Todd McShay: Not a James Franklin fan.
The former ESPN and current The Ringer NFL Draft analyst has not been shy about sharing his opinions freely these days. He’s taken the media to task over the way they’ve framed Arch Manning. He’s knocked Mel Kiper, Jr. for never going out on a limb. He recently called Paul Finebaum a “rat” and “one of the all-time cowards.”
McShay seems to have gotten the Finebaum disdain out of his system and has instead trained his ire on former Penn State head coach James Franklin.
Franklin, who was fired last week following the Nittany Lions’ quick descent from national title contender to also-ran, made his first post-firing media appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday. The former head coach got plenty of praise from GameDay analyst Nick Saban, but McShay, watching from home, had a different take on the interview.
“Of course James Franklin is doing a live interview on GameDay just a few days after being fired,” wrote McShay on X. “Messaging. Image protection. It’s what he does best.”
On its own, it’s a feisty take. However, when you look at what McShay has been saying about Franklin for the past week, it paints a much sharper picture.
“I’m thrilled Penn State made the decision they did,” McShay told Dan Dakich on his OutKick show. “Image, selfishness, agenda – eventually that kind of leadership rears its ugly head. I think James Franklin got away with it entirely too long.”
And then there’s what McShay had to say about Franklin in his newsletter the day before Franklin was fired.
“After Penn State lost to Oregon, when James Franklin made excuses rather than taking accountability, I kept thinking about that message (‘Selfish leadership eventually gets found out. When things go wrong, poor leadership gets exposed’),” wrote McShay. “And after three straight losses, I think it’s time for school leadership above the head coach to step in and ensure the level of accountability that’s necessary for a big-time college program to succeed. More bluntly, I think Penn State needs to fire James Franklin this week. It won’t save the season but it will allow the players to play with a level of freedom and ease that they are not going to have as long as Franklin is still the head coach.”
We don’t know if there’s a deeper story here or if McShay just never bought into Franklin as a big-time college football head coach and leader. But clearly, McShay is not afraid to call him out over what he perceives as the former PSU coach’s deficiencies.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.