Back in 2018, CBS Sports conducted an ‘anonymous’ FBS coaches’ poll involving 25 head coaches voting their “overrated” head coaches in the FBS. Guess who topped the list? Penn State’s James Franklin, along with Willie Taggart, got the most (20%) votes, while another anonymous coach criticized Franklin’s personality and coaching prowess. 7 years since that poll now, despite making deep into the playoffs last year, James Franklin is still finding it hard to shrug off that tag. But now? The head coach has a reply for people criticizing him before he announces big plans for 2025.

Ryan Day, Kirby Smart, and James Franklin. Guess what the popular sentiment was for these coaches a few years back? The trio together attracted widespread criticism due to not winning the national title despite having the resources to do so. But now? Kirby Smart has already sealed his status as one of the best head coaches in FBS right now, while Ryan Day’s 2024 national title speaks for itself. So, only James Franklin remains in the trifecta not to do that, and that prompted the looming question from Josh Pate.

Josh Pate sat with James Franklin at Penn State’s training field and asked how the “overrated” tag affects him. “ You get compensated a lot. You got good resources here, so no one feels sorry for you. Have you ever thought it’s fair, or it’s unfair? Or do you not care?” James Franklin’s reply? For him, it’s part of the job and the “fanaticism” that comes with the fandom. “ I think is that nobody else cares, so I’m not gonna spend any time on it again. I think at the end of the day, when you took the Penn State job, you knew what came with it,” declared James Franklin. A case can surely be made against the tenure of James Franklin at Penn State.

It’s one thing to lose in a game against Notre Dame, and your receivers don’t catch a single pass in that game. But doing that year after year? The 1-18 record against Top 5 opponents speaks for itself, and the voices grow even louder when you have an $85 million contract and one of the highest-paid coordinators. The 2025 season, in that sense, is pivotal for James Franklin, not only because the 1-10 record against Ohio State needs to end, but also because this is arguably the best team ever for James Franklin at Penn State. And the head coach does have a plan.

James Franklin acknowledged the critical voices and leaned towards “embracing” them, but promised to change the narrative. “ You don’t fill up a 107,000-seat stadium with normal people; fans are sort of fanatics. You drove around this town. Where do they all come from? So, that’s what comes with it, and we embrace that as the best part about all of it. We’re in total control, right? We’re in total control to change the narrative, but I love that, like these are the conversations we have in this, why I came to Penn State,” concluded Franklin. Now, can James Franklin really defy the odds?

Penn State’s running back room is arguably the best in the country, with both 1,000+ yard rushers, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, coming back. Then there are the receiver additions, including Kyron Hudson, Devonte Ross, and Trebor Pena, promising to end the receiving woes. Lastly, Drew Allar is coming back to finally take a giant leap and has 4 of the 5 O-line starters of 2024 to protect him again. Surely, now James Franklin has everything to succeed, right? That said, the calls for ‘firing’ James Franklin are already intensifying.

Prominent CBS analyst threatens to start ‘Fire James Franklin’ movement

James Franklin has been handed a relatively easier schedule that just has Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana being AP top-20 teams. Even in that, beating Indiana would still be relatively uncomplicated compared to giants like Oregon and especially Ohio State. For context, Franklin lost just two games last year in the regular season, with both coming against Oregon and Ohio State. Moreover, against Ohio State, James Franklin’s story is as sad as it can get.

The last time James Franklin defeated Ohio State was in the 2016 season, when Penn State went on to win the Big 10. And this unwanted record has forced a harsh verdict from CBS Sports’ Damien Harris. “At what point do we get tired of just coming up short? Every single year, it’s the same story with James Franklin. You beat the teams you’re supposed to, but once you face Ohio State, once you get to the playoffs, once you finally get that test … every time they come up short,” said Harris, and even called for firing the head coach if he fails to win against top teams in 2025.

“James Franklin, if you don’t get it done this year, then I am going to start the fire James Franklin train immediately,” concluded Harris. However, firing James Franklin would be easier said than done, considering Franklin has a buyout of around $56 million. Spending that kind of money will have wider ramifications on the program, as we saw with Texas A&M when they had to fire Jimbo Fisher, triggering a buyout of a whopping $76 million. For now, though, the Nittany Lions can only wait and watch the 2025 season, hoping for the best.