James Franklin: 'I Am Fiercely Loyal to Penn State'

'I think I have shown my loyalty to this team, to this program, to this community,' Franklin said.

Penn State coach James Franklin said that he is "fiercely loyal" to the program, his players and the community but also called discussions of his future "challenging."

Franklin, who has been mentioned as a candidate for coaching jobs at USC and LSU, faced questions again this week about his future as the Lions prepared to play No. 5 Ohio State. On Tuesday, Franklin discussed his decision to change representation before the season and his "commitment" to Penn State.

And on Wednesday, Franklin met with reporters after practice in State College, where he reiterated his loyalty to the program but referenced other factors in play. (Watch the video above.)

"I think I have shown my loyalty to this team, to this program, to this community. I think I’ve been pretty consistent with that," Franklin said. "There's times that you’re put in challenging situations, and I just always want to be able, when I say something, it’s done, and it’s in stone. And when you’re talking about the future, that can be challenging at times.

"So I am fiercely loyal to Penn State. I am fiercely loyal, most importantly, to these players and the staff. But there's a lot of moving parts with all of these things."

Franklin, in his eighth season at Penn State, has referenced his commitment to the program before. The coach addressed reports that he could be a candidate at USC before the Lions hosted Auburn, saying he planned to handle the matter internally.

On Wednesday, Franklin spoke more about those relationships.

"For me, that’s what it’s all about," he said. "It’s about my relationships with these players, and the staff, and the people in that Lasch Building, and the people in the community. And I think if people really would just take a minute and kind of think about how we’ve conducted ourselves over eight years in the community and everything else, I think our actions have aligned with that every step of the way.”

Franklin also said that coaches face "challenging situations" when discussing their futures publicly.

"At some point, I'd love to sit down with you guys over a beer and talk through all of this in detail, kind of how it goes, the challenging situations that coaches are put in sometimes," Franklin told reporters in State College. "Especially if you're trying to be honest and upfront with everybody, and that's something that's very, very important to me."

Franklin is in the second year of a new six-year contract he signed in 2020. He is scheduled to make $5.5 million guaranteed this season, with a $500,000 retention bonus payable if he is the coach Dec. 31.

Read more

James Franklin addresses his 'commitment' to Penn State

How Sean Clifford plans to renew his run game at Ohio State

Jahan Dotson on the overtime opportunity vs. Illinois: 'Plays like that haunt me'