Penn State's James Franklin Says Football Is Only a 'Small Part' of Micah Parsons' Success

After the 'roller-coaster ride' of recruiting, Parsons embraced the Penn State experience, Franklin says.

As he watches Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons transform into the NFL's best defensive player, Penn State coach James Franklin can't help but wonder: What if he had him on the team for 2020 season? Still, Franklin looks back fondly on that time, even though it lasted just two years.

"I'm super proud of him," Franklin said. "I'm super proud of the young man that we recruited really from ninth grade, that took us on a roller-coaster ride during his recruiting process. We had some tough love when he was here. And he looks back at all this stuff with such appreciation now. He's always been super thoughtful. I loved how he embraced the whole Penn State experience."

Parsons, in his third season with the Cowboys, is building a resume not only for NFL Defensive Player of the Year but also for NFL MVP. He has three sacks, four tackles for loss and six quarterback hits in just two games. He rattled New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson relentlessly with two sacks and four hits in the Cowboys' 30-10 Week 2 victory. He is on a very short list of the game's most impactful players, offense or defense. Franklin certainly loves the show (it's great for recruiting) but also appreciates the person Parsons has become.

Four days before Penn State hosts Iowa in the annual "White Out" game, Franklin fielded a question about Parsons. His long, ranging, thoughtful answer threaded several topics around Parsons' development. There was the "roller-coaster ride" during recruiting, the what-if regarding the COVID season that Parsons ultimately didn't play and the warm embrace Parsons has given the program since leaving. Franklin said he was more proud of the fact that Parsons graduated from Penn State in three years than his play in Dallas over the past three seasons.

Parsons returned to Penn State for the season-opening game against West Virginia, making a pre-game tailgate appearance with Saquon Barkley and other former Lions. On Friday before the game, Parsons finally conducted his "share," a Penn State team tradition. Seniors share their stories and what brought them to Penn State at team gatherings the night before games. Since Parsons didn't have a senior (or junior) year, he performed his share nearly four years after his final game. Franklin said that Parsons also recently sent him and former defensive coordinator Brent Pry, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, a 'beautiful, heartfelt, thoughtful message" that was unexpected.

"Although he's having a ridiculous amount of success when it comes to football, I think that's going to be just a small part of Micah's story," Franklin said.

Franklin underscored that point with a story about Parsons that he turned into a larger point regarding NIL. Parsons is quite active on social media, and Franklin noticed one post in which the linebacker was shocked about the cost of a haircut. Which Franklin absolutely embraced, since it led to a larger life lesson.

"I see on social media how frugal he is. I love that," Franklin said. "I used to show the guys videos of [former NFL receiver Chad] Ochocinco. One of the most brilliant things ever is, he wore fake jewelry the entire time he was in the NFL. Why? Because when you're in the NFL, you wear fake jewelry, everybody assumes it's real, and he's not wasting money on things that don't really matter.

"I worry about that a little bit in today's day and age. I'm a supporter of NIL, very much so, but I also worry that it sets up unrealistic expectations of how hard it is to earn a dollar. A lot of times when you're the head football coach and you talk about things like that, people don't want to hear it from me and people in my position. But I worry about that. I hear stories about our guys wasting money on haircuts or turning down NIL opportunities that they don't think pay enough. I worry about it. I worry about unrealistic expectations of how hard it is to earn a dollar in our country and in our world now. I want our guys to appreciate that.

"I think Micah's a great example because I think part of our responsibility as college football coaches that I take very serious is that when our guys leave here that they're equipped and ready to take care of themselves and their families for the next 40 years. I think NIL can be a positive in teaching them lessons about how to manage your money. I think Micah is a great example of that. He's got more money than most people will ever dream of, but he's complaining about how much a haircut costs on social media. I'm super proud of him."

During an interesting answer to a question about Micah Parsons, Penn State coach James Franklin said he "loves" seeing how frugal Parsons is. It led Franklin into some thoughts and worries about NIL.

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— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) September 19, 2023

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