Buckle up, folks! The Lions are ready to face off the Fighting Irish for the Orange Bowl. Already the meters are running high when it comes to college football fans’ excitement. That’s when an old clip of the Penn State Nittany Lions HC James Franklin has gone viral. The stakes are high on Franklin as the HC. After all, he will lead a team into an FBS national championship game for the first time ever this season. As Franklin nears his “goal,” a coaching pioneer wishes nothing but the best. 

College football fans have already marked the date, January 16, Thursday. After all Nittany Lions and the Fighting Irish will be facing off after 18 long years. Yes, you read that right. It will put an end to an 18-year-long hiatus. The last time the two programs faced each other was in 2007 when the Nittany Lions came up with a 31-10 victory. By far, the two programs have played in the Orange Bowl five times. But this time it’s going to be extra special. And who deserves the courtesy? Has to be Penn State HC Franklin. In the video that has gone viral, the Nittany Lions HC openly shared his “goal” of being the first African American head coach to win a college football national championship.

The clip dates back to 2019. Back then in an interview with HBO’s 247 College Football, Franklin poured out his heart sharing about his aspirations. During the interview, the Nittany Lions HC confessed,  “I don’t usually talk about this publicly but my goal has been to be the first African American football coach to win a college national championship. That’s something that’s very historic.” Why wouldn’t it be historic?

After all, over more than a century of college football, there has been no Black head coach. The Orange Bowl gifts fans an opportunity to be part of the historic win. Thanks to Notre Dame’s big win over Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. College football fans, apart from Franklin now have another HC, Fighting Irish’s Marcus Freeman who is also a Black HC. So we now know for sure that there will be at least one Black head coach leading his team to vie for a national championship on Jan. 20. Already they have the support of a legend who has been through their journey. 

How James Franklin and Marcus Freeman shares legacy with legend

If you are a true college football fan, Franklin and Freeman’s journey is bound to remind you of a legend. That’s none other than Tyrone Willingham. The 71-year-old had some important stops through his coaching journey. From 1995 to 2001 he was there at Stanford University. Willingham coached Notre Dame between 2002 and 2004. Finally, he was there at the University of Washington from 2005 to 2008.

During this period, the legend compiled a career college football record of 76–88–1. But his special day was December 31, 2001, when he made history by becoming the first African American football head coach in Notre Dame history. But he couldn’t win the college football national championship. So, Willingham knows how it’s going to be special for both Franklin and Freeman. Sitting at his home in Los Gatos, he shared, “Because it’s never happened before. It’s a first, and we should celebrate all firsts as long as they’re positive. It’s an accomplishment for us as African Americans, especially if you know anything about history.”

James Franklin and Marcus Freeman represent a compelling generational story of how race, opportunity, progress, and winning in big-time college football have evolved. Penn State’s HC’s mother is white and his father is African American while Freeman’s mother is Korean and his father is African American. So, no matter whether Franklin wins or Freeman wins, it’s going to be a win for college football as a whole.