Some have criticized Penn State football coach James Franklin as the team prepares to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinals on Thursday night. With people making predictions for the Penn State football game, the school’s athletic director (AD) defends Franklin as they pursue a national title.
There is no disputing that Franklin’s Nittany Lions have struggled against the country’s top ten AP teams, with records of 4-19 and 3-10 when his own team is rated in that area. The difficulties continue versus Top 5 opponents, with a record of 1-14, the last time being in 2016 against No. 2 Ohio State, but AD Patrick Kraft said the program believes in Franklin, according to ESPN.
“I’m not going to give credence to the criticism, because I see it differently,” Kraft said. “When I arrived, I was shocked at the infrastructure and how everything was set up, as well as how far behind we were. Yes, victories and losses are what we are all evaluated on, but I will tell you that the culture of that facility and the young men he recruits and graduates are unparalleled.”
“You don’t see behind the curtain as a fan or just someone watching,” Kraft went on, “and when you get behind the curtain, culture and family ooze out for me.” That is how it was established, but the infrastructure behind it did not fit the culture, and we still have a long way to go. So, obviously, we want to win every single game—that’s the objective for every program—but seeing what he’s done and that consistency is what’s astounding to me.
Penn State football’s James Franklin looks to prove critics wrong
However, the acknowledged troubles against top-ranked teams were alleviated when the Penn State football team defeated Boise State, who was rated third, though some challenge this given that they were Mountain West conference winners. They also defeated No. 11-ranked SMU, and some would argue that they had the easiest trip to the semifinals.
Franklin is aware of the charges leveled against him, as coach spoke about holding himself accountable following the Nov. 2 defeat to the Buckeyes, who were ranked fourth at the time.
“Nobody is looking in the mirror harder than I am,” Franklin remarked. “I’ve said this before, but 99% of the programs across college football would die to do what we’ve been able to do in our time here.”
Another candidate for head coach was first-year Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who stated that he had heard such critiques about Franklin while at Indiana and that he is eager to disrupt the narrative.
“Now that I’m here and I see the behind-the-scenes and the day-to-day and see how much of a bulldog he is, he’s a bulldog for the details and the little things and just being on top of everything,” Allen told me. “Those comments are unfair to me, but they will continue to exist until you win those big games. And I believe we all, as coaches, understand that.”
The next chance to disprove the naysayers comes Thursday against No. 7 Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl.