Everything James Franklin said during ESPN ‘College GameDay’ interview six days after Penn State fired him

Penn State moved on from James Franklin via a statement from athletic director Pat Kraft last Sunday. On Saturday, the former leader of the Lions offered his first public comments since the day Kraft marched up to his Lasch Building office and told him that he was being fired. Franklin, 53, sat for a live interview on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ hours before his former team takes on Iowa at Kinnick Stadium (7 p.m. ET, Peacock). Everything he said is below

Question 1: How did James Franklin find out he was fired at Penn State?

“We were a practice Sunday team coach, and we have a team meeting at 1:45. About 1:30, the AD walked in and said, ‘We’re going to make a change. I’m sorry.’ Was in shock. Obviously, really took the next 15 minutes to let my kids know so they wouldn’t find out on the internet, and then walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving it really, that was it. It was that quick.

“Obviously, pretty much in shock as that was going on.”

Question 2: How fairly does James Franklin feel he was treated?

“Well, fair is not for me to decide, right? That’s for other people to decide. A decision that was made that was hard for me to comprehend at the time. But what I want to do is, I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments. I had a great run there 12 years. Penn State was good to me and my family. Most importantly, it’s about the players. I’m a players coach. I always have been. So that’s the hardest part, is walking away from all those young men in that locker room, the recruits that were committed to us, lot of tough conversations.

“So that’s the challenge. It’s the people, at the end of the day, the coaches, the staffs, their families, the kids. What I don’t think people realize is how many people this affects. A ton of people. That’s where my heart breaks.”

Question 3: How did this impact Franklin’s family?

“So my daughters, you guys, have seen pictures. They came to Penn State when they were four or five years old. We were blessed that the majority of their upbringing was in State College. They’re now a freshman in college and a senior in high school. My youngest thought she was going to go to Penn State. Obviously, the plans have changed there. But for me, I just think about everybody. I remember being the head coach of Vanderbilt and having an Easter party and standing up there and talking to all the coaches and the wives and the kids, and the first time, that moment, I looked out and I realized I’m responsible for all these people. If I’m successful, all these people will flourish. And if I’m not, it’s going to create a lot of challenges for a ton of different people. So that’s really what the last six days have been.

“Most importantly, comforting my daughter. My wife is the toughest one in the family, so I don’t need to worry about her. But then it’s been a ton of players reaching out, talking to their parents, telling them to take a deep breath. Everything’s going to be fine. And then the same thing with recruits. It’s been a lot, but most importantly, that’s what it’s all about. For me. I got in this business to help people and, most importantly, young men, and I’m going to continue to do that.”

Question 4: How did Penn State and James Franklin get to this point?

“I can’t answer that to be honest with you. I’m still working through it myself. It feels surreal. I just got a message, you know, from Drew Allar’s dad that he’s sitting home as well. We both should be in Iowa. It’s what we’re used to doing, and how we operate. And I’ve been doing this for 30 years and 15 years as a head coach. To think, essentially, six games ago, we were fighting for a chance to be in the national championship, a two-minute drive away. So that’s the thing. I really can’t answer that. But decisions were made, and I’m not involved in those decisions. I’m very, very grateful for the time I had, and, most importantly, for the relationships I was able to build. I thought we were going to win a national championship there. We were close. That goal hasn’t changed. We’re just going to go win a national championship somewhere else.”

Question 5: Did preseason rankings and hype impact Penn State?

“Well, I think, Coach [Saban], you understand this better than anybody, right? You’ve used the phrase rat poison, right? The negative is rat poison that you got to get everybody to tune out, and the positive is rat poison. But that creates a ton of pressure, and pressure that we’ve earned. We created that pressure, and I think that’s the thing that I’m most proud of. The point that you said when I took over the program 12 years ago, it was in a very different situation than it is now, and that’s something I take great pride in, right?

“The program was in a very, very difficult position, one of the most, one of the most historical sanctions in NCAA history, and we got them back to be a consistent contender. So you understand how hard that is and the work that went into it, but the expectations, we created them. So I take pride in that. Obviously, we’ve got to do a better job of tuning all that noise out and focus on being 1-0 and only the task at hand. But that’s that challenging.”

Question 6: When does Franklin turn his attention to what’s next?

“I think that’s a great question to be honest with you. The first thing was like, I need to take a deep breath. I need to make sure the people that are around me are in a good place. But after that, I don’t know anything else. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I don’t have hobbies, I don’t golf, I don’t fish. This has been such a big part of my identity, such a big part of my family. We love it. So I think it was take a deep breath, kind of in shock, surreal for a moment, and then it’s a we got to get back to doing what we do, which is, which is, help young people achieve their dreams, get a great education.

“Still balance what college football has become, the student athlete experience and big time business, but there’s a way to do that. And I can’t wait for that next challenge, and we’re going to go win a national championship at the highest level.”

Question 8: Will Franklin change his approach to ‘big games’?

“I think, to Nick’s point, there’s things that I know we did as well as anybody in the country, but every off season, you got to take time. And after what just happened, we’re going to do that even more. So I’m going to do that even more. So how can we take advantage of these situations? How can we maximize opportunities? How can we make the fan base, the alumni Letterman, super proud of what we’re doing? But also, the other thing I want to make sure I hit on is we did it with integrity in class the entire time. And that’s not something that’s happening universally around the country.”

Follow the coaching search with Blue-White Illustrated

Blue-White Illustrated is tracking the names to know as Pat Kraft’s search unfolds. Subscribers can see all of Fitz’s takes on the names to know by clicking here.

Not a subscriber? Join today for just $1 for the first week by clicking here. A BWI subscription gets you access to:

–Premium insight and intel from Sean Fitz, Nate Bauer, Ryan Snyder, Thomas Frank Carr, and Greg Pickel

—Access to the subscriber-exclusive Lions Den message board.

–Insight from the On3 national college football team, which includes Pete Nakos, Ari Wasserman, Andy Staples, Chris Low, Brett McMurphy, and more!

–Dedicated recruiting coverage from the likes of Steve Wiltfong, Chad Simmons, Adam Gorney, Sam Spiegelman, Greg Smith, and the rest of the Rivals team.

And a whole lot more. Sign up today by clicking here.