Former Penn State coach James Franklin referred to Penn State during his first public comments since taking the Virginia Tech job, but he didn’t say “Penn State.”
“We poured our heart and soul into the last place for the last 12 years,” Franklin said. “Learned a lot of lessons, got tremendous experience, and obviously we’re going to take all of those experiences and knowledge and bring it here to Virginia Tech.”
Most of that quote is unmemorable.
Franklin learned a lot of lessons at Penn State, and those lessons contributed to a great deal of success: five New Year’s Six Bowl wins, five top-10 finishes, and six double-digit win seasons.
He also got tremendous experience, with 12 of his 15 seasons as a college head coach being in Happy Valley.
But referring to Penn State as “the last place” is going to raise a few eyebrows.
To be fair, Franklin would use terms like “previous institution” when discussing players that had transferred from elsewhere, so this isn’t inconsistent with his past phrasing.
‘PENN STATE WAS GOOD TO ME’
In Franklin’s first comments after Penn State fired him, he did mention Penn State by name.
“Penn State was good to me and my family,” Franklin said on College GameDay.
People who watched that segment also might have noticed that Franklin referred to athletic director Pat Kraft simply by his title, not using his name.
It’s hard to know exactly how Franklin feels about Penn State, as it has now been more than a month since his firing.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.But Franklin’s future is now clear: He’ll be coaching at Virginia Tech.
SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN
The first question Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors asked Franklin was, “Do you like Metallica?”
Those who would dismiss that as a weird question don’t understand Virginia Tech.
One of Metallica’s signature songs, “Enter Sandman,” is the anthem for Virginia Tech football, and the soundtrack for what some would argue is the most iconic entrance in the sport.
Franklin didn’t pretend to be a Metallica fan, but made it clear that he appreciates the tradition.
“I’m more kind of a R&B, rap, hip-hop type of guy to be honest with you,” Franklin said. “But obviously, that is special.
Franklin then mentioned a guy Penn State fans are familiar with.
“You guys know Brent Pry, who was your previous head coach, was on my staff for nine years, and he was so excited when Metallica came for the first time in concert this summer,” Franklin said. “But yeah, you’re entrance is as good as it gets. Whether it’s the core of cadets and just the passion in the stadium, it’s special. So I look forward to it.
“I’ve been part of some pretty good college environments, but I’m excited to run out of that tunnel for the first time.”
