Live updates: James Franklin weekly press conference - Oregon
Penn State head coach James Franklin is set to meet with reporters ahead of his program’s much-anticipated clash with Oregon. When the Ducks come to Beaver Stadium for the Saturday night tilt, what version of the Nittany Lions will they get?
Franklin will preview the game, its implications, and more during his weekly press conference. Follow our live updates, here:
Live updates: James Franklin weekly press conference
(Updates will appear in reverse chronological order. Page does not automatically refresh. Press conference has ended at 12:42 p.m.)
Other safety spot
09/22/2025 11:43:30 AMKing is an older guy. It’s been impressive to watch how he has approached it, as much from not winning job in camp and didn’t let it phase him. Younger players, when they lost a job or didn’t win a job, they’ve let it phase them in terms of consistency and the approach. It is hard, in football or life, to pour heart and soul and then not get return on investment, to show up next play or rep and still be the same guy. It’s an important skill and trait to develop. As young players, still figuring it out. But both ABS and Lane are super talented with very bright futures. But like for a lot of guys, it’s about consistency. Consistent at practice, in games, that teammates and coaches can trust you will do your job at a high level on a consistent basis. That’s what they want at every position and that’s the challenge. D squad periods, or good on good, you’re trying to see who can do that on consistent basis. Jog throughs, meetings, tests.
Sexton, RS Freshman OL. Used him in team meeting the other day. Trautwein test is as long and detailed as he’s ever been around. They usually get it on Thursday. His test was as good as he’s ever seen. Level of detail was phenomenal. Used it as example for everyone to learn from. These are the habits and behaviors they’re trying to create. What they’re looking for from every position. Have a process as a team to prepare, but it’s the players as well refining process. Harder for Nick Dawkins than Chaz Coleman. How to refine process and get better. Who handles ticket requests? Getting them in on time. Family not bothering you before the game or at hotel. Taking care of your body. Massages, rolling out, prehab, hydrating, taking care of body, getting enough sleep. These things add up and more mature players are further along in that to not have things that impact preparation, mentally, physically, or emotionally. And that’s why he’s so much of a routine guy. Players find comfort in that routine and can lean into what to expect on Tuesday, regardless of opponent.
Dealing with White Out
09/22/2025 11:37:28 AMDoesn’t need to tell players to enjoy it, but lock in. They’ve heard it all offseason. All over campus. It’s nothing he needs to address with them. It’s a special deal and fortunate and honored to coach in it. Not something that needs to be addressed. Almost all of them were there as recruits. The ones that weren’t as recruits have no played in it. He’ll take his eight seconds walking out of the tunnel to feel the energy, but then you’re locked in on the opponent and the challenge. Doesn’t need to be addressed.
Saving tricks
09/22/2025 11:35:34 AMIt’s a longterm question. Are you saving things? Not sure if saving is the idea, but you’ve done offseason studies with things you worked in training camp that you’re planning to use against certain opponents. Could you have used early in the season but didn’t need to? Yeah. That’s always the case. But not like OCs, DCs, HCs go into a game thinking they’ll be conservative or vanilla. This is what they need to do to score points, stop people scoring, and all about the matchup and opponent you have there. Just depends on your lens. Do you call everything in every game? No. It’s impossible to do. So packages in Oregon game that weren’t in Villanova game. The answer is, a little bit of both. But not because taking the approach to be vanilla or conservative. Just about what you have to do in that game to be successful.
Singleton/Kaytron/RBs
09/22/2025 11:33:20 AMSeeing the dividends of Kaytron offseason. He’s earned that right to be a guy to get the ball in his hands as much as possible. Also recognize what Singleton has done over his career. Talked a week ago about Nick worked really hard this offseason on open field running, different tools and weapons, but want him to let it rip on Saturdays, which is what he is. He’s been too successful for too long at Penn State, and that will continue. It’s a combination of him trying to be a perfect back and you’re never going to be a perfect back. Have talked about that with a number of players. On Saturdays, just go play. A lot of confidence and trust in Nick, not just this Saturday, but all year long. Everyone seeing from Kaytron his offseason and looking different from speed and explosiveness.
Redshirts
09/22/2025 11:30:55 AMHad felt like DEs were young but talented at that position. Kemajou is a guy they have a lot of confidence in. Smart, physical, trustworthy. Can play him. Also didn’t have Williams, so that impacted Yvan playing time. Not a whole lot has changed. Chaz and Dixson are going. Yvan, Joseph, Tatsch are next group that will play if they need. And then Koby Howard on offense. Like those young DEs, but also hopefully Williams back with that helps. Williams strength passing game, Yvan run game. Would like to merge those.
WRs
09/22/2025 11:29:07 AMFeel the same. Although media hasn’t seen a lot of Denmark and Howard, it’s not because they don’t have confidence in them. Wanted to build chemistry with the starters. But now in a situation, like the D, that they need to make sure guys are on the field for as many reps as possible with tap opportunities for backups that they have confidence in. Nothing has really changed, but maybe based on perception, it’s not that those guys can’t come in and contribute, it’s that they’ve been using WRs like other positions that they will in this game.
Team health
09/22/2025 11:27:36 AMIn a pretty good place. No issues in bye week. Last few weeks no issues. Getting Zuriah back has been significant. Happy with that. But for the most part, normal bumps and bruises, but in pretty good shape. And will need to have a physical week. Tuesday and Wednesday really important work days in practice. But need to make sure everyone available for the game. Balance with all of that.
Dani and Zane and leveraging them
09/22/2025 11:26:29 AMThe first thing is playing them more. Have been heavy rotational first three games and that was part of the philosophy, but will see a change this week with ones getting more reps. Making sure they have Zane and Dani on the field as much as possible. But other part of it is, those two guys overlap, but would also love situation where they’re not both off the field at the same time as well. When two veterans, you’d like them in with younger players as well. How to create a rotation to let them play together but limit time where they’re both off the field at the same time. Might mean six plays with one and eight with the other. But that will be as important as anything. Specifically on defense, have worked hard to develop depth, but this isn’t one of those types of games. Still need to keep them fresh with that depth. Also some things scheme wise to put them same side or split them up to create matchups that are favorable.
What he learned about D
09/22/2025 11:23:40 AMProbably the biggest one is personnel – Chaz Coleman. Have some young kids you think can help you and he’s made a move there. Dixson as well. Weren’t sure, but they’ve continued to trend. When you talk about defense, it’s also just the level of communication they need to have with safeties and linebackers. Got better at that each week. More on the players on the field. Tempo and pace changing. Dani has made presence felt early. Has earned respect by how he’s playing. Also excited about Zakee. This new scheme and tweaks they have – it has taken him some time but he’s more comfortable now than before. Will see him make big plays for them moving forward. In a much different place from confidence and execution it takes for this type of game. The more they work, the faster they get. When Manny came here, surprised by speed on D. The more comfortable the guys get playing some of the tweaks to the new defense, that speed will show up more consistently.
Bye week – offense
09/22/2025 11:20:54 AMEvery year have self-scouts of O vs. D and D vs. O. If you can get one or two things from the crossover work that maybe you weren’t thinking about, there is value in that. Spending time getting better on third and fourth down on both sides of the ball. Spent a ton of time on some tempo stuff. Then spent a ton of time on crowd noise, specifically on D side of the ball. Those things are valuable knowing strengths, weaknesses, areas to improve. Tendencies are a good thing. If you have them, it means you’re good at things. Want to have enough tendency breakers to give people pause. Then the other thing critical in this game is starting fast. This is a team that has started fast the last couple of years and that will be important in this game. In games it didn’t happen for them last year, it changed things significantly. Important for Penn State.
Knowles: If you’re not aligned correctly, you have no shot vs. Oregon
09/22/2025 11:18:42 AMWhen you have multiple WR that can hurt you in a game and go the distance, it changes how DCs approach the game. Same at TE. Same at RB and QB. When you have multiple weapons, it becomes very difficult. And OCs try to motion and shift to create confusion and mess with your rules and get guys in favorable matchups. That’s one of the advantages of going against Penn State offense for him because they do as much of that as anyone. Value in that, O and D going against each other. And last year, they didn’t have enough tools in the toolbelt. They were majority a man coverage team and sometimes they had matchups in their favor, and if not able to solve that issue with a sack or pressure, then they had some challenges. Being able to play man is a weapon, but also being able to have zone, zone pressures, things they’re now doing more of, is valuable. They’ve done it a bunch of different ways. Pry and Shoop quarter, quarter half team. With Diaz more of a man team. Continued with Tom. So being able to have more of a mix to challenge people with man coverage, and when you do play zone, Jim emphasizes situational football, and it’s been good. He’s an experienced DC. Each week goes on where Jim has a better idea of who Penn State is. What are the strengths of Penn State people? Weaknesses? How do you call a game to play to those strengths and limit weaknesses or matchup issues?
Brent Pry
09/22/2025 11:14:11 AMWould prefer to talk about the opponent, but also knows the respect he has for Pry and his family. Go back forever. Played against each other in college. One of Brent’s first years in coaching was at ESU. Watched kids grow up and together at Penn State before becoming Virginia Tech HC. Challenging situation. Hates to see it for anyone. Hates to see it for Brent. He’s resilient, a darn good coach, and he will bounce back. A lot of respect and love for him and his family. Have texted a bunch. Haven’t talked. Wife and Amy have talked. But mainly texts with Brent. The coaching community and friends look out for each other, no different from friends and any other industry. Hates it for Brent, hates it for Virginia Tech.
Moore vs. Gabriel offense
09/22/2025 11:11:56 AMNot a whole lot different. Throw first guy. Accurate, can extend plays, has a ton of playmakers around him. Both have ability to extend plays. Dante runs a little bit more than they had in the past. But other guy was really good athlete as well. Still very similar. And Dante sitting behind him for a year was really valuable for his development. Also shows a tremendous maturity of the kid to do that. Could have been starter anywhere. Didn’t redshirt as a freshman, so that’s been a real positive for him and them.
Wrapping up
09/22/2025 11:10:25 AMNeed this place rocking. Always do. But expecting this to be like nothing else. Urban Meyer always debates hardest place to play in college football and always says Penn State White Out at night and LSU at night, and they want to make it the most difficult environment in all of sports, not just college football. Challenging everyone for four quarter, one play at a time, every play, punts, kickoff coverage, to be on feet screaming battle cry in the stadium. Need everyone.
Oregon
09/22/2025 11:08:59 AM
Tons of respect for Dan Lanning and that program. Tremendous support. Impressive what they’ve done in a short time. Lanning a small school guy who worked his way up. Ton of respect for that. Able to get some film. Being on the road, talking with Danny O’Brien that hoping that Oregon State game as competitive as long as possible to get good film to watch. That was good.
Will Stein has done a really good job. Didn’t realize he was from Louisville. Was a Texas HS coach. At UT. Then at UTSA and did a really good job. They’re multiple. Multiple personnel, tempos, schemes. They’re able to run it with power, spread you out. They got a bunch of talented players. TE makes them go. With what they did with Tyler Warren last year, they’re getting that out of him this year. Matchup problem. Explosive. Dante Moore, they recruited, went to UCLA, transferred, sat, now playing really well. No surprise. 21 RB, physical, and 1 WR Moore, playing at a high level, good ball skills.
Defense, Lanning’s system from Alabama. Similar background with DC and Lanning. Assistant at Alabama. Those two guys hand in hand. Multiple base front. Playing a little three safety stuff that Knowles has done a good job with over his time. Impressed by OLB. 52, 44. Transfer safety 31 from Purdue. ILB 28 great story and the heartbeat of their defense. Tremendous challenge.
And then ST, Lorig. Was here for three years and knows the staff, personnel, team very well. Also his old roommate at Idaho. Joe does a really good job. Experienced coordinator, also works on D with the nickels, is from Oregon, opportunity to get home and happy for him and family. PR 2 and 1. They’ve been explosive. Punter is Boise transfer. Australian doing a really nice job. And then PK is transfer from Oregon State 36 and is doing a nice job.
Opening statement
09/22/2025 10:36:15 AMJust finished up the bye week. They were all over the place. James all over the place. Out Monday, back Tuesday and Wednesday productive practices. Out Wednesday night. And now with staff size, used to call it coordinators and captains practice, but pretty much had a coach at every position for Thursday practice. Did more full speed that Thursday than normal, which was good. Out with Terry all day Thursday. With Deion all day Friday. With Danny all day Saturday. Then back Saturday night. Sunday, have an expanded practice because don’t have to watch film. Translates to 10 more minutes on the field and full speed work. Doesn’t want QBs to have not thrown full speed. That was good.
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