissist! It’s about him and never his fault. I recommend that he celebrate his 12 yr run and accept the fact that when it mattered most, he failed. Of course that won’t happen and I will enjoy watching him struggle in Blacksburg because he can’t let it go. Move on James. It’s healthier for you.
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It would be very healthy for everyone if they moved on.
Stop driving by to see what he’s doing or looking for quotes to misunderstand and then post your hot takes over here.
 
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BobPSU92

BobPSU92

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Aug 22, 2001
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OUIrPSU said:
And a “walk through” is?

I feel like I’m in that episode of the Office where Jim is asked to provide his new boss with a “Rundown” but waits too long to ask what a “Rundown” is.

I was originally going to say I felt like George when he needs to go “Downtown” to do an assignment he didn’t hear Mr. Wilhelm give him.
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Did you check with payroll?
 
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Bvillebaron

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NittanyLionRoar said:

Link: James Franklin Throws Penn State Under the Bus for Not Caring About Players In First Team Meeting With Virginia Tech.​


It sure sounds as if there’s no love lost between new Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin and his former employer, the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Franklin was fired midseason following back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern that dropped the Nittany Lions to 3-3 after beginning the season ranked No. 2 in the country.

His firing came as a surprise to many, as Penn State reached the College Football Playoff semifinals a year ago, albeit with a fortuitous path through the bracket.

Now, in his first team meeting with Virginia Tech players, Franklin explained the fallout at Penn State and took a shot at the school in the process.

James Franklin Says He Lost To UCLA & Northwestern Because He Cares About Players​

On Thursday, the Hokies released a YouTube video profiling Franklin’s first 72 hours in Blacksburg. As part of the video, it showed a clip from Franklin’s first team meeting with his new Virginia Tech players.

Around the 3:40 mark of the video, Franklin talks about where things went wrong in Happy Valley.

“I’m a players’ coach,” he began. “That’s all I care about. When things changed at Penn State, the reason I struggled is because I care about the players.”

That is…certainly one view of it.

For one, it implies that the rest of the admin at Penn State did not care about the players, which is a pretty bold stance. But also, I’m not sure how caring about the players would lead to a far more talented team losing to UCLA and Northwestern.

If he had cared about the players less, would Penn State have won those games?

Is Franklin referring to caring about certain players specifically? If so, what about the other players? And if he’s referring to every player, what specifically about caring about them led to the downfall?

It’s just an extremely bizarre way to both explain away very real shortcomings and to take a shot at your previous employer. But hey, if he wins in Blacksburg to any extent at all, it’ll be better than the last two coaches the Hokies had.
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C’mon James time to move on and STFU.
 
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rigi19040

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Nittering Nabob said:
I have a question.

Franklin repeatedly claims he is a “players coach” and suggests that is the reason he got fired.

Has BGJ ever explicitly explained or provided a logical connection between his claim of being a “players coach” and “getting fired”?🤷🏼‍♂️
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He is a players coach who throws his top wr under the bus.
 
Midnighter

Midnighter

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Jan 22, 2021
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BobPSU92 said:
How often does a coach openly bad-mouth his former employer, even when fired? It’s rare from what I’ve seen. It isn’t even about not burning bridges, as it’s highly unlikely that Franklin would ever coach at PSU again. It’s about taking the high road and focusing on the positives at your new school.
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I didn’t take it like that; my take was that ‘when things changed’ - as in, he got fired - he felt for the players he recruited and was concerned about their future/well being. Nothing wrong with that IMO. But, as a HC of a massive revenue generating enterprise, Franklin has a duty to the other parts of his job - including ensuring the school’s investment is well spent and generating results on the field. He was way too into being chummy with the players and trying to take care of everyone rather than playing the best players. Does anyone know how many carries former Top 100 player Quinton Martin had this year? Zero. The only other RBs to touch the ball were Wallace and Corey Smith - and they had 11 total touches between them. That is why this roster is a mess and unprepared when needed.
 
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Moogy

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Yeah, the "great" thing about this is, Franklin wasn't even saying anything bad about his past employers ... yet people want to create drama.

He was just talking about how the environment changed ... and he happened to be at PSU ... it went from personal to transactional ... it wasn't PSU-specific.

He's just trying to tell the kids he's all about them ... he's trying to develop them, as people and players ... not just "rent" them and send them out there to perform.

I'm not sure that's how I would have phrased it ... but this wasn't at all a bash of PSU, or Kraft, or anyone in particular.
 
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razpsu

razpsu

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Jan 13, 2004
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NittanyLionRoar said:

Link: James Franklin Throws Penn State Under the Bus for Not Caring About Players In First Team Meeting With Virginia Tech.​


It sure sounds as if there’s no love lost between new Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin and his former employer, the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Franklin was fired midseason following back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern that dropped the Nittany Lions to 3-3 after beginning the season ranked No. 2 in the country.

His firing came as a surprise to many, as Penn State reached the College Football Playoff semifinals a year ago, albeit with a fortuitous path through the bracket.

Now, in his first team meeting with Virginia Tech players, Franklin explained the fallout at Penn State and took a shot at the school in the process.

James Franklin Says He Lost To UCLA & Northwestern Because He Cares About Players​

On Thursday, the Hokies released a YouTube video profiling Franklin’s first 72 hours in Blacksburg. As part of the video, it showed a clip from Franklin’s first team meeting with his new Virginia Tech players.

Around the 3:40 mark of the video, Franklin talks about where things went wrong in Happy Valley.

“I’m a players’ coach,” he began. “That’s all I care about. When things changed at Penn State, the reason I struggled is because I care about the players.”

That is…certainly one view of it.

For one, it implies that the rest of the admin at Penn State did not care about the players, which is a pretty bold stance. But also, I’m not sure how caring about the players would lead to a far more talented team losing to UCLA and Northwestern.

If he had cared about the players less, would Penn State have won those games?

Is Franklin referring to caring about certain players specifically? If so, what about the other players? And if he’s referring to every player, what specifically about caring about them led to the downfall?

It’s just an extremely bizarre way to both explain away very real shortcomings and to take a shot at your previous employer. But hey, if he wins in Blacksburg to any extent at all, it’ll be better than the last two coaches the Hokies had.
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Maybe a blankey with a sleepy mat in a safe space is what that va tech coach needs. Hope he took it with him
 
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Pennst8

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Oct 25, 2021
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NittanyLionRoar said:

Link: James Franklin Throws Penn State Under the Bus for Not Caring About Players In First Team Meeting With Virginia Tech.​


It sure sounds as if there’s no love lost between new Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin and his former employer, the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Franklin was fired midseason following back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern that dropped the Nittany Lions to 3-3 after beginning the season ranked No. 2 in the country.

His firing came as a surprise to many, as Penn State reached the College Football Playoff semifinals a year ago, albeit with a fortuitous path through the bracket.

Now, in his first team meeting with Virginia Tech players, Franklin explained the fallout at Penn State and took a shot at the school in the process.

James Franklin Says He Lost To UCLA & Northwestern Because He Cares About Players​

On Thursday, the Hokies released a YouTube video profiling Franklin’s first 72 hours in Blacksburg. As part of the video, it showed a clip from Franklin’s first team meeting with his new Virginia Tech players.

Around the 3:40 mark of the video, Franklin talks about where things went wrong in Happy Valley.

“I’m a players’ coach,” he began. “That’s all I care about. When things changed at Penn State, the reason I struggled is because I care about the players.”

That is…certainly one view of it.

For one, it implies that the rest of the admin at Penn State did not care about the players, which is a pretty bold stance. But also, I’m not sure how caring about the players would lead to a far more talented team losing to UCLA and Northwestern.

If he had cared about the players less, would Penn State have won those games?

Is Franklin referring to caring about certain players specifically? If so, what about the other players? And if he’s referring to every player, what specifically about caring about them led to the downfall?

It’s just an extremely bizarre way to both explain away very real shortcomings and to take a shot at your previous employer. But hey, if he wins in Blacksburg to any extent at all, it’ll be better than the last two coaches the Hokies had.
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Who cares. He can now teach Va Tech how to lose big games in the 4th quarter with the players he cares about.
 
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KingLando

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Moogy said:
Yeah, the "great" thing about this is, Franklin wasn't even saying anything bad about his past employers ... yet people want to create drama.

He was just talking about how the environment changed ... and he happened to be at PSU ... it went from personal to transactional ... it wasn't PSU-specific.

He's just trying to tell the kids he's all about them ... he's trying to develop them, as people and players ... not just "rent" them and send them out there to perform.

I'm not sure that's how I would have phrased it ... but this wasn't at all a bash of PSU, or Kraft, or anyone in particular.
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And he's lying when he says he puts the kids first--we've seen that.
And, to those that think he is bashing Kraft & Penn State with those comments, with his other actions that's reasonable.
It's weird you're trying so hard to defend him here especially when his statement is completely false.
 
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NCGOLFER

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Apr 21, 2002
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“I’m a players’ coach,” Franklin began. “That’s all I care about. When things changed at Penn State, the reason I struggled is because I care about the players.”

Franklin’s struggles at Penn State had far less to do any struggles with player/Penn State relations and far more to do with his coaching struggles winning big games against the top competition.
 
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pendal1

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Apr 24, 2003
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Chumboshifko1 said:
LoL!!!!
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Franklin really is a joke and his BS about caring for players is another example of his never being accountable for anything. I guess his 1-18 against anyone with a pulse in the BIG and 4-21 against top 25 was because he wasn't allowed to care about players.
And the incredible flop of 2025 where he was allowed to spend a lot of money on caring for his players was someone else's fault.
For 12 years nothing was Franklin's fault. He fired lots of coordinators and nothing ever changed but that was because he wasn't allowed to care for his players.
Small game James should shut his mouth and move on. 1-0 James. Good luck with that. From what we are hearing the players were all bored with your schtick too.
 
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Ludd

Ludd

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Itraindogs said:
Exactly, and playing guys because they were upperclassmen even though there were better, younger players in the wings. The clearest example is the misuse of Kaytron Allen.
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Which younger player should have played over Kaytron?
 
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GregInPitt

GregInPitt

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May 29, 2001
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Penn State alums and fans throw James Franklin under the bus for not caring enough about actually winning games.....
 
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