Why is PENN STATE the SAME TEAM Every Year (Definition of Insanity)

Ever since James Franklin took over as the head coach at Penn State, the Nittany Lions have roughly been the same team each and every season. Franklin cant seem to win big games, they cant get over the hump and they lose to the same teams. Today, I want to talk about how true this really is, what Penn State has been like over the last decade, the stats and how this season compares to the rest, enjoy!

[@ScottFisherCFB]

What topic should I do next? (Need ideas cuz i am looking to upload 100 more times before the end of 2023 :))

[@TanakaSigauke]

Deepest ncaa teams

[@AR18123]

A big topic of discussion is Iowa’s offensive coordinator situation. That would be fun to talk about. Other ideas are Clemson’s downfall, blue bloods being good again, and winners/losers of conference realignment

[@srami004]

Have more discussions on teams like this over what it will take to get over the hump. Is it a staff change, a rebuild, or is it a talent issue?

[@missingbuck]

UCF and Colorado’s meltdowns when they were up 28+ points at home. The Downfall of Clemson and Cincinnati

[@michaelmclinn75]

Good job @ScottFisherCFB

[@Panick07]

Until they beat Michigan or OSU constantly no one will take them seriously no matter what their record is or how much they beat their opponents by

[@nathanvandyke9951]

They're doomed to an eternity of 10-2. It honestly sucks.

[@Derek903871]

Next year that record will get them into a 12 team playoff... I can understand why everyone is so quick to give up on them early in the season because they lost to OSU for the 7th year in a row but if you recall the 2016 season after they had an OT win against Minnesotta they went on to beat OSU and get into the big ten championship. With how things are looking right now PSU is exactly where they need to be to make it into the playoff.. Say they beat Michigan, PSU has a better win than any other team in the country because they will be ranked #2... UGA is not going to lose. FSU even though they suck is not going to lose. Washington/Oregon will destroy themselves and all have 2 losses, which leaves PSU and the winner of OSU/UM in the playoff... I know this sounds crazy right now but I don't think most people realize how football works... With Allar finally opening up and throwing that long TD last week I think that changes the entire year and PSU sneaks into the CFP... Yes a lot of things need to happen but as long as PSU beats michigan there is no reason a 1 loss team to the number #3 team in the country doesn't make it in. If they lose to michigan then yeah I will agree with this video. I just think a lot of things that seem to be, never are what really ends up happening at the end of the season.@@nathanvandyke9951

[@brettk9316]

Michigan couldn't do jack until they cheated so guess they gotta cheat too 🤷‍♂️

[@benbaer4697]

Just osu!

[@user-my2fw9sn3u]

Paterno lost 9 straight games to mich, had only one win in the shoe, beaten mich and osu in the same season only once. Even under Paterno, they have never beaten mich or osu constantly.

[@Chwispy]

As a penn state fan, this is a direct result of James Franklin. He can lead us to a solid season if you give him talent, but he will never win you a championship. He always gets outclassed by the better coaches in the bigger games, simply because he doesn’t seem to make any sort of adjustments when he needs to

[@jacekhansen2644]

Agree he is a horrible game-day coach

[@mikeworkman1759]

Great recruiter, lack luster coach

[@samsprout3713]

We just need someone that will do for our offense what Manny Diaz has for the defense. I don't think Franklin needs to go, he just needs a fuller cast.

[@chino7287]

FACTS!!

[@OleLockAndKey]

THIS!

[@tylerpifer5966]

I can understand why Penn State fans are frustrated, but it’s always good to keep in mind that a large majority of CFB programs would LOVE to have the type of seasons Penn State has had.

[@vivaciousom5347]

Good reminder, Tyler.

[@Know26874]

Nebraska 😂😂

[@shadowmenace1672]

Is Arkansas fans would🙄😂 especially when the SEC is down this year

[@smc4958]

No shame in losing to UM and OSU, two of the best

[@jima5143]

@@smc4958 Year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year...................................

[@tonyconte9100]

If you are covering this topic, you have to mention the new contract including the buyout that James Frankin received. In 2021, when you claim that he is on the "hot seat", he received a 10-year deal with a 64 million dollar buyout.

[@fredred5037]

Happy Valley is a cult. Creepy level of worship.

[@darthsilversith667]

Quality and accurate breakdown of modern Penn State from a Buckeye fan. Cover the collapse of Clemson next 🙏🏻

[@Jaco059]

@@Therealtreit’s fair to say Clemson has collapsed when Rutgers has gone 6-2 and Clemson is 4-4 I mean if I told you 5 years ago in 2023 Rutgers would have more wins through 8 games than Clemson the Clemson fans would’ve laughed you out of the room I don’t hate Clemson it’s just true.

[@wavyjai9158]

⁠@@Jaco059 Yes, add in Dabo and it’s a recipe for disaster.

[@erikb8979]

Lol. Did u see who Rutgers beat though

[@Cooljohn760]

They have a little chance but they have to beat Michigan. I know Penn state expects more but having 9,10,11 win seasons is still extremely impressive.

[@andersoncarter579]

Year in and year out there making the rose bowl or a ny6 bowl with 10 11 wins I’m a Georgia fan and they’ve done good up there and much respect to y’all

[@TimM-wk1zx]

Do beating UMASS and INDIANA is impressive? Stop drinking the Kool-Aid….Franklin is the worst sideline coach in the NCAA….No O Line, and he’s more worried about taking a Helicopter to recruit a kid, than the 10-15 min car ride it would have taken to get there. Alll PSU is doing is creating generational wealth for him and his family. He’s buying mansions in Florida.

[@vivaciousom5347]

@@andersoncarter579 What a kind comment. Thank you.

[@toshow237]

As a fan of a poverty power 5 team that was historically great I’d do anything to be in Penn State’s shoes and be at least one or two wins away from glory every year. Franklin gets a lot of hate but he has built a very respectable program even if they can’t get that big win.

[@nicholasbrowning4558]

Not impressive at all. They beat on the other big ten teams and struggle against even midrange big ten teams They barely beat Indiana who were 2 and 6. They never schedule a Texas or a Notre Dame like Ohio st. does

[@TL-sk6xf]

I’ve thought this for so long. Penn state is just one of those teams who everyone knows is good at football but is never enough to win a championship. Year after year they make the rankings but never follow with anything significant, kinda weird how that works

[@jmbuff1]

Franklin got a 10 year extension last year. He's not going anywhere regardless of the performance. The buyout would be insane. We are married to him now, for better or for worse.

[@user-kp9iy3fc6i]

That depends on your boosters. Texas A&M just fired Jimbo Fisher with a $76 million buyout. The boosters at A&M will pony up for that.

[@dbecker33]

As a Pennsylvanian, who’s not necessarily a PSU fan but appreciates them, I feel like this has been the story for over 20 years. They’re a “bottom of the top” tier program if that makes sense 🤣

[@kirkalbert7972]

Went to Penn State and am a huge fan. Against Ohio State: Franklin's decision to go for it on 4th and 3, on our half of the field, with 7 minutes left, within a score, when we were 0/10+ on 3rd down conversions... Was absolutely mind boggling to me. The pass plays on 3rd and 1 were also mind boggling to me. He is an incredible recruiter, which we needed coming out of the death sentence, but holy shit is the man garbage at game management.

[@matherproductions9146]

Not him pulling the same bullshit against michigan😂

[@weebspegetti2298]

There’s no way you’ve watched the Penn state games this year if you think allar is another hackenberg. This teams biggest issue is that we have no receivers. Franklins issue overall has been consistently bad offensive lines. That’s why we haven’t beaten osu or michigan much. We lose the battle in the trenches every season. It was supposed to be better this year, but we had a starter leave football days before the season started, and now our run blocking sucks. Allar is a dog in the best way though, watch some film instead of living on the stat sheet.

[@kanagawa85]

Last year's WR group were much more talented compare to this year. I was hoping Parker would stay put for another year

[@benbaer4697]

No it's that you play osu.

[@Lightgreen57]

@@benbaer4697 no, the oline just isn’t good. We had lots of 40+ yard runs throughout last season, and now we’ve had none through 8 weeks.

[@goairborne3114]

Nope Allar is definitely another Hackenberg. He can’t consistently execute against great teams. Sure bad play calling. But he’s a Hack. Put the runner in.

[@daveromanyshyn1170]

You hit the nail on the head. As a Penn State fan, I get excited at the beginning of the year at the prospect of a big season, only to be let down as the season progresses and the team gets worse. Going into the end of the season we know we are going to lose the Michigan and we know we are really just not a very good team despite all the height. Most schools would be happy with Franklin because he does win a lot of games. But the big schools require someone better who can win the big games. That is not Franklin.

[@theread3480]

Keep hope alive

[@derricklanders1921]

You don't know what you're talking about...

[@daveromanyshyn1170]

@@derricklanders1921 very specific and thoughtful counter argument. Thanks for your feedback.

[@MizzouAntler]

Great vid man. Don’t let anybody (from a certain Mizzou site) tell you that your channel is a joke. You do a bang-up job.

[@andrewalden8364]

Yeah, go ahead and fire a coach that gets you 10 or 11 wins every year. That worked so well for Nebraska a while back.

[@tylermaxwell820]

Franklin got his bag producing the same team year after year. He’s content going 10-2, which isn’t bad, but we want to compete for a natty at least once every four years or so. Franklin has reached his ceiling and it’s going to be hard for him to keep recruiting at this pace if this is the norm.

[@brettk9316]

10-2 every year will get you in 12 team playoffs now lol

[@jmbuff1]

@@brettk9316And a quick exit

[@bcperry1973]

This one hit home with me. I’m an NC State grad and football season ticket holder. We have had a similar situation, but for about 50 years, when our last ACC conference championship happened.

[@ct3343]

As a Penn State alum, Coach Franklin has proven himself to be a good coach but not an elite coach. I believe Franklin has not reached his ceiling yet! I’ve said it many times Franklin chokes in every way during the big game. His game management when he’s playing just a good team is excellent. When he’s playing a Michigan or Ohio state ranked team his big moment play calling goes absolutely haywire and they look like a whole different team! Penn states talent is much better than a 11-2 team, with correct play calling and consistency + keeping their pieces they will get back to being a college elite in a few years! But Franklin has to make sound decisions in the big game, also great offensive coordinators are hard to come by it seems!

[@BoschhammerActual]

When has he ever proven himself to be a good coach? Forget about just at State, how about over his entire career? A good negotiator, sure. Between recruiting and somehow miraculously keeping the job he’s fucking terrible at every single year with zero improvement or change whatsoever. But all he’s ever done from a coaching perspective is be completely mid. His entire career I would NEVER categorize him as a “good” D1 coach. He’s mid at best, teetering on dogshit. He’s the most consistent and predictable fucking failure in the entire world of football.

[@joshsalmons1867]

I've often wondered this. Besides the nightmare after Sandusky, Penn State is always right below great. QB play seems to be the difference in them going from good and great. They are like VT was under Beamer. Had talent and a good defense but lacked offensive productivity.

[@ram0666]

Penn St had great teams during 70''s,80's and 90's . Mediocre since.

[@ericlindenmuth7517]

Great analysis!!! PSU offense is too predictable! On third and short at least put Beau in, he can pass or run for the first down. They definitely need to get some new receivers for next year...

[@BoschhammerActual]

I’m not sure if any decent receiver is gonna want to come play for this fucking failure. Penn state isn’t a receiver school to begin with. And James Franklin is possibly the worst coach in D1 football

[@goairborne3114]

Yep give the runner more experience.

[@jacobsekela8691]

As long as James Franklin is still coaching PSU football, the program won't be able to take that next step. We haven't beaten Ohio State since 2016 - and it took a fluke miracle to win that one - and we've only beaten Michigan three times since. The fact of the matter is, he simply hasn't won the big games, and yet another horrific loss this year to Ohio State has cemented the sad reality that Franklin just isn't capable of beating good teams. I was absolutely furious when we extended him after our disastrous 2021 season - I was fully expecting him to be fired after getting blown out by Michigan State to end the year. "But a lot of teams would love to be in your position, blah blah blah ..." yeah - always the bridesmaid, NEVER the bride. I'm giving Franklin one more year - I think if he fails to beat Michigan this season, the discussion of potentially firing him may be officially ramped up. If he can't get to the CFP next season, he absolutely needs to go. He's cost this team SO many wins over the last 7 years ... Ohio State in 2017, Ohio State again in 2018, Minnesota and Ohio State yet AGAIN in 2019, Iowa/Illinois/Ohio State in 2021 ... the list goes on and on. How he wasn't fired after our debacle against Illinois in 2021 is beyond me. He's done some good things for this program but he's far, far outstayed his welcome. He needs to man up and stop being so stubborn or he gets the boot, hopefully sooner rather than later.

[@matthewalexander1943]

"that Franklin just isn't capable of beating good teams." Unless you consider Ohio State the only good team, this is absurd. Your program lags behind Ohio State because you are not as committed. That's not on Franklin. Unless the next Bear Bryant is out there for you to snatch, you are best served by staying with him. If you want to beat Ohio State, that starts with commitment to your program, not with finding a different coach who will almost certainly not be as good.

[@kirkalbert7972]

I don't understand being furious at signing an extension with Franklin. He's great at recruiting, and who were we going to replace him with? He is garbage at game management, and I'd be okay moving on, but we need a good coach to move on to. Can't ditch Franklin and replace him with someone worse.

[@derricklanders1921]

Bro, get a life.

[@stephenhaynes3073]

I little bit of clarification on Indiana that I believe is needed, 2 touchdowns were on ridiculously bad plays by the defense. 1 was for 90 some yards were the receiver wasn't even covered, otherwise that game wasn't close. Also, the running game hasn't been explosive all year, not just recently.

[@joekoz3815]

Accurate

[@coloradokruggel2056]

You could technically say that 1 of PSU’s came from terrible IU special teams. If that punt isn’t fumbled, that takes away 1 of their TDs. Which once again makes this game close.

[@mikeworkman1759]

Bro, game was tied with 2 minutes left in the game vs a 2 win team... Michigan will humble Penn State in their own house in a couple weeks. Depending on how bad Penn State loses they'll probably drop out of the top 15, if its like last year they'll drop to like 20.

[@stephenhaynes3073]

@@mikeworkman1759 as you saw from my response, my comment was meant to give insight for the Indiana game from the video, did you watch the video?

[@mikeworkman1759]

@@stephenhaynes3073 yes, I saw that Indiana muffed a punt that made a HUGE difference in the game, that is an error that benefits Penn State that Penn State did nothing to cause unlike Penn State blowing assignments to cover a WR route. Regardless if you are an elite team you shouldn't ever find yourself in a tied game with 2 minutes remaining vs a 2 win team...

[@reubensandwich9249]

The one other aspect of Franklin that I think nobody gets into is the question of what he is actually good at. All the other top coaches in college football have one aspect they specialize at, whether defense or offense that is the team's identity. Day, Chip, and Harbaugh, are offensive coaches. Saban and Smart are primarily defensive minded coaches. What is Franklin, recruiting and speaking to donors? His teams seem lost on either side of the ball depending on who the coordinator is depending on the season. Early success was Morehead on offense until he left yet the defense lacked, now they have success with Diaz on defense yet the offense has seems lackluster.

[@M31-]

A lot of it is due to their offensive design. They still insist on running the RPO even though Trace McSorely graduated in 2019. They don’t recruit the right personnel for their offense and honestly it’s just a big mess that probably won’t get cleaned anytime soon

[@goairborne3114]

Going to get worse. Kids aren’t going to go there when they can go to Alabama or OSU and this years crop will be heading for the exits after the season via the portal.

[@tbdrummer67]

After the latest Michigan scandal, multiple OSU scandals, and various others involving NCAA violations and/or cheating, I think (and it may already exist) EVERY NCAA coaching contract should include a clause that essentially says, "if you are caught violating NCAA rules, you will be fired with no monetary payout".

[@thnkwthprtls4541]

Pretty telling that this came out BEFORE Penn State followed the exact same script again against Michigan, and was still accurate

[@shocken90]

As a penn state fan I'm in this situation where I'm blessed to have such a good team to support, but frustrated in losing the big games every year. We're so close to a national championship, yet so far. But I think I can speak for the vast majority of penn state fans: James Franklin is the coach and we should stick with him.

[@pji1979]

I would say Ohio State and Michigan are currently so close to a national championship, yet so far. Penn State is so close to being consistently at the level of Ohio State and Michigan, yet so far.

[@JT-bm8tq]

This is difficult for me. I’m a grad student at PSU and I came from an undergrad at university of Kansas. So trust me when I say I’ve seen REALLY bad football. Part of me sees that we are a consistently „good“ team and we should just be happy for the ability to my NY6 games regularly, but also I see how we are a historically prestigious team and need to return to the glory of the 80s.

[@jeremiahgeiger]

at least you have KU basketball

[@Valleybaseball7]

PSU was never a year in and year out power. Yes they had a couple championships but were never consistently in the top 5. From 2016-2019, PSU had 3 10+ win seasons. It was the first time they had done that since the early 80s. PSU is historically and currently a top 8-12 program that occasionally has broken through. To expect anything more is putting unrealistic expectations on the program. It doesn’t help that most of the fanbase is anti-NIL and wants things to be the same as the 80s. I say all of this as a lifelong PSU fan and alum haha

[@kenjohnston2426]

We just rarely get better as the season progresses. We get great recruits and they also seem to go backward under our coaching. We will be a 2-3 loss team forever under our coaching staff. That’s great for most programs. Maybe we should just accept it and give up our higher goals.

[@Valleybaseball7]

@@kenjohnston2426 most of the recruiting class are in the 8-15 range and normally that results in finishing in the top 10 Unless PSU spends more on things like NIL, not much will change

[@timmcandrew33]

People are crazy, 11-2 isn’t a bad season

[@farriskhan2352]

The definition of insanity is "the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness". It is NOT doing the same thing and expecting different results. Football teams routinely run up the middle on 4th and 1 and if they get stopped, they still run up the middle with the next 4th and one and expect a different result, because there they know there is a 75% probability that running up the middle will give them the first down. Baseball hitters swing in exactly the same way, sometimes on back-to-back pitches and expect a different result because the next pitch may be the fastball instead of a curve. Actually sane people often "do the same thing and expect a different result"... it actually is the "no emotion", rational response.

[@adspur]

As a WVU fan.I would love for my team to be consistent in having good seasons.People have high expectations.They were saying that about Michigan and they improved.Ohio State loss .It hurts I’m sure.Sometimes teams have your number.

[@BoschhammerActual]

I would genuinely love for penn state to have WVU’s record this year. then maybe, just maybe, they might wake up for just long enough to bin Franklin’s bitch ass and find some actually half competent coaches.

[@jacob-tw9oz]

The problem with college football is people think if you don't win the natty the season was a failure, partially due to the cfp

[@phattylav]

The thing you didn’t really cover is the grift of Franklin’s contract, his pursuit of more money for better coordinators and how PSU has spent hordes of money to modernize the facilities that was once the pinnacle of college football facilities. The university has quadrupled down in regards to spending and there’s zero reason why Franklin can’t get them over the top.

[@tylermerryman7127]

Right, this is what seems to be lost on the majority of those who want to weigh in on PSU. For the better part of the last decade administration and the BoT actively took measures to deemphasize football. Franklin has done everything possible to get the alignment back and for the first time since the Paterno era there seems to be alignment. It was a letdown to not beat OSU, but Franklin still deserves benefit of the doubt with the key caveat being the excuses are now gone. What he does from here, now that they seem to be on level footing with other elite programs, will be very telling of Franklins future.

[@Arcticpokemon]

It’s honestly sad even more sad that we have a generational defense this year and offense can’t get it going

[@Seth655]

The irony of all this is that every time OSU beats them whether it’s a blow out or not everyone acts like they just beat a tough team in Penn State just so they can get a high spot in the CFP rankings

[@BoschhammerActual]

The most beloved ohio tradition. Being absolutely gifted a dogshit win, inflated by dogshit rankings, just to get molested by a decent football team. Rinse and repeat. Still seems a little nicer than having the biggest failure in college football at the helm of what would otherwise be an elite program with literally anyone else in the world at head coach. 😂 I wish I was exaggerating

[@marquiesriley6479]

Franklin is what he is…..he’s an avg coach that does just enough to not lose his job….

[@chandlerwhite8302]

It s very simple: their offense does a Houdini like disappearing act every time they play Ohio State or Michigan. Franklin becomes ultra conservative and makes himself very predictable. It never fails.

[@dougmorris5625]

Sadly, many of us bought into the "hype". The offense became boring, boring, boring. No running game, no passing game. No excitement. Yes, they won, but it was not pretty. Defense was fun to watch, but offense was broken. Only when Beau got it was there any hint of excitement but Franklin kept him on the bench for some strange reason.

[@theonenationpopulist]

They’ll be 10-2 again, and they’ll get completely thumped by Michigan

[@goingforgold_8536]

I understand your frustration, but you CANNOT fire a Coach averaging 10 wins a season. I’m a husker fan, and the single largest mistake we ever made was firing Bo Pelini. I know y’all want to take the jump, but I’m legitimately serious, at 10+ wins a season the probability you’ll get a coach that averages better is impossibly low

[@rickkawtoski9344]

I'm a Penn State alumnus and fan. James Franklin is a great recruiter, but not a great coach. He gets out coached by not only Ohio State and Michigan every year,but usually by a couple other coaches every year. The talent on the team usually covers up those games, except for Ohio State and Michigan. Until he can beat Ohio State and Michigan, we'll always be third! But Penn State usually gets into a New Years Bowl, so they never get rid of him.Every couple years there is talk of some school looking at him to try to draw him to come coach for them ( namely USC),and he uses this as leverage to get a bigger contract,and PSU caves in, because they get into a major Bowl game. It's a never ending circle. The idea should be to win a national championship. He only gets them so far. You watch him on the sidelines against Ohio State and Michigan,and he looks confused and yes,out coached! If a school wants him badly enough,PSU should just let him walk.

[@sshady7272]

Penn State Will ALWAYS be a secondary team on the national stage as long as James Franklin is the coach, period!

[@chaseschneier1076]

EXACTLY! Franklin = Overpriced + Underproductive

[@Valleybaseball7]

Franklin is the 12th highest paid coach and PSU is top 25 with their facilities and NIL. If anything, he actually over achieves with what he is given. At worst he’s doing exactly what is expected. People think he’s overrated, but he’s fairly rated.

[@TimM-wk1zx]

Compared to other Coaches and Facilities on Campus….Russ Rose won numerous titles IN A GYM….Cael Sanderson came in and dominated….On a wrestling mat. The weak spot is the coach, and he’s the highest paid state employee in PA. Hypothetically, if Saban came to PSU, what would the recruiting class look like, and how many years till PSU would be in the playoffs?

[@Valleybaseball7]

@@TimM-wk1zx My guy this isn’t the own you think it is…. 1- PSU volleyball and wrestling are top spenders for their sports…. So yeah they performed and perform at a high level. There’s only ~50 D1 Wrestling programs and PSU is one of the only schools to actually put money in it. Yes Cael is amazing but he gets more support in comparison to Franklin. 2- Realistically Saban wouldn’t come to PSU unless PSU committed to spend like Bama does. Franklin is a top 10 coach making not top 10 money. Any realistic option for PSU that’s not Franklin would have at best similar results, probably worse results. Even Saban would struggle without the current level of support he gets.

[@tsully4368]

Will Levis threw 4 TD's for the Tennessee Titans. CJF let him walk, sticking with Clifford instead. CJF Franklin is now stubbornly sticking with Allar. Will Beau transfer out too? Let's see what he's got when Allar is struggling.

[@jonathancastellon8180]

Levis wasnt better than Clifford at the time, Allar has been good the entire season until these past 2 weeks where he and the offense where not in sync against OSU and the indiana game well he was average. Allar has the talent but they need to get some damn receivers to let him go all out

[@tsully4368]

@@jonathancastellon8180 - Levis developed, Clifford didn't. Allar did OK against cupcakes.

[@zuhaibfalik4804]

@@tsully4368 Levis always had intangibles. He could throw and he had a big frame.

[@williamkeene9032]

Penn state under James Franklin is in the same situation that Georgia was in under Mark Richt. Always there but never quite right. Georgia fired him and brought in Kirby smart. 2 national championships later, they're #1 in the polls. Fire Franklin and bring in the next Kirby smart.

[@jmbuff1]

Franklin got a 10 year deal last year, with an insane buyout. He isn't going anywhere.

[@Valleybaseball7]

Kirby didn’t want to go to Georgia until they committed to spend like Bama. So unless PSU commits to that, they won’t get Bama results.

[@williamkeene9032]

​@@Valleybaseball7I think you have a point.

[@Valleybaseball7]

@@williamkeene9032 Franklin is the 12th highest paid coach and PSU is top 25 with their facilities and NIL. If anything, he actually over achieves with what he is given. At worst he’s doing exactly what is expected. People think he’s overrated, but he’s fairly rated.

[@jmbuff1]

@@Valleybaseball7 I don't agree because you can see what is completely independent of all of those variables, and that is his in-game decisions and management. He does NOT make half-time adjustments and he is a poor decision maker late in games and in crunch time. Those issues have nothing to do with facilities. When Paterno took over in the late 60's, PSU was not a top 5 school for facilities, revenue, etc, but yet still they grew into that because of him, not the other way around.

[@BValt123]

Can recruit at an elite level, coach at a good level.

[@ralphgreenjr.2466]

All Coach Franklin does is give PSU 10-2 seasons, major bowl games, Top ten rating, and student athletes that are really college students. It could be worse, look what happened to Nebraska. They got tired of Bo Pelini going 10-2/9-3, competitive, major bowl game every year. They ran him out and haven't seen 10 wins since. Coach Franklin is a class act and I am an OSU Alum.

[@nicholasbrowning4558]

His horrendous record vs. Top ten teams speaks for itself. They are ranked top ten every year until they play top teams. Then it is swoon time. He is a good coach not great and he will never be elite. Look at the Indiana game

[@johngittings4673]

Not sure Penn State is underperforming. Ohio State and Michigan (through shady means but still) are simply better programs. The Nittany Lions current situation reminds me of my favorite team, Wisconsin, back in early-mid last decade. Badgers always looked like they had a team capable of breaking through but lost a lot of close games and just couldn’t quite get into that championship tier. Three most frustrating seasons were in 2011, 2016, and 2017. In ‘11, they had Russell Wilson at QB and their usual dominant running attack but had an uncharacteristically suspect defense and lost to Michigan State and a mediocre Ohio State team on back to back Hail Marys. In ‘16, they had close losses to Ohio State and Michigan and then blew a huge lead in the B1G championship against Penn State. In ‘17, they were 12-0 with a CFP berth right there for them only to lose another B1G championship to a 2-loss OSU team.

[@kchall5]

They are simply not recruiting at the level of their prime competitors. They are recruiting well but not at an elite level. It reflects in the results against the Big Two.

[@kmir224]

Michigan doesn't recruit at an elite level either, they use the portal to supplement some gaps on their roster. PSU doesn't have an offensive identity. just seems like a mish-mash of talented players w/o a commitment to any kind of philosophy

[@zuhaibfalik4804]

@@kmir224 this year outside of the running backs they just don't have elite or really good wideout talent. Take that Ohio State game. It was basically a wash the whole game until OSU scored to lead 20-6 but OSU had the edge because they have Marvin Harrison Jr. and PSU has noone close to that level on offense. That defense can only do so much

[@mrrazrback2471]

Penn st fans need to take a long look at Nebraska and really consider if moving on from Franklin is the right move. Grass is not always greener.

[@danajohnson6794]

It’s not just wins and losses, it’s how you coach in the moment. Franklin is a terrible in game coach. Every big game he does something stupid like for example going for it on 4th down around midfield ended the Ohio State game when a punt was the obvious smart play in a field position battle. As a Michigan fan I love Franklin, because you can count on him to put his team in a bad situation

[@johnwylie9266]

Even in 2016, when the won the Big Ten, they lost to Pitt and were massacred at Michigan 49-10. And if not for an awfully officiated game in Columbus, when Michigan played OSU, Michigan would have won the Big Ten. So even when they’ve been on top, their fans haven’t been able to puff their chests out too much.

[@chino7287]

I'm so glad you made this video! I was telling my son how overrated Franklin is. He gives us false hopes year in & year out. As you stated, he tends to take care of weaker/mediocre teams but always seems to lose the big ones against Ohio St & Michigan. We are what are coach is...

[@BoschhammerActual]

“Overrated” is generous. “Dogshit” is more apt, or how about the good old “retarded?” You can’t come up with a word too negative, there is no hyperbole 😂 that’s how bad James Franklin is. There are shit stains on the walls in beaver stadium with more brainpower than psu’s coaching staff

[@jarynbradford5921]

The answer to your question is "James Franklin". As a coach / game manager, he seems consistently unprepared for the games that matter (Ohio State, Michigan and occasionally when facing the top team from the BIG West). His game management / play calling decisions at crucial points of the game usually don't work out (either he makes a poor decision, or his players are ill-prepared to execute at those crucial times). His supporters defend him by stating that he's a great recruiter - which may be true - but he seems to lack that secret something that will ever enable the teams he coaches to ever become elite.

[@tbdrummer67]

Exactly! Run the ball twice up the middle for no gain - what should we do on 3rd? Oh! Same play! He doesn't know how to adjust, or worse, get his players to adjust, when a plan isn't working.

[@aaronrider4051]

Thanks for the insipid hot takes. You have a bright future in mainstream journalism.

[@BoschhammerActual]

Not a hot take. Here’s a hot take, “Franklin is not retarded.” Here’s a statement of fact, it’s fucking clinically INSANE to keep his ass around. Poverty franchise forever apparently.

[@noelramirez1551]

They're like ole miss every year they're ranked like 12 or 13 and might loose a game get pushed back and then win a few games and get pushed back around 12-14 and the cycle repeats next year

[@jamesweikel2594]

Because they chose Franklin when there were two better head coaches up for the job, they chose to be diverse instead of getting the best coach for the job

[@NanditoBuell]

Unfortunately it’s questionable coaching decisions in crucial moments, inconsistent QB play and this year in particular, I would add that they lack the receiving weapons they’ve had in the past. The WRs on this current team don’t come anywhere near OSU for example. I do believe next year will be much better. Allar has the potential to really become elite. Keep in mind she’s a sophomore but a first year starter. Give him time. By that point, the running back core will also be even better.

[@jamess2293]

The questionable coaching decisions really haven’t been a thing since 2018.

[@jmbuff1]

PSU has had a ton of top receivers the last 10 years, and still the record is the same at the end.

[@vivaciousom5347]

Please edit your comment so it doesn’t use “she” for Drew Allar.

[@davemac320]

Sorry - but EVERY YEAR, it's "wait until next year". Next year, they play Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Washington back-to-back. We'll be lucky to go 7-5 "next year" at the current Franklin mediocrity we've become accustomed to. Things aren't going to change for about, oh, 3-4 year when we decide we can afford the payout because the loss of revenue to keep JF on will exceed the payout required to terminate his contract. Personally, I just don't think he cares. He knows he's getting the "big bucks", and to him that's just fine.

[@bigballerproductions4684]

“Consistently underperforming” last years started unranked went 11-2 with losses to playoff teams and killed a top ten team in the rose bowl. Such a casual take

[@bigballerproductions4684]

Glad I watched the full vid where u walked back what u said in the intro😹

[@TheRealBearB]

I’ve watched Franklin and PSU closely for his decade at the school and I think there’s two main points that keep them from being truly great: 1. Consistently bad to terrible offensive lines. Penn State has had NFL talent all over their offense except their O-line. The talent doesn’t matter if your QB has one second to throw the ball and your RBs get no blocking. This has been consistent for the entire Franklin tenure: their offensive line is always so much worse than either Osu or Michigan. 2. Franklin is legitimately one of the worst in-game coaches in college football right now. Absolutely baffling decisions every single week and every big game he coaches he ramps up the mistakes ten fold. Running the ball at Chase Young on 4th and 6 with the game on the line, kicking field goals down 28-0 in the first half, running trick plays that never ever seem to work, going for two when it makes no sense to, the list goes on. I don’t think that’s something he’ll ever grow out of. If Penn State wants to keep Franklin they need him to hire a good OL coach and play caller on offense and keep his gameday decisions to a minimum. Franklin is a great recruiter and could be a good CEO coach but he is way too hands on to the detriment of his program

[@rampant59]

James Franklin team's will always be just good enough to not quite be able to beat the top teams.

[@BosMass617]

Penn St. is way too comfortable with meaningless eleven win seasons. No Big Ten championships, just random bowl games. Unacceptable by OSU standards. Chugging along fine by PSU standards.

[@Arcticpokemon]

Drew Allar legit broke the record for most pass attempts with a int I think he’s doing just fine he’s also 19 when Bo Nix is like 25

[@scottd1903]

Said it before the season 10-2 and problems with the passing game. Easiest prediction of the year. Even though psu fans thought allar was going to be their savior when he had never started a single game and they lost their 2 best WRs and best TE and it shows.

[@stevebonta1936]

As a PSU graduate, onetime employee, and fan of more than forty years, I see the Franklin good-but-not-great theme as a continuation of the later Paterno years. JoePa should have hung it up after the undefeated season of 1994 -- the only time in 30 years that Penn State has truly dominated the Big Ten, and the only great Paterno team post-1986. Since then, both Paterno and Franklin recruited tons of talent, only to put together predictably underwhelming 9 and 10-win seasons. This is part of the good ol' boy institutional culture at Penn State, though. Unlike the OSUs and the Alabamas, they never actually fire anyone for being merely good. And by the way, this inability to make the tough decisions is also what allowed the Jerry Sandusky scandal to happen--everyone sort of knew about it in the admin, but no one was willing to take decisive action because, gee, feelings might get hurt. And we all saw what happened as a result. But that's the Happy Valley way, and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

[@darby_dz]

Manny Diaz has had some great defenses the last few years, and they're just wasting them sad.

[@brettk9316]

He will be gone for a HC job somewhere.

[@teekay_1]

Still believe the issue is that Franklin is buddy-buddy with the players instead of challenging them to be excellent.

[@jackattack0744]

they go through the same thing as notre dame but notre dame doesn’t get the excuse of “a lot of cfb teams would kill for their level of success” like penn state does

[@BoschhammerActual]

I would kill to see penn state go 1-12. You have no fucking idea. Would they finally manage to smarten up enough to fire Franklin? They’re fucking idiots, so probably not. But it would be so great to watch Franklin lose again and again and again and be miserable all the time. That’s how he makes the rest of us feel when he reliably pisses away games that actually matter. NOBODY is impressed when he beats a poverty franchise except complete retards and penn state administrators, not that there’s a difference apparently

[@SagerWorld]

In a 12 team playoff, PSU can afford to be where they’re at. James Franklin has them at their ceiling and I can’t be mad at it

[@SagerWorld]

If 10-2 is considered a disappointment, Penn State will follow the Nebraska route to irrelevance

[@joekoz3815]

Buckeye fan here, I have seen Franklin make very strange calls against Ohio State. He always found a way to lose games he should have won. Good luck and thanks for the wins.

[@BoschhammerActual]

Osu fans get so hype to get gifted shit wins every year just to be molested by a decent team

[@Crunchy_Troll]

They should just fire James Franklin He’s just a mediocre coach But Penn state won’t fire him because of his consistency Also his offensive is just so predictable Spam two running backs and have a game manager type QB to make sure they don’t turn over the ball While the defense do everything else

[@Huntersmokescrack]

PSU alum here. I said it before and I’ll say it again. Franklin is a politician and not a coach. He says all the right things, but never follows through on what he says.

[@goairborne3114]

Have to disagree about Franklin being a good coach. He’s a moron, he couldn’t coach a HS team. After the horrendous play calling against OSU, he admitted should have run more, but doesn’t get involved in the play calling. I was floored. Perhaps he should just watch the game from a bar? They fired the offensive coordinator, as they should, but not Franklin who should be managing these guys. After the loss to Michigan, sports pundits are saying, looks like Franklin didn’t want to win the game. What the hell does he do? Fire him, and find a brand name guy out there with winning experience at highest levels, they can certainly afford that. They should have had several championships with the sequan teams, but no. Fire his mediocre ass, else players will be running for the portals, which they should. I do share your observation that Allar seems to be another Hackenberg. One final thought. If you didn’t know the NFL is rigged. All games follow a script and players sign a NDA. Confirmation by many ex players. And if they go off script, the officials take over. Not suggesting all college games are rigged, but perhaps ones defining the playoff teams? The officials are horrific. The polls are fixed and politicized, stats ate flawed and misleading because you can’t statistically normalize results for teams from different conferences, media also very biased and talk through their asses, hyping one team over another. It’s all about money. PSU beat OSU one year, won the big 10 championship, only one loss, yet failed to make the playoffs, sending in OSU for the fourth spot, a team they beat. What’s going on? Until Franklin goes, the insanity will continue. The kids that play their hearts out, deserve better, the taxpayers of PA deserve better. It’s just sad, like the rest of the country. Anyway I rather watch wrestling. Good piece.

[@donaldharper8632]

I am a Gator fan. I would take 11-2 every year with losses to UGA and Bama. Not gonna lie.

[@Zana205]

This aged well, not that anyone who knows James Franklin would think differently

[@Legendkiller6945]

The offensive play-calling is predictable, the o-line is terrible, the wide receivers are mediocre at best, and the tight ends are underutilized

[@orangelab6846]

I watched a game against Michigan a couple years ago. They tried a fake punt, it worked. Worst thing that could have happened. He tried it twice more that game. Gee, didn't work. If you need 2 yards, keep your offense out there. Why would you rely on the punter/ st unit to get you first downs consistently in a game? Once was enough.

[@woflover3610]

Scott, the real definition of insanity which I had commented elsewhere more than 2 weeks ago is James Franklin's lack of a Plan 'B' going into a game. As much of a slugfest as the Ohio State game was, there wasn't any reason why Penn State couldn't have won that game aside from the fact that Penn State kept trying to do the same plays over and over when it was crystal clear to anybody watching it that Ohio State had their formations and play calling worked out. I won't put as much fault with Drew as you or some others might because of 2 important factors. First, it's his first year on the big stage and playing in Columbus isn't easy and I am still glad we had Drew after being stubbornly saddled with Clifford for 6 years. Secondly, the offensive line isn't getting the job done. If you watched that Ohio State game, Ohio State was just steamrolling our offensive line and Drew had NO time to do anything on almost every play and at a certain point a QB gets tired of being hit and everything gets rushed. This all goes back to the predictability of the play calling and Franklin's lack of a Plan B when entering any game.

[@aaronsams8605]

Right now the offense just needs development and experience. Drew Allar has all the tools to take this team out of indy with a win

[@bcperry1973]

Story idea: there’s a kid at UNC Charlotte that was a 5 star recruit coming out of high school. He started at Alabama before transferring

[@NCFcards]

You are insane too, changing up the energy so quickly

[@BigRonJ77]

JF wont ever admit that the RPO read option gimmick is suited for Conference USA and The Sun Belt Conference. You're not beating the SEC and competing for the National Championship like that.

[@MrOccyc]

Things are certainly different when the schedule doesn’t have any more Akrons or Delawares coming up.

[@o0oDangerMan]

As a WVU fan, I’d take Franklin any day

[@sisco302]

It is Penn State’s style of play that doesn’t match up well against Michigan or Ohio State. The lack of explosiveness in the passing game is the biggest difference. And largely why they lose repeatedly to UM and OSU.

[@1962LIBBY]

State is consistently the 10 th to 12 th best team in the country for decades. Apparently their ceiling. Stunningly unimaginative against top teams.

[@WolverineIncognito]

If you thought this year was gonna be different, you haven’t been watching UM

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

That’s largely because Penn State hasn’t had a great QB under center since the mid 1990s

[@adangbe]

Hackenburg ?

[@samelmudir]

Pennsylvania used to be the QB state

[@nicholastaiariol2631]

@@adangbesackenburg

[@loganalt]

Drew A isn’t a bad QB it’s just bad coaching. Give to OSU and he’d be a star after 2 years of development

[@davehanson455]

Trace mcsorley

[@isaiah5654]

From a Temple alum. Penn state and the cowboys are the exact same team. Big moments cause big heartbreaks😂😂

[@wc3362]

Its the Mark Richt effect at UGA. Cant get over the hump or win the big games, despite getting 10 wins. Still, UGA fired him, hired Kirby Smart and won 2 championships since then. So until PSU beats Michigan and Ohio State, they will hit a wall and stay in 3rd place forever.

[@300jet]

No one outside of Pennsylvania ever thinks they have a legitimate chance at a National Championship. They’re not even ever legitimately close.

[@Borrow919]

Not throwing the ball deep permits opposing defenses to stack the box against the run.. hence, no big plays in the run or pass game. I miss Joe Moorehead. His offense in '17 scored 80 total points against Michigan and Ohio State combined.

[@constantlypondering]

Nice one Voss

[@SteintheKid]

Video suggestion for you.... "Why Florida State, Clemson and UNC would be foolish to leave the ACC just for more revenue." Especially since we are now witnessing how badly Clemson is collapsing, and how UNC is beyond Hot and Cold while still IN THE ACC. Alternate option: Why Oregon State and Washington State should join either the Big12 or ACC ASAP.

[@ricos_road6328]

James Franklin ran a jet sweep on 4&5 against Ohio state when we had mcsorely. That sums up his coaching career.

[@NotHaydenMoss]

Nothing is going to change, yet the 12 team playoff is going to save James Franklin's job

[@BoschhammerActual]

No it’s not. 12 team playoffs just mean more big games for Franklin, and more teams he has to play that aren’t complete poverty franchises. We all know how those go.

[@independentears]

Man, good video. Michigan fan here. I think what people miss is the assistant couches. Head coach has final say but coordinators run the offense and defense. Remember rich rod at michigan? Awesome offense. Wouldn't fire defensive couch cause theyvwere friends. Ultimately lost his job. Look at the quarterbacks coach or recruiting. You guys are close. Gotta find that weak link

[@tylermerryman7127]

Have to imagine Yurcich is on the hotseat, but Franklin has never shy'd away from firing coordinators.

[@srami004]

Who should be coaching this team???? That's the real question. On the plus side, Penn State seemed to move on from the scandal. Con: You're saying that this team is in need of an upgrade. Looks like they need a total rebuild. Let everyone go and probably start from scratch.

[@BoschhammerActual]

You don’t move on from the scandal, it just becomes something else. James Franklin is fucking this team harder than Sandusky ever did. And the school knows about it, and they console us by extending his contract 10 years 😂 “Insanity” is too nice a word. “Retardation” fits better.

[@pp3k3jamail]

💥💥The narrative that James Franklin cannot win big games is absolutely fact now. 1-6 vs Top 10 Teams At Home 5-9 vs Ranked Teams at Home 1-8 vs Top 5 Teams 3-7 vs Michigan 1-9 vs ohio state Michigan HC suspended last minute, and Franklin still couldn’t coach PSU to a win.

[@ivangarcia2115]

It’s always Michigan and notre dame too. Idk why people give them so much credit they always look good but when they play actual good teams they always seem to get clapped. They need to way lower in the AP

[@buccos2004]

Being ungrateful for the last 2 seasons: 19-3 record and a Rose Bowl victory, is the definition of insanity.