Fact or Fiction: James Franklin's Punishments, Mizzou Under Pressure, Klubnik's Talking Points

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mike Farrell | Last updated 3/13/24

In today’s Fact or Fiction, I look at three big recent topics in college football and decide whether the statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.

1. James Franklin pushed injured players to play.

Farrell’s take: FICTION

Dr. Scott Lynch is essentially accusing Penn State head football coach James Franklin of tampering with injury decisions during his time there from 2014 to 2019, and the case has been moved to May 20. This hasn’t been national news and personally, I can’t see Franklin getting involved in pushing doctors to return players before they are cleared of injury. This is somewhat of a wrongful termination suit and I don’t think this goes anywhere. Franklin is above this.

2. Missouri is the team under the most pressure to succeed in the SEC.

Farrell’s take: FICTION

Nope, that’s Ole Miss to me. Mizzou had a great season last year and needs to continue to push to avoid a fallback to single-digit wins, but with the portal class Lane Kiffin has amassed, people are predicting a playoff run for the Rebels. Can he win the big games? Will he now benefit from Nick Saban being gone? Those are the questions that need to be answered but make no mistake — this is the year Kiffin needs to break through. He’s not on any hot seat, but he won’t be taken seriously if he doesn’t win big in 2024.

3. Cade Klubnik should have answered differently.

Farrell’s take: FACT

Cade Klubnik is a good kid and a solid player. But when asked about the expectations of the Clemson team in 2024, he said this…“Our goal is to go undefeated…and I fully believe that this is the team that can do it-“ That’s nice and all, but a better answer was available. “We have high expectations but right now, we are focused only on the opener against Georgia and taking things one game at a time.” It’s not a big deal, but why put a bullseye on your back with undefeated talk that Florida State, Louisville, and others can use?

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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