James Franklin: Cael Sanderson delivers ‘powerful’ message to Penn State football program

Cael Sanderson is a few weeks away from attempting to lead Penn State wrestling to a fourth consecutive National Championship and the program’s 12th in 14 years. But before his team takes the mats, the legendary head coach made his way across campus to the Nittany Lions football complex as James Franklin and his squad prepare for a primetime showdown with Wisconsin on Saturday night.

Midseason Motivation 🗣️🐐@PennStateFball x @CaelSanderson pic.twitter.com/giHnDnxtEP

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 20, 2024

“Obviously, Cael has done a phenomenal job and is universally respected, not only across campus and in the community, but I know on our team specifically and in our locker room,” James Franklin said in his weekly press conference Monday after the Penn State football social media accounts posted about the talk Sunday evening. “He came this summer, and I thought his message really resonated with our guys, so we brought him back to kind of double down on it.

“It was good, but typically we have coaches, ADs, administrators, all these people come during the summer, and Cael was one of those guys this summer and did a nice job, like I mentioned, and I wanted to bring him back during the bye week and double down on it.

“Really, his message is really very consistent with the messages that we give our guys all the time. It’s just a different voice delivering that, which is powerful. So it’s not the same message that we’re delivering from the same people. It’s a similar message.

“I think a lot of it is about being present, being appreciate, have appreciation, and then the other one is controlling the things that you can control and not inhaling or reading or listening to outside voices or words, was really the message.”

Franklin invited Cael Sanderson to speak near the end of the Nittany Lions’ training camp in August. The Penn State wrestling head coach is considered the greatest college wrestler of all time, having finished a perfect 159-0 and winning four individual National Championships.

Since taking over the Penn State wrestling program in 2011, Sanderson has built one of the most dominant dynasties in NCAA history. Bringing that pedigree and mentality into the facility for a program competing for a playoff spot and its first national title since 1986 can only be beneficial.

Cael Sanderson and Penn State wrestling are chasing history

During the 2024 NCAA Championships, Penn State wrestling broke two longstanding records for team points scored (172.5) and final point differential (100). Cael Sanderson also tied former Oklahoma State head coach Ed Gallagher for 11 national titles and is now only four behind longtime Iowa coach Dan Gable’s 15 titles. While Gable retired early at 49 due to health reasons, Sanderson is only 45 and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The Nittany Lions enter 2024 with seven wrestlers ranked in the preseason top 10 of their respective weight classes. With 125 and 197 pounds still up for grabs, this year’s team could challenge 2001 Minnesota as the only program to have all 10 wrestlers finish as All-Americans. This year’s lineup has the talent level to potentially have five individual National Champions, which would also be an NCAA record.

Penn State wrestling enters the season on a 56-dual winning streak, well within reach of the program record of 60 set between 2016 and 2019. However, the national record of 76, held by Oklahoma State from 1937 to 1951, would have to wait until 2025-26 to be broken.

The Nittany Lions’ season begins with the NWCA All-Star Classic on November 16, followed by a dual with Drexel the next day.

James Franklin and the Nittany Lions looking to keep perfect record alive in Madison

Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

On the other side of town, James Franklin and Penn State football have steadily built momentum to begin 2024. The Nittany Lions are off to a 6-0 start and ranked No. 3 in the country.

But if the Nittany Lions have it their stride, it’s certainly come at the right time. Coming off the second of two byes, the latter half of the schedule kicks off with two of the season’s most difficult tests.

On Saturday, Penn State football will travel to take on Wisconsin under the lights in Camp Randall Stadium. After losing by double digits to Alabama and USC, the Badgers have won their last three contests by a combined 101 points.

“I think really the last three weeks, they’ve played their best football,” Franklin said. “They’re really coming on right now. Just watching them on tape how clean they’re playing, how hard they’re playing, it’s impressive to watch.”

Next week, the Nittany Lions will welcome No. 4 Ohio State to Happy Valley, a game announced Monday afternoon as a noon kick on FOX.

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