© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Audio By Carbonatix
James Franklin is prepping for the 2025 college football season after leading Penn State to a playoff appearance last year. It was his best campaign to date in State College.
He hopes to build upon that success this fall. Fans got an early look at his progress at the Spring Game on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions went 11-1 in the regular season in ’24. They fell in the Big Ten Championship Game to Oregon but earned an at-large bid to the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
After beating Boise State, they fell to Notre Dame to finish the year at 13-3. They’re now looking to get back to the postseason with what should be a loaded roster.
Over the weekend, Penn State held its annual Spring Game. Despite the anticipation for what lies ahead, not everyone in the crowd was happy with James Franklin.
One attendee called the coach a “fraud” while watching from the stands. Franklin responded by confronting the fan.
Penn State head coach James Franklin gets into an argument with a fan at the Penn State Blue White game @espn @BleacherReport pic.twitter.com/aCq4pzotKr
— . (@t1nkerzz) April 26, 2025
The unruly fan ruffled Franklin’s feathers. The social media response was split on interaction. Some called the Penn State patron out.
“That fan needs to get a life,” wrote one X user. “It’s super weird to have your own fans against you,” said another.
Others, though, couldn’t help but point to the poor optics. “I know what was said,” commented this particular follower. “It was childish and if Franklin can’t handle that, he doesn’t belong as the head coach.”
James Franklin was clearly bothered by the criticism, warranted or not. It’s not the first time he’s had a negative interaction with his own fanbase.
Last November, he yelled at someone in the stands after being booed during a home loss to Ohio State. It represented his 10th loss to the Buckeyes in 11 tries. It was also another failed attempt to win a big game.
That inability to succeed on the big stage has some unsure if he’ll ever get over the hump with the Nittany Lions. That feeling of uncertainty reared its head once again on Saturday.