James Franklin was asked earlier this week if he was concerned that he was losing the Penn State football locker room, that players might begin to tune him out after back-to-back losses.
According to three players available this week, that doesn’t seem likely.
Drew Allar, Zakee Wheatley and Drew Shelton all professed their support for their embattled coach.
“He’s done a great job of setting the tone for our team,” Allar said Wednesday. “He’s given some great messages to us, motivational messages. I know he’s getting a lot of criticism and that sort of thing, but nobody really knows what he’s going through other than him.
“I’m excited to go out there and play another game for him.”
Franklin’s strength has been his relationships with the players, how he builds them and cements them from the time they’re recruits to the time they leave Penn State and beyond. They’re genuine.
But Franklin’s bond with the players also might be his undoing. Is he so close with them that he’s reluctant to discipline them regarding football matters? Do guys lose playing time if they make mental mistakes?
Last week, for example, Dejuan Lane lined up on the front end of the Nittany Lions’ return team in the first quarter and retreated before UCLA kicked off. Because he left the area vacant, the Bruins easily recovered the onside kick and took a 10-point lead.
Without prompting, Franklin mentioned after the 42-37 loss how important that sequence was and that he and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig discussed the possibility with the return team throughout the week.
Instead of Franklin sending a message to Lane, he played the rest of the afternoon. There were no consequences for his mistake.
Penn State tight end Khalil Dinkins (16) runs for a touchdown during the second half against UCLA Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. Dinkins was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty after the play. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Look at Penn State’s offensive line, which struggled in the first four games. Reserves T.J. Shanahan and Cooper Cousins, who Franklin has labeled as “starters,” hardly played until last week when Shanahan saw significant action against UCLA.
Then there was tight end Khalil Dinkins committing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after catching a 40-yard touchdown pass that cut the Bruins’ lead to six. UCLA started from its 25 because of Gabe Nwosu’s kickoff and Lions’ coverage.
Dinkins played the rest of the game without consequences.
Yet three times during Franklin’s press conference earlier this week, he said that holding people “accountable” was a large part of his duties. At times it seems like he’s loyal to a fault, just like Joe Paterno was many years ago.
This team had championship aspirations before the season began. It was ranked second in The Associated Press poll. Franklin described it as the best combination and talent in his 12 seasons at Penn State.
It’s been clear from the opener that something is missing, first on offense for four games and then on defense last week. Those of us who aren’t inside the Lasch Building every day don’t know what it is.
Now the Lions have to run the table and win their remaining seven games to make the College Football Playoff, something that was expected before the season and not expected now.
What if they go 9-3 and lose a close game at Ohio State again? What if they finish 8-4 or – gulp – 7-5?
Franklin has support from Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi and director of athletics Pat Kraft. He also has a massive contract buyout, estimated at $48 million, but the cost of firing Franklin would go far beyond that.
Penn State blogger Darian Somers estimates the total would be around $127 million, which would include the buyout for Franklin, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and the current assistants and a new contract for the next coach (estimated at $9-10 million) and his staff.
For Penn State, the timing would be horrendous, considering the $700 million Beaver Stadium renovation, $20.5 million going to student-athletes annually under the House ruling and the lost revenue of a home CFP game.
“You know, I’m not going to allow two games that are extremely disappointing to overshadow the growth that we’ve had in the program over the last 12 years,” he said Monday.
Overall, Franklin has done a very good job since he arrived in January 2014 in the middle of the NCAA sanctions. He has a .703 winning percentage and six 10-win seasons, four New Year’s Six bowl victories and a CFP semifinal appearance since 2016.
To this point, though, he’s been able to take Penn State only so far.
His popularity is at an ebb coming off the loss to previously winless UCLA, the worst defeat of his tenure. Would he leave on his own if the season goes further south?
“I believe in Penn State,” he said. “I believe in our players. I believe in the men and women in the Lasch Building and I believe in myself.”
