James Franklin Tells All: Restoring Penn State To National Prominence

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This week, Penn State's Head Coach James Franklin joins Next Up for an exclusive sit-down interview. In this episode, Coach Franklin opens up about:
- Taking the Penn State job in 2014
- Navigating the sanctions & rebuilding Penn State Football
- NIL & the transfer portal at Penn State
- Winning the 2016 Big Ten Championship
- What it will take to win the College Football Playoff in 2023
- His expectations for Drew Allar
And more...
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Next Up is hosted by Adam Breneman and is presented by the Mercury Podcast Network. On Next Up, Adam Breneman sits down with the biggest names in sports and lets them tell their stories, unfiltered. Adam is a former All-American and Penn State alum, media personality, college football analyst for ESPN, and co-founder of Mercury (@TheCollegeSportsCo).
TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Intro
03:15 - Taking the Penn State Job
05:56 - Navigating the Challenges at Penn State
12:07 - The Turning Point
16:08 - Coach Franklin’s Model for Success
18:24 - 2016 Minnesota Game
20:47 - Coaching Philosophy
26:07 - Why Coach Franklin Can Relate to Everyone
28:18 - Evolution of Coach Franklin’s Coaching Style
31:11 - Signing a Long-Term Contract
33:50 - Leveraging Coaching Rumors
36:14 - AD Pat Kraft
38:26 - Garnering National Respect
40:25 - NIL & Transfer Portal at Penn State
45:31 - Balancing Football with Family
47:35 - Looking Back on Decision to Come to Penn State
49:26 - Handling Expectations & Drew Allar
52:04 - What it Will Take to Win a Championship
#pennstate #collegefootball #podcast #pennstatefootball #pennstatenittanylions #CFB

[@benjaminstrimel6518]

Great podcast! Awesome to see a Penn State guy come in and let us fans get a deep dive into players and coaches.....keep it going man. WE ARE!!!!!

[@-clipz-]

John 3:3, ESV: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

[@MikeG-gc8uy]

PENN STATE

[@johnmandock56]

I want him out

[@johnmandock56]

​@@MikeG-gc8uybeat a good team for once

[@johnmandock56]

Best a good team for once ,Michigan and Ohio State. 1 and 10 against Ohio St. 3 wins out of 9 against Michigan.

[@nateryan5187]

That Minnesota game. There with my dad and grandpa first Penn state game I remember. Moment I fell in love with penn state

[@-clipz-]

John 3:3, ESV: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

[@stevenharvey9647]

Coach Franklin is great! I hate to say it, but college football is more then just winning games, and Coach Franklin gets that!

[@CryAboutItLoser419]

But winning games is the most important part, and ol Jimmy isn't very great at that. Every time he plays some with equal or greater talent, he walks away with an L.

[@stevenstevens6149]

Worth the wait! i graduated this past spring and have been a psu football fan my entire life. CJF convinced me to make my first donation to the NIL collective. Wasn’t much but I want to see us get to that next level so badly. I hope more alumni start to contribute, a little bit can add up to a whole lot! Great interview dude!

[@heartbreak25]

If 107K gave $10 per month that'd be $13 million per year. Every little bit helps! I appreciate you!

[@ccd112]

Coach Franklin said in the interview, Adam committed to Penn State when it was not a sexy decision. Thank you Adam for your time at PSU! You and Christian were vital in Old State’s return to prominence.

[@johnmandock56]

Who cares

[@Ty-ml7ze]

Thank you for being on time, Adam.

[@NextUpWithAdam]

😆

[@-clipz-]

John 3:3, ESV: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

[@mikescatena5732]

This is exactly what I love to watch. New level of respect for Franklin and his work ethic.

[@bobbysilver581]

Honestly remember that in the student section. Wild to me how bi polar some fans can be, and even within the same season. Went from Fire Franklin to revering him and being psyched.

[@dougvandevander1859]

Best interview I’ve seen of James Franklin since he’s been at penn state. I think The traditional PSU media just doesn’t have the insight like former players do to ask the interesting questions. Great job

[@abercrom21guy]

Great listen. Even as a Michigan fan, I Like and respect Franklin. He got dealt a bad hand and is making Penn State the power brand it once was

[@StateMediaPSU]

That script sweatshirt that coach is wearing though is sweet

[@paulknappcollections]

So I'm a PSU Alumni 1991 and I was a strength coach for the team for 2 years. I was never a James Franklin supporter. As A matter fact, I pretty much hated him from the start. After watching your channel and hearing him talk I have a totally new prospective. A friend of mine, Kurt Werkheiser who played ball with coach Franklin in college kept telling me he's really a good guy. I wasn't a believer, but now I am. I'm not saying I love the guy, I just don't hate him as much LOL. If he gives us a win over Michigan and Ohio State this year then maybe I'll love him. Great interview and keep up the great job. We Are...

[@corriesmith5856]

Salute to the man he is and his character, his morals, the respect and the real he brings to everyone around him! Didn’t know my prayers would be answered in the form of James Franklin, But Knowing how Good God is I’m not surprised!! CS1 made the Best Decision based on real life and not just football!! #WeAre🎉

[@phishhead231]

You’re killing it with these interview guests lately! Nicely done.

[@-clipz-]

John 3:3, ESV: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

[@davidk7212]

i cant believe how open he was

[@snareJB]

Phenomenal content. You found a way to contribute to college football in a novel way. Can’t wait to see more!

[@-clipz-]

John 3:3, ESV: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

[@gambinolansky]

I like how Coach Franklin was open about leveraging when his name is thrown in with other job openings. Everyone knows the answer, but usually coaches and administrators dance around it, never being forthright. I really appreciate that.

[@christopherpetrewski8]

Adam, you are the man!! Love what you are doing. Coach Franklin is the perfect man for the job for Penn Staters like me. I appreciate our history, but Coach Franklin understands the future and we cant live in the past!!! #WeARE

[@killmoreturtles]

Well said by Franklin!: ' If I can show them how much I truly care about them, then they will accept me for being demanding of them.' One of the most frustrating things I feel about college recruiting, is that some of these players feel like they're not going to make it to the next level, unless they go to Ohio St., Alabama, Georgia, etc. It can make it VERY difficult to traverse the recruiting field. It's already a PITA that some kids refuse to play in cold weather, or a small town. BUT, I still find Penn State has an advantage there, in that those recruits that do want to get away and focus on football, and they do have that self-belief that they don't need Ohio St., Georgia, etc. to make it to the next level; those recruits are going to find that PSU is just as good as those other schools at preparing you for the next level , and they really do want to take you to the next level in life itself. And once PSU can get a hold at being one of the top 5 programs ( I don't think I'm a homer because I believe that) , then they can put up a wall around the north east, because there is no other college program that comes close to the quality of PSU in that region If we can just finally break through, there is no reason we can't draw recruits like the best teams in College. I keep waiting for that day.. for it's been a long time coming.

[@CraigShifflet]

I love the long form interview. Better than the few minutes on most shows. You get better all the time, Adam. And if Matt Schuyler happens to read this, I'm an HR&IM grad looking for a job! #WeAre

[@scottkimler]

Appreciate both of you. Coach - thanks for your honesty & openness. Adam - You're killing it as a podcast host. Great interviews with Hack, Drew & now Franklin. Cheers!

[@jkay8it]

This was an amazing interview and podcast

[@brianmartin2975]

Great interview. Love coach Franklin and the many things he’s brought to PSU. The future is bright.

[@johnmandock56]

Overrated coach and program.

[@gregb8386]

Outstanding interview...Adam you have a real talent for asking the right questions.

[@bobzelley5100]

Sitting in the rain October 2016 during the comback while the remaining crowd were chanting for his head . The lions came back to tie and Whitehall's barkley wins the game in OT . That was the game .

[@davidfrazier3639]

Love these kind of videos. As a die hard Buckeye, I have always loved Penn State and their dedication to tradition which is what makes College football so special 🏈

[@JackKosakowski7]

Another banger of an interview. Nobody does it better than AB!

[@NextUpWithAdam]

🙌

[@user-md8ct7xe9b]

Awesome pod Adam!!

[@ams533]

Great job as always, Adam!

[@peterkretschmer2949]

Great Podcast Adam! Love the work you are doing!

[@paulfrancis4233]

Great job Adam!!

[@SthPaw2405]

Another great podcast, Adam. I’m starting to really look forward to seeing these.

[@averycardoso9713]

Shout out to u ADAM, thanks for the great content ❤

[@thesolarenergychannel]

Great interview! We are!

[@anthonyrodriguez7233]

Love the podcast! Great interview. Love the insight into the behind the scenes stuff with the program

[@yigyountry]

thanks for always keeping it classy Adam !

[@FireGuy7]

Great man and Amazing coach!! WE ARE!!!

[@Death2CFPexpansionists]

Great pod! Got emotional and teared up a bit, thank you!

[@Kevinpetrochko]

Love this interview, Adam. Keep going, man. You're crushing the game.

[@parkbaker]

I think this is one of your best podcast. Very good.

[@ShaneAlthouse]

Absolute gem. 2 🐐’s

[@alexross1120]

Awesome episode

[@sgw107]

Adam, it takes A LOT for me to subscribe to a KZbin channel, but I subscribed to yours! I know you’ve heard this a million times, but you have a real talent for this. Hopefully the success of this podcast is just the beginning for you. Can’t wait for you to take Coach up on his offer and set your show up at fall camp. Hope you can get Lavar on! (And many others)

[@crazy88909]

great interview. We Are!

[@M31-]

Adam, you truly have something special going here with your pod. Excellent job - it’s rare to see James Franklin fully open up and express himself on camera but you were able to do it with ease. Keep it up the fans are loving your content!

[@BR99704]

Need PJ Fleck on, Adam. Appreciate you for doing this

[@-clipz-]

John 3:3, ESV: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

[@stephenmoist623]

Let’s ALL donate to NIL. To happy Valley United….Especially alumni and fan’s. If not don’t complain about not beating the 2 better team’s on our schedule. Players win National Championship’s.

[@lnapjr76]

Great job, Adam. Excellent questions and interview flow. I'm a believer in Coach Franklin, and really love the way he represents and leads our program.

[@mgoboski]

He's very relatable, personable and articulate. It's easy to see him connect well with recruits, players, boosters and school administration.

[@joshbazon2764]

Great interview and podcast with Coach Franklin! Coach Franklin knows how to build relationships, which is the key to recruiting, player development, and building life-long connections that generate success in the NFL-Entertainer or other sectors of the economy. Franklin has Penn State going on the correct path!

[@terrencewalker4880]

Love the content. Keep it up #WeAre

[@-clipz-]

John 3:3, ESV: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

[@larrysintay4456]

Well things have come full circle

[@stephenmoist623]

Adam does great interviews. Must ask what the fan base want to hear.

[@paultharp4626]

Love coach Franklin.. at the same time, I would love to get to a place where people associated the program will say Coach Paterno's name rather than the guy who was at Penn State for 50 years.. he's meant so much to the university and the reason that the head coaching position in Happy Valley was a coveted role

[@gregminton4251]

Love your interviews! Please try to get Josh heupel on

[@yigyountry]

honesty in a head coach ? i would’ve committed asap

[@ryansheard8092]

Adam, you are spot on! The job JF has done is best in the country over the past 10 yrs. Period. So many PSU fans have ZERO perspective and understanding.

[@kevinchandler179]

I absolutely agree with you!!! I love our amazing proud tradition, but look at what he has done, with the sanctions he was left with!!!! James Franklin is in his early 50's and has already got 100 wins plus, between Vanderbilt and Penn State!!! Also, everyone will always compare to him to a legend like Joe Pa, which is unfair!!! I always said, guys like Joe Pa, Bear Bryant, Tom Osborne, Bobby Bowden, and so on, are legends for a reason, because they don't grow on trees people!!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE proud fans, of a blue blood program, literally!!!! But, he has kept this thing afloat during dark times, and he working his ass off, recruiting and building the brand back!!! I understand, we are frustrated sometimes, but Rome wasn't built in a day!!!! Trust me, when he turns the corner, he will have a sustainable power program for years!!!!!!!!! WE ARE

[@anthonycaruso1680]

This was phenomenal. You really have no idea the shit show James came in to and had to over come. Really a good guy who is far more special than we may give him credit for. We are!

[@stephenmoist623]

Franklin TRUELY cares about his players.

[@alt51801]

Saquon Barkley next!

[@michaelknaub6912]

Great interview Adam! We Are! One thing though, you don't have PSU in your top five tailgating locations? We're you sleeping on the team bus to the stadium? C'mon man!

[@brianburkhart8059]

Great interview! Will you ever make it to Ann Arbor for interviews? #GoBlue

[@NextUpWithAdam]

Definitely! 👀

[@-clipz-]

John 3:3, ESV: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

[@kevinchandler179]

You mean go Blue and white, the real deal!!!!!!!! WE ARE

[@kevinchandler179]

Ann Arbor??? I don't think anyone knows or cares where that is???? Now, Happy Valley in November, payback!!! And, them people from Ann Arbor in a stadium with our 110 thousand fans, good luck with that bullshit!!! 38-13, my Nittany Lions 🦁 are going to bury your asses!!! Harbough goes back to 8-4 or 9-3 again!!!

[@chrisscully1817]

I like to believe that Joe PA would have definitely approved Coach James Franklin as his replacement. Now if JF can get over the beating UM and Ohio St. in the same season hump. No telling how far he can take the Penn St Football program!

[@kevinchandler179]

Very well said 👏!!! I actually, totally agree with you on that!!! The legendary Joe Pa would have given James Franklin his blessing and support 🙏!!! WE ARE

[@averagebloke4474]

He's good at speaking.

[@stephenmoist623]

Need ALL of Nitt nation to help the program build NIL. Need Elite players.

[@colinwhite5584]

Franklin and his offensive schemes really annoyed me in the Clifford era… that being said I think he is an amazing recruiter and seems like a class act. I am hoping that since we now have a pocket passer, the offensive strategy can re-strategize away from the last three years. I am happy Franklin is our guy now! I was one of those guys who thought that we wouldn’t beat temple for 10 years after the scandal… it’s crazy how far we came since

[@ryansheard8092]

As a fan, I'll be leading the charge to freeze out any fan that's been screaming for JFs job when we win big. Don't be ignorant enough to yell for his job and then think you can change your tune when it's turned around.

[@kevinchandler179]

Well, said!!!! I totally agree!!! We are on the verge of totally turning this thing around, and I know he will have sustained success!!!! WE ARE

[@travisshuttleworth630]

Solid dude. Go Bucks!

[@bradleyrussell526]

who was the recruit he lost to the single dorm issue he mentioned at 37:15 ?

[@ams533]

Nick Cross

[@nickduzansky5209]

You should do dan Lanning

[@nateryan5187]

❤❤❤

[@herfjones3]

Don’t you mean restoring the roar!?

[@livetotell100]

Anybody know who that recruit was that refused because of a single room?

[@peszekv]

Great interview Little sad couch could not even mention Paterno by name. Referring to the past and not saying the man’s name is a bit soft. I am sure the university doesn’t want the name said. It would go a long way in getting NIL $$$ from some of the older 750,000 living alumni to acknowledge the past legend.

[@kevinchandler179]

I agree, a legend is still a frickin legend!!!! Joe Pa built a blue blood program from a little cow town college, into one of the most popular and historical programs in history!!!! WE ARE

[@kevinchandler179]

I don't blame James though, because I am sure they told him not to mention the late great legend himself!!!

[@hdubya692]

No need to suck up to the Paterno's. Most of us have moved on.

[@kevinchandler179]

​@hdubya692 I am not sucking up to anyone!!!!!! I respectfully remembering a frickin legend!!!!! If it wasn't for Joe Pa, none of Happy Valley would be there at all, definitely not in the way it is!!! And, also Joe Pa followed up on all the Sandusky bullshit and reported twice!!!! I absolutely, hate having to defend a frickin legend and the best damn college football coach in history 😤!!!! WE ARE

[@kevinchandler179]

​@@hdubya692Moving on is fine !!! But,when a legend got screwed like Joe Pa did its ridiculous and bullshit!!! Throwing a legend who built Happy Valley and Winningest coach ever is something, and it's easy to see the framing of Paterno!!! The president of the University, and head of finance and and Athletic director, looked at it, and said throw Joe under the bus!!! Because, the God damn money 💰 pumping through our program was amazing, and don't kill the golden goose!!! My point is, and Sports Illisratad said, the Roman Empire of college football went down!!! It makes me want to puke still, a legend went down and the freh report was a joke as well!!! The big ten was looking for a witch 🧙‍♀️ hunt, and the legend went down!!!!

[@cakoke4]

Dont like Nike see those shoes James 😂

[@wilburfarms6518]

who knew Justin Fields wanted his own room....

[@averagebloke4474]

All wrong. Bill O'Brien walked into the sanctions not Franklin.

[@averagebloke4474]

I know because I was there.

[@billnyedoesminecraftjoseph8379]

Franklin was still sanctioned, he did in fact walk into sanctions,

[@clarencewalder2985]

​@@averagebloke4474how so? Pen State finally back hopefully it taken Franklin 10 years but he doing it. Hopefully a playoff win national championship. Soon

[@averagebloke4474]

@@clarencewalder2985 typical Penn State fan lacking in the reading comprehension department

[@ams533]

@@averagebloke4474 Anyone with a basic understanding of CFB knows that there is a lag effect to sanctions. When you have multiple classes (2012, 2013, 2014) impacted by sanctions, then you are absolutely going to feel that in subsequent seasons.

[@ThomasJohnson-qg2vz]

Theyll never beat UM,OSU, mid tier program

[@teekay_1]

He's not the best, and he's not the worst. But, if he can't do it over the next two years, it's not getting done.

[@charliebaldanza7691]

Franklin is the opposite of Paterno not everything is winning

[@garyevans4524]

As many great players you get you should have won multiple championships by now same with Ohio state and Michigan maybe not as good coaching as you think

[@nickmarchi4304]

Getting smashed from all angles on commercials .

[@slyde734]

Coach Franklin pretty much guarantees at least one loss each year based on lousy calls, poor clock management or just peeing the bed.

[@Braceman]

James Franklin has done nothing for Penn State since he has been there. This year is the year he needs to make things happen or he is gone..fired. He has a big mouth and no action. Time is now...

[@ams533]

Yeah, the B1G Championship and Rose Bowl win were nothing.

[@Braceman]

@@ams533 2016 and rose bowl last year? So what is that. That is not building a program.

[@kevinchandler179]

He has won 3 out 4 bowl BCS games!!! He is in his early 50's, and has over 100 wins in his career!!!!! You don't know shit about college football!!!!! WE ARE I support you coach Franklin

[@okay.3746]

​@@Bracemanand in 2017 psu won the fiesta bowl and then in 2019 won the cotton bowl

[@Braceman]

@@kevinchandler179 lolol like you know shit dude. Franklin is a loser coach, anywhere else would have been fired already.

[@mikescatena5732]

This is amazing