Tag: James Franklin

Penn State’s signing day haul down to 2 players after decommitments

Posted on | by Field Level Media

And then there were two.

A flurry of decommitments this week, including two Wednesday morning, left Penn State with just a single member of its Class of 2026 until a second one entered the fold Wednesday afternoon.

The two members of the Nittany Lions’ 2026 class are Jackson Ford, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge rusher from Malvern (Pa.) Prep, and Peyton Falzone, a four-star quarterback from Nazareth (Pa.) High School.

The 247Sports composite lists Ford as a four-star prospect, ranked No. 25 overall at his position. Falzone is listed at No. 20 at quarterback.

Penn State still does not have a head coach after the firing of longtime head coach James Franklin in October.

Ford said he had no concerns about joining a depleted Penn State class. Several past commits made other plans after Franklin’s departure, with some of them joining their coach at his new school, Virginia Tech.

In all, 25 players decommitted from Penn State.

Ford said he “100% believes they’re going to be building it up again” at Penn State. And he wants to put in the work at his state’s flagship school.

“I’m just going to be a high-motor guy and have great energy in the locker room, just trying to lift as many people as I can with my attitude, how I talk, and how I play,” Ford said live on CBS Sports College Football’s YouTube channel Wednesday afternoon.

Falzone previously had been committed to the Nittany Lions but decommitted in June. He returned to join Ford later in the day.

The early signing period runs through the end of the week, and players will have other signing opportunities, once the new coaching staff is known.

–Field Level Media

Four-star QB Troy Huhn following James Franklin to Virginia Tech

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Four-star quarterback Troy Huhn became the latest player to follow former Penn State head coach James Franklin to Virginia Tech, announcing his commitment to the Hokies’ Class of 2026 Monday.

Huhn, who is ranked as the No. 21 quarterback in the 2026 class by the 247Sports composite, initially committed to Penn State in June 2024. He decommitted four days after Franklin was fired in mid-October when the Nittany Lions — No. 2 in the AP preseason poll — lost 22-21 to visiting Northwestern and fell to 3-3 on the season and 0-3 in the Big Ten.

A 6-foot-4, 215-pounder, Huhn completed 75% of his passes for 2,438 yards and 29 touchdowns with eight rushing scores in his senior season at Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, Calif., per ESPN.

Huhn’s announcement came hours after three-star quarterback recruit Cole Bergeron, ranked No. 34 by the 247Sports composite, decommitted from Virginia Tech.

The move by Huhn marks the fifth player to switch from committing to Penn State to Virginia Tech since Franklin’s move. Others changing uniforms are running back Messiah Mickens, tight end Pierce Petersohn and offensive tackles Marlen Bright and Roseby Lubintus.

–Field Level Media

James Franklin: Virginia Tech not going to ‘lead with money’ in NIL era

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New Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin said he still plans to build the football program on long-term player development and old-school values, despite the significant recent shifts in college sports in the NIL era.

“I’m a big believer that this is still a developmental game for young men — developing them on the football field, developing them in the classroom, and developing them to be prepared for the next phase of their lives,” Franklin said in his introductory press conference Wednesday.

“I still believe you can run your program with an old-school perspective. I want this to be transformational, not transactional.”

Franklin, 53, was hired Monday to replace Brent Pry, his former defensive coordinator at Penn State, who was fired in September after going 0-3 this season and 16-24 over four seasons with the Hokies.

Franklin boasts a 128-60 record over 15 seasons at the helm of Penn State and Vanderbilt. He took the Nittany Lions to the 2024 College Football Playoff and won the 2016 Big Ten championship. His 104 wins in 12 seasons at Penn State were second-most in school history, and he is one of just three active FBS coaches with a winning percentage at 68% or higher over the past 14 seasons.

The Langhorne, Pa., native, who served as an assistant at Maryland and James Madison, heavily recruited the I-95 corridor while at Penn State, including the DMV area — a major recruitment area for Virginia Tech.

While saying that Virginia Tech must stay competitive in the NIL environment, he also said money is not going to be one of the top three selling points when it comes to recruiting players.

“We’re not going to lead with money,” he said Wednesday. “I want young men to choose our program because it’s where they want to be. But we do need to be competitive with other schools, because it doesn’t make sense to ask these young people to walk away from significant money.”

Franklin acknowledged the challenges created by the recent dramatic acceleration of movement within the transfer portal and the related focus on NIL by many athletes. However, he said he doesn’t believe the Hokies have to abandon previous ways of building a solid program and that he doesn’t want to become too dependent on the portal.

“In Year 1, we’ll probably use the portal differently than we will in future years,” Franklin said. “… If you’re a portal team and you live by the portal, then every year you’re going to have to live by the portal. It’s hard to ever get out of that cycle.”

Virginia Tech last won 10 games in 2016. Frank Beamer led the Hokies to 10 or more wins in each season from 2004-11.

Philip Montgomery is the interim coach after the firing of Pry. The Hokies are 3-4 under Montgomery with games against Miami and Virginia Tech remaining.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Virginia Tech close to hiring James Franklin

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A month after he was fired by Penn State, James Franklin will soon be the new head coach at Virginia Tech, multiple media outlets reported Monday.

Franklin, 53, boasts a 128-60 record over 15 seasons at the helm of Penn State and Vanderbilt. He took the Nittany Lions to the 2024 College Football Playoff and won the 2016 Big Ten championship.

However, Franklin was dismissed on Oct. 12 after Penn State — No. 2 in the AP preseason poll — lost 22-21 to visiting Northwestern and fell to 3-3 on the season and 0-3 in the Big Ten. Terry Smith was named interim coach and is 1-3 since Franklin was let go.

Franklin succeeds Brent Pry, his former defensive coordinator at Penn State, who went 0-3 this season and 16-24 over four seasons with the Hokies.

To help entice potential coaches to come to Blacksburg, Va., the Hokies’ Board of Visitors passed a plan designed to add $229 million to the athletics budget over the next four years following Fry’s dismissal.

Meanwhile, Penn State, which initially owed Franklin $49 million for his contract, will likely owe him much less depending on the terms of his deal with Virginia Tech.

Arriving in Happy Valley in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl appearance as the program worked to resurrect its reputation.

Franklin’s main difficulty at the helm of the Nittany Lions was winning the big game, as he finished 4-21 against AP Top 10 opponents. He guided the program to six double-digit win seasons, including three straight from 2022-24.

Virginia Tech last won 10 games in 2016. Frank Beamer led the Hokies to 10 or more wins in each season from 2004-11.

Franklin, who served as an assistant at Maryland and James Madison, heavily recruited the I-95 corridor while at Penn State, including the DMV area — a major recruitment area for Virginia Tech.

–Field Level Media

Report: Virginia Tech in talks with James Franklin

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Virginia Tech is in the “early stages” of talks with former Penn State coach James Franklin, ESPN reported Saturday.

There is “mutual interest between the parties” and a decision could be made in the coming days, per the report.

Virginia Tech fired head coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start to his fourth season in Blacksburg. The final straw was a 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion the day before his dismissal.

The Hokies (3-6, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) are 3-3 under interim coach Philip Montgomery heading into Saturday night’s contest at Florida State (4-5, 1-5).

Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12 following a 3-3 start to his 12th season with the Nittany Lions. He ended his tenure with a three-game losing streak against Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern.

Including three seasons at Vanderbilt (2011-13), Franklin owns a career record of 128-60 (.681) that includes an 8-7 record in bowl games. He led Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024.

Franklin, 53, is owed a reported $45 million buyout from Penn State. He also has been linked to the coaching vacancy at Arkansas.

–Field Level Media

Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

James Franklin on Penn State firing: ‘I was in shock’

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Former Penn State coach James Franklin spoke publicly Saturday for the first time since his firing on ESPN’s “College GameDay” set in Athens, Ga.

Franklin said that he was “in shock” after athletic director Pat Kraft informed him of his dismissal 15 minutes before a scheduled team meeting last Sunday.

“The AD walked in and said, ‘We’re going to make a change, I’m sorry,’” Franklin said. “I was in shock, obviously. Really took the next 15 minutes to let my kids know, so they wouldn’t find out on the internet, and then walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving. It really, that was it, it was that quick.”

Penn State made the abrupt change after the Nittany Lions, ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, lost three consecutive games to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern.

Franklin, 53, who guided Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, was asked if he thought the decision to let him go was fair.

“Fair is not for me to decide, right?” he said. “That’s for other people to decide. The decision that was made, that was hard for me to comprehend at the time, but what I want to do, I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments. I had a great run there, 12 years. Penn State was good to me and my family.

“Most importantly, it’s about the players. I’m a players’ coach. I always have been. So that’s the hardest part, walking away from all those young men in that locker room, the commits that were recruited to us. Lot of tough conversations. So that’s the challenge. It’s the people at the end of the day: the coaches, the staff, the families, the kids. What I don’t think people realize is how many people this affects. A ton of people. That’s where my heart breaks.”

Franklin went 104-45 in 11-plus seasons at Penn State and is tied for second-most victories in school history with Rip Engle (1950-65).

He said he is still “working through” what happened.

“To think that essentially six games ago, we were fighting for a chance to be in the national championship, a two-minute drive away,” Franklin said. “So that’s the thing. I really can’t answer that. Twelve years, a ton of good moments, a bunch of big wins. Decisions were made, and I’m not involved in those decisions.”

Penn State owes Franklin a reported buyout of more than $48 million, but he said he isn’t thinking about retirement.

“I’m very, very grateful for the time I had and, most importantly, for the relationships I was able to build,” he said. “I thought we were going to win a national championship. We were close. That goal hasn’t changed. We’re just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State fires coach James Franklin after third straight loss

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Penn State coach James Franklin was fired on Sunday, one day after a 22-21 loss to Northwestern, athletic director Pat Kraft announced.

The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll and forecasted to be national title contenders but are just 3-3 after three consecutive setbacks.

“We hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships,” Kraft said.

Franklin went 104-45 in 11-plus seasons at Penn State and is tied for second most victories in school history with Rip Engle (1950-65). Last season, the Nittany Lions reached the College Football Playoff semifinals before losing 27-24 to Notre Dame.

Franklin, 53, reportedly is owed more than $48 million by Penn State.

Associate head coach Terry Smith was named interim head coach. Smith has been on the Nittany Lions’ staff since Franklin was hired in 2014.

Smith also was a receiver at Penn State from 1987-91 and caught 108 passes for 1,825 yards and 15 touchdowns.

While saying Penn State standards weren’t being met, Kraft saluted Franklin for his accomplishments in Happy Valley.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin, who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” Kraft said. “He won a Big Ten championship, led us to seven New Year’s Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last season.

“However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big ten and national championships.”

The Nittany Lions opened the current season with three straight blowout victories over Nevada, Florida International and Villanova.

Penn State then lost a huge Big Ten showdown at home against then-No. 6 Oregon, falling 30-24 in overtime in front of the annual “White Out” crowd.

On Oct. 4, the Nittany Lions were stunningly upset 42-37 at winless UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Then came Saturday’s sluggish loss to Northwestern when “Fire Franklin” chants broke out from the home fans.

“I take full responsibility for all of it,” Franklin said after the loss. “I hired all the staff, I recruited all the players. I believe in all of them. But we’re not getting it done right now.”

The Nittany Lions fell out of the national rankings on Sunday.

Also, Penn State also lost star quarterback Drew Allar due to a season-ending leg injury against Northwestern.

Franklin’s teams routinely struggled against highly ranked clubs throughout his tenure and he was often criticized for it. Penn State had troubles against the Big Ten’s biggest heavyweights, going 1-10 against Ohio State and 3-7 against Michigan.

Franklin compiled a 24-15 record at Vanderbilt from 2011-13 before landing the Penn State gig.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin (right) shakes hand with Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh (left) following the completion of the game at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Michigan 28-21. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Harbaugh: James Franklin at fault for tunnel incident

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Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh placed the blame on Penn State coach James Franklin for the halftime shouting match between the teams in the tunnel during their Oct. 15 game in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Franklin said after the game that a policy should be in place to prevent future incidents, but Harbaugh told reporters Monday that neither the tunnel nor a policy caused the incident.

“Like you saw, pretty clearly, that (Penn State players) completely stopped. They weren’t letting us get up the tunnel,” Harbaugh said. “And it just seemed like such a sophomoric ploy to try to keep us out of our locker rooms. And (Franklin) looked like he was the ringleader of the whole thing.”

Franklin said he would like there to be a buffer when the teams head to their locker rooms, and that having one tunnel is a problem.

“All there has to be is a two-minute or minute buffer in between the two teams,” Franklin said at the time. “This team is in before that team gets close and however we want to do it. But we’re not the first team that’s had issues like that.”

Harbaugh said he has moved on and is preparing his team to face rival Michigan State on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Micah Parsons (11) reacts to a defensive play against the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

All-American Parsons not returning to Penn State

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All-American linebacker Micah Parsons will not be returning to Penn State.

Coach James Franklin confirmed Wednesday that Parsons, who opted out of the season amid the coronavirus pandemic, will remain out.

“That won’t be happening,” Franklin said of a prospective return.

Franklin said on Sept. 19, after the Big Ten announced football would be played this fall after all, that he and Parsons were discussing the situation.

“We’re still having conversations with Micah. He’s been great. I think he’s excited about the opportunity,” Franklin said.

Parsons, projected as a top-10 pick in the 2021 draft, announced on social media on Aug. 6 that he didn’t want to risk contracting the coronavirus and spreading it to his 2-year-old son, Malcolm. That consideration, he said, “far outweighed my urge to play football” this season.

“There’s healthy dialogue going on,” Franklin said earlier this month. “At the end of the day if it’s right for Micah and his family, then we want to show them the path to get it done here at Penn State.”

Parsons signed with an agent and would have had to take steps to have his eligibility restored should he return for his junior season.

In two seasons with the Nittany Lions, he played in 26 games and recorded 192 tackles, including 19 for loss, to go along with 6.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.

Four other potential first-round picks — CB Shaun Wade and OL Wyatt Davis of Ohio State, OL Jalen Mayfield of Michigan and WR Rashod Bateman of Minnesota – opted back in after the Big Ten announcement. Only Bateman is still waiting for an NCAA waiver that will allow him to play, though he has received a waiver to practice.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Micah Parsons (11) reacts to a defensive play as teammate safety Lamont Wade (38) looks on against the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Franklin: LB Parsons could return to Penn State

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All-American linebacker Micah Parsons is mulling a return to Penn State after opting out to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

That’s according to Nittany Lions coach James Franklin, who said on Fox Sports’ college football pregame show on Saturday that the door is open.

“We’re still having conversations with Micah. He’s been great. I think he’s excited about the opportunity,” Franklin said.

Parsons, projected as a top-10 pick in the 2021 draft, announced on social media on Aug. 6 that he didn’t want to risk contracting the coronavirus and spreading it to his 2-year-old son, Malcolm. That consideration, he said, “far outweighed my urge to play football this season.”

Parsons signed with an agent and would have to take steps to have his eligibility restored should he return for his junior season.

“There’s healthy dialogue going on,” Franklin said. “At the end of the day if it’s right for Micah and his family, then we want to show them the path to get it done here at Penn State.”

Parsons might have tipped his hand at having second thoughts about opting out. On Thursday, a day after Big Ten leaders voted to reinstate the fall football season, Parsons posted this on Twitter:

“At this age I never seen so many hard decisions I’ve been faced with!,” Parsons said.

From Harrisburg, Pa., Parsons was ranked as the No. 5 player overall in the Class of 2018 by the 247Sports composite.

In two seasons with the Nittany Lions, he played in 26 games and recorded 192 tackles, including 19 for loss, to go along with 6.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.

In 2019, Parsons was a consensus All-American. In the Cotton Bowl last December, in which Penn State beat Memphis 53-39, Parsons had 14 tackles, two sacks, three TFLs and two forced fumbles. That was his eighth game of the season with at least 10 tackles.

Parsons said last month that he had four classes remaining and was on track to graduate in December.

On Friday, Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman, another potential first-round pick, opted back in to the season. Coach P.J. Fleck said he had been cleared to return to practice but that he will still need a separate waiver to play. Bateman also signed with an agent.

–Field Level Media