Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin. Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

James Franklin gets the reception he deserves from Penn State fans

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 8:13 PM ET

Penn State Nittany Lions fans are not happy with head coach James Franklin and made that clear on Saturday.

Franklin was booed when his name was announced and flashed on the scoreboard during the introductions prior to Penn State’s game against Northwestern at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Nobody else had that reaction during the introductions.

Pre-game reaction to James Franklin’s introduction at Penn State. pic.twitter.com/NJWijr7BTg
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) October 11, 2025

Penn State fans have a right to be angry with James Franklin

Penn State fans were expressing their frustration with Franklin over the team’s two-game losing streak — which turned into a three-game losing streak after the shocking 22-21 upset to Northwestern.

The Nittany Lions began the season 3-0 and had easy wins over Nevada, FIU and Villanova. They lost a close one at home to Oregon, 30-24, and then were stunned by previously winless UCLA, 42-37. UCLA had looked like the worst team in college football prior to pulling off that upset win, which had Nittany Lions fans ticked off. But UCLA came out and beat Michigan State 38-13 on Saturday, showing that they seem to be a different team since firing coach DeShaun Foster.

Penn State has had three straight double-digit win seasons. The Nittany Lions finished last season ranked No. 4 in the country after reaching the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Their fans are used to that standard now and are not happy seeing so many losses, especially to a previously winless team.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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