SEC Coach CALLS OUT Penn State For Firing James Franklin!
27 May 2026

SEC Coach CALLS OUT Penn State For Firing James Franklin!

Locked On Nittany Lions - Daily Podcast On Penn State Nittany Lions Football & Wrestling

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Steve Sarkisian called out Penn State football over the way James Franklin was fired, but the full Penn State context tells a very different story. This episode breaks down why Penn State’s decision was not about one bad month, but a long-term big-game problem, the Oregon losses, the UCLA and Northwestern collapse, and the larger question of whether Franklin’s tenure had reached its ceiling.

We also discuss the Chaz Coleman situation at Tennessee, Penn State’s NIL approach, Matt Campbell’s early roster management, Derek Hoosier’s role as general manager, and why the Nittany Lions may have avoided a major mistake by refusing to overextend for one transfer portal pass rusher.

This matters because Penn State is entering a new era where coaching decisions, NIL spending, roster retention, and Big Ten title contention are all connected. The question is whether Penn State’s new staff can build a more complete, more disciplined roster than the one that came up short in the biggest moments.

Penn State fans: was Sarkisian wrong, and did Penn State dodge a major NIL problem with Chaz Coleman? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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0:00 Steve Sarkisian Calls Out Penn State

1:15 Sarkisian’s James Franklin Quote

2:25 Why Penn State Did Not Fire Franklin Over One Bad Month

3:00 Oregon Changed the Big Ten Conversation

4:18 Franklin’s Big-Game Problem at Penn State

6:01 UCLA and Northwestern Collapse After Oregon

7:37 Why the Franklin Firing Became Unavoidable

8:17 Best Roster, Jim Knowles, and Penn State’s Expectations

9:06 Chaz Coleman, Tennessee, and NIL Roster Management

10:48 Why This Is Not About Dunking on Coleman

12:03 What Tennessee Is Dealing With Right Now

12:46 How Penn State May Have Avoided a Major Problem

13:41 The Risk of Paying Millions for Potential

15:28 Availability, NIL, and Defensive End Value

16:17 Matt Campbell’s Penn State Roster Interviews

17:34 The Incentive Problem in Modern NIL

19:02 Final Takeaway on Campbell, Hoosier, and Penn State


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