James Franklin isn’t backing down from the noise. Penn State’s head coach fired back at critics questioning his ability to win big games, insisting his team controls its destiny.
The Nittany Lions enter 2025 ranked No. 2 nationally with +750 championship odds. Yet Franklin faces familiar questions about his ability to deliver when it matters most.
Franklin Dismisses Critics, Embraces Penn State Pressure
Franklin addressed the skepticism directly during an appearance on Josh Pate’s College Football Show.
Pate brought up how coaches like Kirby Smart and Ryan Day faced similar “can’t win the big one” criticism before breaking through with national championships. He then asked Franklin about this, “Have you ever thought it’s fair? It’s unfair? Or do you not care?”
“Well, what I think is that nobody else cares. So I’m not going to spend any time on it,” Franklin said. “Again, I think at the end of the day, when you took the Penn State job, you knew what came with it. When you decided to be the quarterback at Penn State, this is what comes with it.”
K̵i̵r̵b̵y̵ ̵S̵m̵a̵r̵t̵ ̵c̵a̵n̵’̵t̵ ̵w̵i̵n̵ ̵t̵h̵e̵ ̵b̵i̵g̵ ̵o̵n̵e̵
̵R̵y̵a̵n̵ ̵D̵a̵y̵ ̵c̵a̵n̵’̵t̵ ̵w̵i̵n̵ ̵t̵h̵e̵ ̵b̵i̵g̵ ̵o̵n̵e̵
James Franklin can’t win the big one…⏳ pic.twitter.com/NfPmdxsjsi
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) August 20, 2025
He embraced the intense environment at Penn State. “You don’t fill up 107,000 seats stadium with normal people. Fans is short for fanatics, right? You drove around this town. Where do they all come from? So that’s what comes with it. And we embrace that.”
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Franklin doubled his belief about Penn State’s potential, saying, “The best part about all of it, we’re in total control. We’re in total control to change the narrative. But I love that these are the conversations we’re in. That’s why I came to Penn State.”
Franklin Seeks Saban’s Counsel on Handling Pressure
In the show, Pate asked Franklin about what he had personally worked on to improve in the last year, during which Franklin mentioned that he had recently reached out to Nick Saban for guidance.
“I’m on a walk the other day. I pick up the phone and call Coach Saban, right? Like ‘you’ve been in this situation before,'” Franklin explained. “He had really good feedback, as you can imagine.”
Saban’s advice backed up what Franklin already believed. “A lot of times it’s not that they’re going to tell you anything different. They’re reinforcing what you already know and there’s value in that.”
The chat seems to have boosted Franklin’s confidence in dismissing critics. His belief that Penn State can control its story matches how Saban handled pressure during his championship runs.
The Stakes Have Never Been Higher
Penn State returns 14 starters from last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal team. The Nittany Lions finished 13-2, reaching the Orange Bowl before falling 27-24 to Notre Dame after holding a 10-point lead.
Despite that success, Franklin still faces criticism about winning the biggest games. The Notre Dame loss highlighted his team’s pattern of coming up short when they have a real shot at the title game. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum recently said Franklin “does not handle pressure well,” pointing to blown leads against Ohio State and Notre Dame.
The skepticism runs deeper than recent setbacks. Franklin is 4-19 against AP Top 10 teams at Penn State and has never beaten a top-5 opponent except once. Critics point to his $8.5 million yearly pay and say he hasn’t won enough to match that salary or Penn State’s top-tier resources.
This season matters more because Penn State enters ranked No. 2 with real title hopes. Franklin has his best roster yet, but critics wonder if he can finally come through when everything is on the line.
At least Franklin starts with some breathing room. He gets an early chance to build confidence with a favorable schedule. Penn State opens August 30 against Nevada at 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by Florida International and Villanova before facing Oregon in the White Out game September 27.
Franklin believes this is his best shot in his 12th season with a 101-42 record and contract through 2031. His recent conversation with Saban appears to have reinforced his belief that this team can finally break through when the stakes are highest.
