James Franklin Wednesday Media Notebook

Penn State football head coach James Franklin addressed the media on Wednesday evening ahead of the team’s return home against Northwestern.

1. Preaching Honesty And Accountability Following Two-Game Stretch

After losing in back-to-back weeks to Oregon and UCLA, Franklin learned a lot about honesty. Where it starts with him is being honest with “[himself], being honest with the staff [and] being honest with the players.” He also admitted that being honest with the media is “hard to do sometimes” but that it is the “first step” following the offseason changes. Franklin also preached accountability, saying that it all starts with “all of [the team] looking in the mirror and making the adjustments [they] can make and owning it.”

2. Briefing Northwestern

Franklin discussed Northwestern head coach David Braun and the roster as a whole, noting that the Wildcats are “usually an old team” in terms of experience. He also pointed out that the Wildcats “play hard” and for them, “what they do, they do well.” Franklin noted that, despite the changes for Northwestern, “there [are] still a lot of similarities with how they’re playing [and] how they’re constructed.” Franklin hinted at the team’s solid use of the transfer portal as the Wildcats brought in 15 transfers, most notably SMU transfer quarterback Preston Stone who is now their leading signal-caller.