Penn State has something it hadn’t had at any prior point in James Franklin’s tenure, and the head coach revealed what that was on On3Sports’ “Andy & Ari” podcast with Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman.
For those who haven’t noticed, things have been going well with Penn State football.
The team won a school-record 13 games last season and made it to the College Football Playoff for the first time since its inception, making it all the way to the semifinal.
For Franklin, there’s a big reason all of this was possible.
WHAT JAMES SAID
Penn State head coach James Franklin addresses the media after a 33-30 win over USC on Oct. 12, 2024. — Alan Saunders / Nittany Sports Now
Here’s what Franklin said about what Penn State has now that it didn’t before.
“I’m in a situation now where, for really the first time here at Penn State, we have the alignment that I’ve been pounding the table for 12 years,” Franklin said.
So who all is aligned?
“That’s from the board (of trustees) to our president, Neeli Bendapudi, who’s been phenomenal,” he said. “To our athletic director, Pat Kraft, who played football in the Big Ten and understands what it takes. You’ve seen that type of commitment with things that we’ve been able to do.
Franklin then pointed out that he’s had three different athletic directors, with Sandy Barbour and Dave Joyner preceding Kraft, and three presidents, with Eric J. Barron and Rodney Erickson coming before Bendapudi.
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“We’re in a great position right now,” he said. “So when you talk about alignment, we have that in a way that we’ve never had that before.”
James Franklin said something during our interview that merits a 👀.
“I’m in a situation now where where, for really the first time here at Penn State, we have the alignment that I’ve been pounding the table for for 12 years.” pic.twitter.com/3GtH5ZHJNi
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) April 1, 2025
HE’S TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE
Photo by Jordan Leneberg, Nittany Sports Now: James Franklin
Franklin had talked about alignment before, most recently doing so at his pre-spring practice presser March 25.
“Again, doesn’t mean it’s always smooth,” he said, “but I think from my lens and the things I’ve seen, things have been handled really well, and making sure we’re showing everybody the respect that is needed and deserved, while also making difficult decisions that need to be made and moving the program, the university, and athletic department forward.
“Challenging, but from my view, it’s been handled very, very well.”
