After 12 seasons as the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, James Franklin was fired in the middle of the 2025 season. He wouldn’t be out of work long, landing with the Virginia Tech Hokies, but that has given him some opportunity to reflect on his tenure in Happy Valley.
Franklin recently appeared on the Next Up podcast. There, he admitted to feeling like he mishandled the media, particularly his messaging with local media.
“Unless you’re a real football fan, a lot of people in the Northeast and specifically at Penn State, weren’t really following Vanderbilt,” James Franklin said. “You’ve got to be a real football fan to follow what was going on at Vanderbilt. I think we came there, we had a ton of respect for everything we had done in the SEC, but I don’t know if that necessarily carried all the way to the Northeast for us.”
That’s a mistake that Franklin doesn’t want to make at Virginia Tech. So, it’s a lesson learned at Penn State and applied in Blacksburg.
“When I look back, that’s an area where I think we could’ve done a better job,” Franklin said. “Let’s take a breath, let’s spend a little bit more time with the current players. Let’s spend a little bit more time with the local media. Let’s spend a little bit more time with the local fans and fanbase. And I felt it was just sprint, sprint, sprint, and we didn’t have time to lay that foundation the way we’d liked to.”
James Franklin Made Media Mistakes While With the Penn State Nittany Lions
GettyFormer Penn State head coach James Franklin
There is no doubt that James Franklin made his fair share of mistakes with local media at Penn State.
One of the most notable instances came when Franklin walked away from a press conference in 2024 when he was asked about former Penn State players who were being charged with crimes. He would later apologize, but it stood out as a moment where he mishandled the media. On top of moments like that, Franklin was criticized at times for trying to control the narrative too much in the media and his approach to reporters.
By no means is that what would cost Franklin his job at Penn State, though. That was a 3-3 start in a season where Penn State had national championship aspirations. In that same season, Penn State was pouring money into the program.
So, Franklin could have handled local media better. That’s true. However, had he won more, it would have been a problem that everyone was happy to ignore, like Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots.
New Penn State Head Coach Matt Campbell Wants to do What James Franklin Couldn’t
GettyMatt Campbell with Iowa State
There is no doubt that James Franklin did plenty to make Penn State a national power once again. That wasn’t easy to do, either, as he inherited a program still coming out of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal and sanctions.
With that, it was a slow start, but Franklin got to double-digit wins by his third season. That was something he managed to do five times in his Penn State tenure. Overall, Franklin went 104-45 with one College Football Playoff trip. However, he struggled to consistently get over the hump, particularly against top Big Ten teams like Ohio State.
Now, Penn State has turned to Matt Campbell. There, he’s tasked with rebuilding the roster from scratch, as the Transfer Portal was a drain on the Nittany Lions. He’ll also be expected to get over that hump that proved to be too difficult for Franklin.
Ex-Penn State Coach James Franklin Admits Mistake in Happy Valley, New Vow