Finebaum: James Franklin ‘the Problem’ With Penn State Football

ll I I u James Franklin has received a lot of criticism in his time at Penn State, and this season, it’s been heating up over the past two weeks.

On Oct. 21, Penn State lost at Ohio State, dropping Franklin’s mark against OSU to 1-9.

The next week, PSU beat Indiana, but needed a touchdown in the last two minutes to do it as 32-point favorites.

Franklin is a polarizing figure both in and out of Happy Valley, and the national media is no exception. One of the biggest names in college football media gave his two cents on Franklin earlier this week.

“Penn State, they’re a good team,” Paul Finebaum said on the Matt Barrie Show.

“We buried Penn State last week. And, you know, they still have the same coach, and that’s the problem.”

Finebaum didn’t get specific on what he doesn’t like about Franklin or why Penn State would be better off with somebody else in charge.

He went into deeper detail the previous Sunday after the Ohio State loss.

“He has one more shot (for a big win this season) and, raise your hand— and I don’t see any— if you think he’s going to beat Michigan at home,” Finebaum said. “He’s in a gray area where he has a good program, 10-win program, is it enough? I don’t think many Penn State fans today really believe it is.”

Franklin signed a 10-year contact extension in November 2021. It’s almost impossible to see Franklin leaving PSU anytime soon unless he does so willingly or the program takes a total nosedive. So love Franklin or hate him, he’ll be in charge for quite some time.