ESPN’s Paul Finebaum did not hold back when discussing Penn State’s stunning loss to UCLA, suggesting that head coach James Franklin may have reached the end of the road in Happy Valley. During his Sunday morning appearance on ESPN, Finebaum implied that the program should start asking whether Franklin is still the right man for the job.
“It’s not statistically the worst loss of all time,” Finebaum said. “But it feels like the worst loss I’ve ever seen. And, I think for James Franklin, it is going to haunt him because what does he have to do now? He has to run the strait of Indiana and Ohio State. And what reason would any person have to think he can beat Ohio State in Columbus now?”
That was just the start of Finebaum’s criticism. He went further, questioning Franklin’s long-term security with Penn State and flatly stating that the school can “do better.”
“The bigger issue for James Franklin is keeping his job,” Finebaum continued. “And I know what the buyout is, and I know what his record is, but, at some point, you have to determine, can we do better? And, I’m telling you right now, Penn State can do better than James Franklin. It just feels like the gas is leaking all over the runway. That game yesterday, it changed the narrative from he can’t win the big one to, now he can’t win the little one either.”
While the story doesn’t have a direct impact on the Big 12, there is still a familiar connection. Before his rise as a head coach, James Franklin served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Ron Prince at Kansas State from 2006–2007, giving him early Big 12 experience before moving on to Vanderbilt and later Penn State. That history adds an interesting footnote for conference followers who remember his brief time in Manhattan during the early years of his coaching career.
If Franklin can rally his team and find a way to win in Columbus, he might quiet the noise. But if the slide continues, Finebaum’s comments could end up sounding less like criticism and more like prophecy.
