Penn State coach James Franklin was in an excellent mood during his weekly press conference Tuesday.
How could we tell?
Well, before every reporter asked a question, the two would talk about coffee.
It all started with Rich Scarcella of the Reading Eagle. Franklin asked Scarcella if he was a coffee guy. It turns out, Scarcella is a “big coffee guy.”
That was all Franklin needed to get rolling.
For the next eight people who asked questions, Franklin either asked them about coffee or they beat him to the punch.
I complied a scorecard to illustrated what turned out to be a fun presser.
James Franklin head football coach (has coffee maker at work, not home)= Ice Cream Sundae > Black
Rich Scarcella, Reading Eagle, (“big coffee guy)= Black coffee > ice cream sundae
Mike Gross, Lancaster Online (“not a coffee purist”): Sweetener and cream > black coffee
Johnny McGonigal, PennLive: Suggests cold brew with “sweet cold foam” on top (Calories: 80, which is 80 more than Franklin wants due to fasting)
Bob Flounders, PennLive: Celsius (“not a lot of calories”)
Ben Jones, StateCollege.com (“likes” coffee, doesn’t “need” it)= Black coffee
Mike Poorman, StateCollege.com: Peppermint tea (“it’s medicinal”)
Mark Brennan, Lions247: Doesn’t drink coffee.
Jared Parker, WJAC: Prefers tea to coffee
Audrey Snyder, The Athletic: Likes both tea and coffee (“no sweeteners,” drinks coffee “first thing in the morning”, tea “Wednesday nights”
Hunter Nourzad, starting center, (“big coffee drinker” per Franklin, favorite unspecified)
Franklin had a similar press conference last season days before Thanksgiving. He asked reporters Thanksgiving related questions. This was three days after Penn State pounded Rutgers, 55-10. So, this type of bonding with reporters is a sign that things are going well in Happy Valley. As is the fact that Penn State’s 4-0 and ranked No. 6 in the country.
#PennState HC James Franklin asked each media member today how they take their coffee.
"Black or like an ice cream sundae?" – @coachjfranklin
So that begs the question, how do you take your coffee? ☕️ pic.twitter.com/CwKyBxeAIH
— Happy Valley Insider (@PennStateRivals) September 26, 2023
