Most overrated coach ever? Media goes after James Franklin as the ‘problem’ with Penn State

Despite sitting at 7-1, it’s no secret that the end of October has been a difficult stretch for Penn State football. The Nittany Lions dropped yet another game to the Ohio State Buckeyes two weeks ago, followed up with a near upset by the two-win Indiana Hoosiers last Saturday. As the face of the program, James Franklin has taken much of the flak from those unhappy with the Nittany Lions’ play on the field. But the intensity of the scrutiny has been dialed up recently, as national media personalities Paul Finebaum and Chris Mad Dog Russo have gone after the Penn State football coach with a newfound ferocity. 

Paul Finebaum, Mad Dog Russo slam James Franklin

James Franklin has long been a polarizing figure in the college football landscape. While some praise the Penn State football coach for leading the Nittany Lions to four 11-win seasons in seven years, others slam Franklin for his 3-16 record against top 10 teams. 

The last few weeks have been no different. Following Penn State’s 20-12 loss at Ohio State, TV and radio personality Mad Dog Russo went after Franklin, calling him a “disgrace.”

Russo was at it again this week. After Penn State football narrowly escaped against 31-point underdog Indiana with a 33-24 win, Russo claimed that the overvaluing of James Franklin has reached historic proportions. 

“If anybody’s going to sit there and say anything about Penn State, Franklin…he might be one of the most overrated college football coaches in the history of the sport,” Russo said. “He never beats a good team. He should have lost to Indiana this past week, for crying out loud.”

But Mad Dog Russo isn’t alone in his criticism of James Franklin. In recent days, another quote has made its rounds in the college football world, this time from ESPN’s Paul Finebaum. On the Matt Barie Show on Sunday, Finebaum slammed Franklin, saying that he is the problem with Penn State football.

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

Penn State football coach responds to critics

James Franklin has taken on some of the criticism in recent weeks. In the days following the Ohio State game, Franklin acknowledged that it is fair to judge him on Penn State’s record against top teams during his tenure.

The Penn State football coach has also talked repeatedly since the Ohio State game about the balance between answering the media’s questions and not compromising anyone in his program by doing so. 

Last night at media availability following practice, Franklin addressed some of the negative narratives around Penn State again. While not specifically referencing the comments made by Finebaum or Russo, James Franklin did focus on the hyper-fixation in the local media when Penn State doesn’t win in dominating fashion.

“There’s teams that are ranked as the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 teams in the country, and they struggle to get a win. And no one talks about that,” Franklin said. “But when we struggle to get a win, or it’s not as pretty, then everybody’s like, overly concerned, in my opinion.”

“It’s a long season; you’re not going to dominate every single week,” he continued. “You’ve got to find ways to win however you do it. You gotta learn from the wins, you gotta learn from the challenges, and you gotta learn from the setbacks. You have to be transparent with yourself and with your team…And then, when we don’t play as well as people think we should but still win, I’m not going to get into that. I’m not going to apologize for winning.”

Penn State football starts a difficult three-game stretch by traveling to Maryland this weekend. Home dates with Michigan and Rutgers follow.

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