Penn State coach James Franklin loudly booed before game vs. Northwestern
Penn State coach James Franklin didn’t even need Saturday’s homecoming game to kick off before he heard it from fans.
The Beaver Stadium crowd loudly booed Franklin during on-field lineup introductions when his name and photo flashed across the video boards. There was very little reaction to the players being announced, outside of cheers for running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and light booing for quarterback Drew Allar.
Franklin was not booed during team arrival outside the stadium or when he did his pregame walk around the stadium, but one fan was spotted with a paper bag on their head that read “Fire Franklin” on it.
This was not the first time he’s heard criticism from fans in Beaver Stadium this season. There were “Fire Franklin” chants during the White Out against Oregon and he was accosted by fans as he walked through the tunnel following that game.
The reaction this week was expected after the team’s 3-2 start to the season that includes a loss to a UCLA team that hadn’t led against any of its four prior opponents this year.
And even Franklin said he knew there could be contentiousness at Saturday’s homecoming matchup with the Wildcats.
“We’ve had this in the past. I obviously don’t want it. Nobody wants it,” Franklin said following the team’s Wednesday night practice. “I want the players to have a great experience. I want the coaches to have a great experience. I want the fans to feel good and be excited, and I know that we impact their mood for the week and the year. So I get it. Do I like it? Am I happy about it? No, but I get it. This is a place that’s got high expectations and high standards.”
It wasn’t just football that let him hear it this week, either. The men’s hockey’s student section — the Roar Zone — loudly started a “Fire Franklin” chant after the Nittany Lions gave up a goal against Clarkson in the first period of the team’s Thursday night matchup with the Golden Knights. The student section then did it again after another goal later on.
There was another attempt at the same chant after Clarkson scored to open Friday night’s game, but it failed to gain much traction.
Franklin and the Nittany Lions will have to win their final seven games of the regular season if they hope to make the College Football Playoff. The remaining schedule includes matchups with Iowa and Ohio State on the road and games against Indiana and Nebraska in Beaver Stadium.
This story was originally published October 11, 2025 at 3:33 PM.
