James Franklin responds to criticism, pressure at Penn State: ‘This is what comes with it’

As expectations rise at Penn State, James Franklin has drawn criticism for performances in big games. Most recently, the Nittany Lions had a chance to make a statement against Ohio State last year and also saw Notre Dame come back to win the Orange Bowl in the College Football Playoff.

Franklin responded to that pressure Tuesday night while speaking with Josh Pate. He’s embracing it, saying that was part of the allure to the Penn State job when he took it.

Franklin acknowledged the passion of the Nittany Lions fan base and said the program embraces the chatter. He also said the program controls its destiny, which makes it easier to deal with that kind of outside noise.

“What I think is that nobody else cares, so I’m not going to spend any time on it,” Franklin said on Josh Pate’s College Football Show. “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. You don’t fill up 107,000 seat stadium with normal people. Fans is short for fanatics. … So that’s what comes with it, and we embrace that.

“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.”

Why Penn State is facing high expectations in 2025

Penn State is widely viewed as a possible title contender this year after last season’s semifinal loss. The Nittany Lions have a slew of key pieces coming back, notably on offense at quarterback and running back.

Drew Allar opted to forego the NFL Draft and come back for another go-round at Penn State, and he’ll have both pieces of his backfield returning with him. The two-headed monster of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are also back in the fold for 2025 after leading a Top-20 rushing attack in 2024.

Those key pieces – not to mention a strong offensive line and a pass-rush anchored by Dani Dennis-Sutton – are part of the reason Penn State is getting so much chatter this offseason. The Nittany Lions came in as the favorite to win the Big Ten in the conference’s preseason media poll, conducted by Cleveland.com. They also overhauled the wide receiver room, which was a point of weakness.

Now, James Franklin’s group will look to prove it can live up to those expectations. Penn State will open the 2025 season Aug. 30 against Nevada.