SO THIS IS WHAT THE END LOOKS LIKE

[FTLPSU]

Lot of great thoughtful posts in this thread.

Franklin-PSU relationship worked for the most part for 12 years-it was a Win-Win for everyone for that time period.

Its not just about Winning, its how he lost to Teams he should have beaten-his lack of in-game coaching, being somewhat creative. If you look at all the games he lost that PSU should have Won-how many other coaches would have Won those games? Just becaosue you are down a LB or a WR or whatever excuse it was at the time doesn't mean you just keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome. How many games was Franklin out coached that PSU was expected to win?

Recruiting, he was a just an Above Average Recruiter--he wasn't Great. Great is averaging Top10 every year. Scale 1-10 a 7

Jimmies & Joe's--always we need 5* players...heard about this for Years. You think just cuz you have 5* players you Win? You got to coach them up and you got to make in-game decisions that put the players in a position of success. Franklin simply didn't do that. e.g. Brett Bielema beats us in 2021-outcoached. Question, if Narduzzi was coaching this team-you think he looses the same games Franklin lost-the ones he was supposed to Win? Be Objective.

Coordinators, did we ever figure out why or if Franklin meddled with the Offense? Doesn't matter now but my point is this. Know your Weaknesses. Franklin should have let his OC's coach the game their way. I believe he meddled, and as a OC play caller you need to have rhythm and a strategy. In watching our Offensive series didn't everything seem so difficult? We never seemed to have consistent success it was always here and there. We ruined and didn't develop a lot of QBs it seems. Dabo Sweeney and Franklin are similar IMHO in so many ways--except Dabo let his coordinators run things. Their is direct correlation of OCs he had and their success--yes they have a great QBs and WRs but hey the OC's called the plays against great teams they beat e.g. Alabama, GA etc.

Franklins overall arrogance in press conferences and his lack of changing--a 80-year old man changed his stubborn approach--why not a 50 year old with a Psyche degree and a lot of money and comfort? I think this is called Cognitive Dissonance right?

It was time for a Change and yes its going to be painful. Its dangerously scary on the next hire--it could very well turn out to be a disaster. Things weren't going to get better with Franklin loosing the team and continue to be just above average.

There is only 1 man who can fix this for near term success and thats Urban Meyer. No other coach can grab the baton from Franklin and keep PSU football program on the track of success. I dont like his past background and we certainly don't want his issues at PSU but he can recruit, he can set the program up for success. We need 2 years, get Hartline as OC and guarantee him the next HC job after Meyer's 2 year stint.

 

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

Fine. But a serious question for you. After posting the obligatory thanks to Franklin for all that he did for the program in his press release Kraft said that coaches at Penn State are held to a higher standard which is Big Ten and National Championships. Does that standard apply to Kraft’s tenure as AD if his hire turns out to be worse than Franklin.

Kraft has one hire he has to get 100% dead on correct... all other parts of his job are details. There is a 3/4 of a billion dollars going into the stadium and the only real revenue producing sport is football. He botches this then he is gone as well.

 

[KingLando]

Growing up in Pa. in the late 50's and 60's it seemed natural to be a Penn State Football fan. Got to attend my first game in November 1966. That's when the love affair started to reach full bloom. Later, as a young high school coach, I followed Joe and emulated a great deal of his philosophy. Like virtually everyone else, I knew he was special and to me anyway, he made it seem that he made everything PSU a cut above. When they assassinated him.....I blamed it on a conspiracy of a small group of Trustees and government officials who had sinister agendas. It took a period of time, but James Franklin brought me back to believing Penn State was really the special place that I cherished in my youth.
Fanatics are in every sport and fanbase. PSU had some and it was fun watching them poke at Franklin and cry, "we deserve better."
What has transpired the past 3 weeks......turning on Franklin immediately after the Oregon game.....and gutting the work that has been done since 2014, defies explanation or justification.
You have successfully gotten rid of James Franklin.
Enjoy the season !
Congratulations! While all the jaekels and ghouls cried about Franklin not "winning the big one...." LOL he just won 50 million dollars.
You have also lost your entire recruiting class. The opt outs and portal entries start this morning.
Even Humpty Dumpty couldn't put this back together again. Let's see how long it will be before Penn State can win 10 meaningless games in one season again.

We Are......just like Auburn.....Nebraska....and the rest.

You were wrong about Franklin so this is what you say.
He did win 50M and there was no guarantee any of those recruits sign.

 

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

Lot of great thoughtful posts in this thread.

Franklin-PSU relationship worked for the most part for 12 years-it was a Win-Win for everyone for that time period.

Its not just about Winning, its how he lost to Teams he should have beaten-his lack of in-game coaching, being somewhat creative. If you look at all the games he lost that PSU should have Won-how many other coaches would have Won those games? Just becaosue you are down a LB or a WR or whatever excuse it was at the time doesn't mean you just keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome. How many games was Franklin out coached that PSU was expected to win?

Recruiting, he was a just an Above Average Recruiter--he wasn't Great. Great is averaging Top10 every year. Scale 1-10 a 7

Jimmies & Joe's--always we need 5* players...heard about this for Years. You think just cuz you have 5* players you Win? You got to coach them up and you got to make in-game decisions that put the players in a position of success. Franklin simply didn't do that. e.g. Brett Bielema beats us in 2021-outcoached. Question, if Narduzzi was coaching this team-you think he looses the same games Franklin lost-the ones he was supposed to Win? Be Objective.

Coordinators, did we ever figure out why or if Franklin meddled with the Offense? Doesn't matter now but my point is this. Know your Weaknesses. Franklin should have let his OC's coach the game their way. I believe he meddled, and as a OC play caller you need to have rhythm and a strategy. In watching our Offensive series didn't everything seem so difficult? We never seemed to have consistent success it was always here and there. We ruined and didn't develop a lot of QBs it seems. Dabo Sweeney and Franklin are similar IMHO in so many ways--except Dabo let his coordinators run things. Their is direct correlation of OCs he had and their success--yes they have a great QBs and WRs but hey the OC's called the plays against great teams they beat e.g. Alabama, GA etc.

Franklins overall arrogance in press conferences and his lack of changing--a 80-year old man changed his stubborn approach--why not a 50 year old with a Psyche degree and a lot of money and comfort? I think this is called Cognitive Dissonance right?

It was time for a Change and yes its going to be painful. Its dangerously scary on the next hire--it could very well turn out to be a disaster. Things weren't going to get better with Franklin loosing the team and continue to be just above average.

There is only 1 man who can fix this for near term success and thats Urban Meyer. No other coach can grab the baton from Franklin and keep PSU football program on the track of success. I dont like his past background and we certainly don't want his issues at PSU but he can recruit, he can set the program up for success. We need 2 years, get Hartline as OC and guarantee him the next HC job after Meyer's 2 year stint.

Meyer was the guy Joe hand picked to succeed him.

 

[Midnighter]

Though it seems cold the way it went down, most of us are not privy to what has gone on behind the scenes. Early season vs the cupcakes was showing issues with this team, suggesting that something was not right.
Though casual observers such as myself were lulled into believing the team was saving their best for the conference games, folks in the know on this forum seemed to be aware that something was awry.
I like to think that the administrators were seeing an issue and discussing the same with the coach throughout, and that in the end the parting was a mutual agreement.
Though many of us may long for the good old days of “student-athletes”, today’s game is obviously as much big business as it is a pastime for us fans.
Good luck and thank you to those that are parting, and welcome and good luck to those about to enter this lions den.

Big money has ruined the sport. Not just paying players and TV contracts - but the first and biggest issue is and continues to be outrageous coaching salaries.

 

[PAgeologist]

Fine. But a serious question for you. After posting the obligatory thanks to Franklin for all that he did for the program in his press release Kraft said that coaches at Penn State are held to a higher standard which is Big Ten and National Championships. Does that standard apply to Kraft’s tenure as AD if his hire turns out to be worse than Franklin.

You didnt asked me, but ill throw my 2 cents in.

Yes. Kraft better nail this hire. His job is on the line also. As it also was had he decided to keep Franklin after the loss to NW.

As someone else said, the next hire will speak volumes about the schools commitment to win a natty.

 

[Bison13]

In this day and age of portal and NIL, the entire roster can leave and then you can get a new one thats better the next year. NO need to complain about how we are losing recruits and that kind of stuff. Marshall may long for the glory days of old where a kid sticks around for 5 years but retaining guys on the roster and incoming recruits is not a reason to not fire the coach. For all we know if the right guy is hired, he may flip OSU/UGA/Bama type recruits or get their kids to portal.

New coach filling out the roster is the least of my concerns

 

[Bvillebaron]

It should.

Thanks. That’s how I see it too.

 

[Moogy]

Ten win seasons. Eleven win seasons. Playoffs....

That kind of resume is enough to draw the ire of a substantial portion of the fan base ... and getting your arse thrown out the door when you hit a 1/3-of-the-season rough patch after a decade plus of service. Why would we want that again?

 

[MacNit]

Growing up in Pa. in the late 50's and 60's it seemed natural to be a Penn State Football fan. Got to attend my first game in November 1966. That's when the love affair started to reach full bloom. Later, as a young high school coach, I followed Joe and emulated a great deal of his philosophy. Like virtually everyone else, I knew he was special and to me anyway, he made it seem that he made everything PSU a cut above. When they assassinated him.....I blamed it on a conspiracy of a small group of Trustees and government officials who had sinister agendas. It took a period of time, but James Franklin brought me back to believing Penn State was really the special place that I cherished in my youth.
Fanatics are in every sport and fanbase. PSU had some and it was fun watching them poke at Franklin and cry, "we deserve better."
What has transpired the past 3 weeks......turning on Franklin immediately after the Oregon game.....and gutting the work that has been done since 2014, defies explanation or justification.
You have successfully gotten rid of James Franklin.
Enjoy the season !
Congratulations! While all the jaekels and ghouls cried about Franklin not "winning the big one...." LOL he just won 50 million dollars.
You have also lost your entire recruiting class. The opt outs and portal entries start this morning.
Even Humpty Dumpty couldn't put this back together again. Let's see how long it will be before Penn State can win 10 meaningless games in one season again.

We Are......just like Auburn.....Nebraska....and the rest.

Couldn't agree more. It's professional football. Reality is upon us. Tradition or even a sense of values (other than money) can no longer be invoked. Next years roster will be comprised of mercenaries purchased from the portal. Go State!
We drove a coach out of town that more often than not won 9,10.11 games. Why? Because he didn't beat Ohio State. Count me among those who are waiting to see the savior who will win 10 and 11 and beat Ohio State. I'm 76, Is it next season? LOLLOLLOLLOL

Franklin came in and did his very best. He should be commended for that and the rebuiliding the program. He came oh so very close to breaking thru in 2017 and 2018. But it was not to be. Nothing to be ashamed of and nothing that most coaches would not do.

But there are coaches that can win a big game or three. Big Games James became a punch line and it was dutifully earned. After 11+ years it was time.

The villains in this case are the BoT - old and new - that allowed a grossly incompetent AD to execute a ridiculous contract.

Wishing CJF the very best. He will never have to work a single day in his life again because of Sandy. So no pity either.

Now someone else will get a bite at the apple. They may fail. And it might be catastrophically. But we are back at it again and trying to win a championship - hopefully using a hard-nosed and smart approach that appeared to be lacking during CJF’s tenure. Not just for a play or a game or a season - but consistently over 11+ years.

it is not a happy day in Happy Valley to see a good man fail. But it is time to move on in pursuit of excellence.

Hope you will join the ride.

 

[Moogy]

I have run global enterprise software teams for last 2 decades... i can recount many times when we had a seemingly highly competent sales executive that would finish 80-85% of sales plan, year after year. Despite pointing out over and over the same basic mistakes holding him back, getting them training and co-selling support, they just couldn't meet expectations. There comes a time when you just have to look at the mountain of data and decide "a duck is a duck". All you need to watch is the last 2 minutes of first half against UCLA to understand CJF's game day talent's were never going to grow/change/improve.

He was an above average recruiter, an average judge of coordinator/assistant talent, and an above average PR guy. He was a horrible game day coach, just horrible. It neve got better. He always seemed to shine in games that didn't matter, like both Rose Bowls, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl. If he coached against Oregon the way he approached those games we probably aren't having this discussion.

Your analogy is meaningless, unless meeting the demands of your "sales plan" would place him as the best salesman to ever sell ... because Franklin's "80-85%" placed PSU as one of the top 10 programs in the nation over his tenure ... so if he reached 100%, no doubt he would be winning a Natty virtually every year and would be considered the no-doubt-GOAT of coaching. Perhaps, if your analogy IS accurate, you were setting unreasonable expectations, and that's a failure on your part, not his.

Oh, and why do you think you were unable to mentor your sales folks, repeatedly, as you stated, to achieve their goals? Seems like it was a habitual lack of success, at which point you need to look at leadership to find the source of the problem ... correct?

 

[Catch1lion]

Couldn't agree more. It's professional football. Reality is upon us. Tradition or even a sense of values (other than money) can no longer be invoked. Next years roster will be comprised of mercenaries purchased from the portal. Go State!
We drove a coach out of town that more often than not won 9,10.11 games. Why? Because he didn't beat Ohio State. Count me among those who are waiting to see the savior who will win 10 and 11 and beat Ohio State. I'm 76, Is it next season? LOLLOLLOLLOL

John Cooper and Richt say hi !

 

[Warlerski]

Growing up in Pa. in the late 50's and 60's it seemed natural to be a Penn State Football fan. Got to attend my first game in November 1966. That's when the love affair started to reach full bloom. Later, as a young high school coach, I followed Joe and emulated a great deal of his philosophy. Like virtually everyone else, I knew he was special and to me anyway, he made it seem that he made everything PSU a cut above. When they assassinated him.....I blamed it on a conspiracy of a small group of Trustees and government officials who had sinister agendas. It took a period of time, but James Franklin brought me back to believing Penn State was really the special place that I cherished in my youth.
Fanatics are in every sport and fanbase. PSU had some and it was fun watching them poke at Franklin and cry, "we deserve better."
What has transpired the past 3 weeks......turning on Franklin immediately after the Oregon game.....and gutting the work that has been done since 2014, defies explanation or justification.
You have successfully gotten rid of James Franklin.
Enjoy the season !
Congratulations! While all the jaekels and ghouls cried about Franklin not "winning the big one...." LOL he just won 50 million dollars.
You have also lost your entire recruiting class. The opt outs and portal entries start this morning.
Even Humpty Dumpty couldn't put this back together again. Let's see how long it will be before Penn State can win 10 meaningless games in one season again.

We Are......just like Auburn.....Nebraska....and the res

Good post. I am basically your age and I too have the long view on how CFB has "evolved". We now have students who are multimillionaires, while others leave college with a mountain of debt. The big name schools are a pro football facility with a school attached. By far, the highest paid state employee in Ohio is Ryan Day. With this much money involved, a coach wins or he is out, like the NFL. A school like Michigan is very hard to get into. Unless, of course, your time in the 40 is desirable. Then there are basically no other requirements. Everything eventually goes to the money and CFB has done that. Don't feel too bad for Franklin. He leaves with probably 10 times more money than the best PSU professor will ever make.

 

[Bvillebaron]

You didnt asked me, but ill throw my 2 cents in.

Yes. Kraft better nail this hire. His job is on the line also. As it also was had he decided to keep Franklin after the loss to NW.

As someone else said, the next hire will speak volumes about the schools commitment to win a natty.

I seriously doubt Kraft’s job was on the line if he waited until the end of the season to make a decision on Franklin’s status. But since he set the standard while at least in part listening to the wolves, he needs to be subject to it too IMO.

 

[StamfordBridgeVikingatLeftOffensiveTackle]

Your analogy is meaningless, unless meeting the demands of your "sales plan" would place him as the best salesman to ever sell ... because Franklin's "80-85%" placed PSU as one of the top 10 programs in the nation over his tenure ... so if he reached 100%, no doubt he would be winning a Natty virtually every year and being the no doubt GOAT of coaching. So, perhaps, if your analogy IS accurate, you were setting unreasonable expectations, and that's a failure on your part, not his.

Oh, and why do you think you were unable to mentor your sales folks, repeatedly, as you stated, to achieve their goals? Seems like it was a habitual lack of success, at which point you need to turn to leadership, right?

I say sign him up as our next head coach. Sounds like he has the chops.

 

[ApexLion]

In this day and age of portal and NIL, the entire roster can leave and then you can get a new one thats better the next year. NO need to complain about how we are losing recruits and that kind of stuff. Marshall may long for the glory days of old where a kid sticks around for 5 years but retaining guys on the roster and incoming recruits is not a reason to not fire the coach. For all we know if the right guy is hired, he may flip OSU/UGA/Bama type recruits or get their kids to portal.

New coach filling out the roster is the least of my concerns

People are fungible. We get it.

guess what? Fans are going to be fungible too as they are asked to pay more than they can afford

 

[fairgambit]

Change, for better or worse, is inevitable in all fields of human endeavor. You can either accept the change or move on. With regard to college football, I have chosen the latter. I rarely watch college games, even ours. When I do, I watch without emotion. I would rather Penn State wins, for friends and members of this board who do still care, but otherwise wins and losses are all the same to me. Deep down I wish I still had a passion for the game, but it is gone forever. Over the past 5 years, my wife and I have taken up guitar playing and painting on canvas. Those are our passions now. As an aside, if you would like to buy an original ""Gambit" oil painting, and have $50,000 to spare, have your people call my people.
.

 

[Moogy]

Why can’t it be? What’s wrong with striving for that? The days of having a coach around for 10-20-50 years is long gone. Those idyllic days of the past are gone. If you didn’t sign up for that and don’t want to adjust to the times, that’s fine. But don’t be going scorched Earth on the rest of the fanbase who is adjusting and wants to be the top dog.

The issue is that most of the fanbase, who has been squawking about Franklin since long before this recent hiccup in performance, was doing so based off some fantastical notion that PSU has always been some kind of perpetual Natty winner/contender. Thus, they felt a strong sense of entitlement to return to that Xanadu period - it was owed to them to get back to where we were. But, the kicker was that we were never there. There was a brief period of glory ... but that was short-lived and many, many moons ago, and those who provided that experience to us couldn't sustain anything near it going forward.

Then the program was almost dead. Literally almost destroyed. With a horrible stank around it after it survived. A lot of that stank centered around an alleged "culture problem" that put football, and winning at football, above common decency and humanity. Yet, the program persevered. When we had no realistic hope of future success, we ended up bringing in 2 separate dudes who represented the university well, and allowed us to be proud of the university again. And we won. Not to the mythical standards created by the living embodiments of the culture problem stank ... but we won.

And, yet, here we are, with folks now saying it's a different time, where winning big and winning all the time is all that matters.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[GreggK]

I was a Franklin guy for a long time, right up until this season started to play out. His flaws are just too obvious now, and the fact that he refuses to adjust is what really gets me. It’s not just that he makes mistakes — it’s that he doubles down on them. Franklin’s handling of Allar feels like the same mistake he made with Hackenberg. Ten years later, he’s still repeating the same patterns, and that’s incredibly frustrating.


His loyalty, while admirable, has become a real problem. He sticks by coaches who haven’t produced and players who haven’t performed. It comes from a good place, but it’s holding the program back.


Then every offseason, he’s back at the table asking for more money, keeping everyone on edge. I’m over it.


I still think he’s a good man — no question about that. And if a few things had gone differently here and there, the story might have changed. Maybe he’d have played for or even won a couple of championships. But things broke the other way: Allar’s interception(s), a bad penalty, Fields going to Georgia, choosing Allar over Beau. At some point, you just have to reel in the line and find a new place to fish.

 

[Moogy]

Change, for better or worse, is inevitable in all fields of human endeavor. You can either accept the change or move on. With regard to college football, I have chosen the latter. I rarely watch college games, even ours. When I do, I watch without emotion. I would rather Penn State wins, for friends and members of this board who do still care, but otherwise wins and losses are all the same to me. Deep down I wish I still had a passion for the game, but it is gone forever. Over the past 5 years, my wife and I have taken up guitar playing and painting on canvas. Those are our passions now. As an aside, if you would like to buy an original ""Gambit" oil painting, and have $50,000 to spare, have your people call my people.
.

Once again, fairgambit stops in to remind us that he doesn't care.

"No, really, guys, I don't care anymore ... I'm over it ... I'm leaving now ... seriously, guys .. I don't care at all ... it doesn't take up any part of my life ... so I'll just stay here, at the corner of the street, and shout out about how much I don't care ... because I have better things to do now than care ... I don't care at all ... I'm leaving now ... hi, guys, remember me? I just wanted to stop in and tell you I don't care ..."

 

[NittanyBuff]

To me there are only 2 names to take this program to the next level, Urban or Marshall2323

 

[m.knox]

That kind of resume is enough to draw the ire of a substantial portion of the fan base ... and getting your arse thrown out the door when you hit a 1/3-of-the-season rough patch after a decade plus of service. Why would we want that again?

I think maybe I was trying to say something to the effect of being a legitimate contender. That means winning a big one now and then. It all caved in this year due to being all but eliminated from the playoffs with sky high expectations.

 

[Bwifan]

Change, for better or worse, is inevitable in all fields of human endeavor. You can either accept the change or move on. With regard to college football, I have chosen the latter. I rarely watch college games, even ours. When I do, I watch without emotion. I would rather Penn State wins, for friends and members of this board who do still care, but otherwise wins and losses are all the same to me. Deep down I wish I still had a passion for the game, but it is gone forever. Over the past 5 years, my wife and I have taken up guitar playing and painting on canvas. Those are our passions now. As an aside, if you would like to buy an original ""Gambit" oil painting, and have $50,000 to spare, have your people call my people.
.

Is there a Gambit Christmas Tree by the fireplace painting?

 

[PSUAXE70]

Lot of great thoughtful posts in this thread.

Its not just about Winning, its how he lost to Teams he should have beaten-his lack of in-game coaching, being somewhat creative. If you look at all the games he lost that PSU should have Won-how many other coaches would have Won those games? Just becaosue you are down a LB or a WR or whatever excuse it was at the time doesn't mean you just keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome. How many games was Franklin out coached that PSU was expected to win

Franklin was something like 22-0 against unranked teams coming into this year. Penn State was in position to win nearly every game he coached over his career. We were competitive even in his first year when he had 44 available scholarship players. His last three seasons the team won 10, 11, and 13 games. But then, this school isn’t known for treating football coaches well.

 

[PAgeologist]

I seriously doubt Kraft’s job was on the line if he waited until the end of the season to make a decision on Franklin’s status. But since he set the standard while at least in part listening to the wolves, he needs to be subject to it too IMO.

Maybe that wasnt quite accurate on my part. Reading the tea leaves about Adidas, it was obvious he was getting pressure to make a change. So while his job may not have been directly on the line, his ability to keep big donors happy may have been. And that obviously affects his ability to fund the program.

 

[PSUFTG]

"The End" didn't happen on Suday.
The End happened when this team - both on the field and on the sidelines - came into this uber-hyped season, and performed with all the passion and commitment of a group of latrine diggers in the rain.

Sunday was just one big confirmation.

Regardless of what went down on Sunday:
This uber-hyped "this is the year" season is already committed to being a failure of epic proportions - just by being locked out of the post-season (let alone a "championship level" season).
And even more drastically, barring a miraculous turnaround (spoiler: that ain't gonna' happen) it will quite possibly be the worst non-COVID season since...... the Dark Years? Even worse than the immediate post-sanction years, quite possibly. Hell, could very well even be worse than the COVID season, when all is said and done.

THAT? Coming amidst all the hype? No matter what happened Sunday - that was the end.
It was untenable.

 

[Marshall2323]

So much has been written about James Franklin and his demeaner. Let me share something with all of you wearing "the sky is blue so God must be a Penn State Football Fan," tinted glasses.

This off season, James went to "the brass" and convincingly demonstrated that PSU is still not in the top 10 spenders. Especially, NIL money.
This was greeted with disbelief, and viewed as treason. The highest administrators simply did not want to be confused by facts.

Franklin's agent had the audacity to point out that James was the 17th highest paid coach in the country. He asked for an extension that would be in line with performance. He was told to get lost.

Those who followed me in the past, will recall that prior to the Oregon game, I wrote that this season was Franklin's last at PSU......as his buyout (owed to the university if he took another job) was either one or two million.

So I ask all the "we deserve better" faithful. Would the 50 million owed to James (and additional to assistants) have been better spent on on field talent?
Do you think PSU is bringing in the savior, who will surpass the Franklin success......and pay him 17th best in the country.

Penn State will either pay top dollar for a coach.......spend more in NIL for recruiting and portal aquisition or the results will remain the same.

 

[fairgambit]

Once again, fairgambit stops in to remind us that he doesn't care.

"No, really, guys, I don't care anymore ... I'm over it ... I'm leaving now ... seriously, guys .. I don't care at all ... it doesn't take up any part of my life ... so I'll just stay here, at the corner of the street, and shout out about how much I don't care ... because I have better things to do now than care ... I don't care at all ... I'm leaving now ... hi, guys, remember me? I just wanted to stop in and tell you I don't care ..."

Thanks for that artful reply. It's important for me to know that people care enough about my lack of caring to post about it. A friend once told me "When you care, no one cares, but if you don't care, everyone cares".

 

[BiochemPSU]

Good post. I am basically your age and I too have the long view on how CFB has "evolved". We now have students who are multimillionaires, while others leave college with a mountain of debt. The big name schools are a pro football facility with a school attached. By far, the highest paid state employee in Ohio is Ryan Day. With this much money involved, a coach wins or he is out, like the NFL. A school like Michigan is very hard to get into. Unless, of course, your time in the 40 is desirable. Then there are basically no other requirements. Everything eventually goes to the money and CFB has done that. Don't feel too bad for Franklin. He leaves with probably 10 times more money than the best PSU professor will ever make.

This. This. This. 5 stars sir.

 

[Marshall2323]

Why can’t it be? What’s wrong with striving for that? The days of having a coach around for 10-20-50 years is long gone. Those idyllic days of the past are gone. If you didn’t sign up for that and don’t want to adjust to the times, that’s fine. But don’t be going scorched Earth on the rest of the fanbase who is adjusting and wants to be the top dog.

It's not about longevity. This was likely James Franklin's last year one way or the other. It's about how he was treated. It won't be lost on others who ponder coming to the land of milk and honey. The vitriol with which Franklin was treated is something that I have never seen a coach subjected to.
His family has been mistreated as well. It defies any explanation or rationale. Penn State should be proud.

 

[BiochemPSU]

Franklin's agent had the audacity to point out that James was the 17th highest paid coach in the country. He asked for an extension that would be in line with performance. He was told to get lost.

Ironic.

 

[Midnighter]

So much has been written about James Franklin and his demeaner. Let me share something with all of you wearing "the sky is blue so God must be a Penn State Football Fan," tinted glasses.

This off season, James went to "the brass" and convincingly demonstrated that PSU is still not in the top 10 spenders. Especially, NIL money.
This was greeted with disbelief, and viewed as treason. The highest administrators simply did not want to be confused by facts.

Franklin's agent had the audacity to point out that James was the 17th highest paid coach in the country. He asked for an extension that would be in line with performance. He was told to get lost.

Those who followed me in the past, will recall that prior to the Oregon game, I wrote that this season was Franklin's last at PSU......as his buyout (owed to the university if he took another job) was either one or two million.

So I ask all the "we deserve better" faithful. Would the 50 million owed to James (and additional to assistants) have been better spent on on field talent?
Do you think PSU is bringing in the savior, who will surpass the Franklin success......and pay him 17th best in the country.

Penn State will either pay top dollar for a coach.......spend more in NIL for recruiting and portal aquisition or the results will remain the same.

I personally would not have paid the buyout. As noted, it may have been better spent elsewhere. I would have offered James a pay raise (as of 2024 he was underpaid IMO) in exchange for a reduction in years on his contract (and a reduced buyout). I would have likely chalked this up to a 'bad' year (despite all the money on coaches and players and national hype by everyone) and moved on. Really no excuse to lose to UCLA and NW and had we beaten them this is moot. But, with the amount of talent leaving, prepping for 2026 is tantamount to a rebuild. Maybe James didn't have it in him? Or maybe Penn State thought since it's gonna happen, might as well happen with a new face of the program? It's gutsy and IMO borderline irresponsible, but the money is just too significant to sit on your hands I think. And the terrible losses this year force it.

 

[Connorpozlee]

It's not about longevity. This was likely James Franklin's last year one way or the other. It's about how he was treated. It won't be lost on others who ponder coming to the land of milk and honey. The vitriol with which Franklin was treated is something that I have never seen a coach subjected to.
His family has been mistreated as well. It defies any explanation or rationale. Penn State should be proud.

You’re saying he was treated poorly because he was only the 17th highest paid coach in the country with the security of a long term contract that he willingly signed? I don’t think that is being treated poorly. And it’s a horrible excuse to not have your team ready to play.

 

[Marshall2323]

You’re saying he was treated poorly because he was only the 17th highest paid coach in the country with the security of a long term contract that he willingly signed? I don’t think that is being treated poorly. And it’s a horrible excuse to not have your team ready to play.

You’re saying he was treated poorly because he was only the 17th highest paid coach in the country with the security of a long term contract that he willingly signed? I don’t think that is being treated poorly. And it’s a horrible excuse to not have your team ready to play.

 

[LionsAndBears]

While this is the end of the Franklin Era at PSU, it's certainly not the end of PSU Football. I was a big supporter of CJF and I believe he is a good coach, a good man and a good representative of PSU Football but it's clear it was time for a change as we have reached our maximum potential under Franklin and it didn't get us where we wanted to go.

So, it was time to rip off the bandaid and endure a moment of pain. However, after the pain, there will be growth and with the right hire, we will take that next step. While I'm sad that Franklin couldn't get us there, I'm excited that Kraft is willing to go get someone who will.

WE ARE!

 

[Marshall2323]

You’re saying he was treated poorly because he was only the 17th highest paid coach in the country with the security of a long term contract that he willingly signed? I don’t think that is being treated poorly. And it’s a horrible excuse to not have your team ready to play.

Contract extensions are routine. This isn't mickey mouse ****. As far as not having players ready to play......have you ever left the field after losing a double overtime contest and have 107,000 fans chant to fire your coach? But, that had no impact on the players moving forward....right?

 

[Marshall2323]

While this is the end of the Franklin Era at PSU, it's certainly not the end of PSU Football. I was a big supporter of CJF and I believe he is a good coach, a good man and a good representative of PSU Football but it's clear it was time for a change as we have reached our maximum potential under Franklin and it didn't get us where we wanted to go.

So, it was time to rip off the bandaid and endure a moment of pain. However, after the pain, there will be growth and with the right hire, we will take that next step. While I'm sad that Franklin couldn't get us there, I'm excited that Kraft is willing to go get someone who will.

WE ARE!

LOL

 

[Marshall2323]

Glad to see you are doing well Marshall.

Thank you. At my age, I would think I've seen everything. But, I'm sorry to say this is something the likes of which I never thought Penn State was capable of.

 

[Connorpozlee]

Contract extensions are routine. This isn't mickey mouse ****. As far as not having players ready to play......have you ever left the field after losing a double overtime contest and have 107,000 fans chant to fire your coach? But, that had no impact on the players moving forward....right?

You never believe a coach should be held accountable. It’s ridiculous.
So because frustrated fans were chanting for him to be fired after yet another loss to a high (but in this case, lower than his team) ranked team he has the right to not have his team prepared two weeks in a row? If it’s effecting the players, it’s 100% on him to have them block it out and get ready to play the next opponent. 1-0 and all that stuff he always said. But he didn’t do it. And let’s be honest. They haven’t played one game this year where they looked like they were ready to start the game. I know, I know, it’s not his fault because he’s a coach and can do no wrong.

 

[Marshall2323]

Maybe this is the first step in shutting down Penn State Football. Get out of the rat race.

Sadly, it releases me from caring one way or the other.