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James Franklin gets into it with fan at Penn State spring game

by:Alex Byington•about 13 hours•

_AlexByington

Syndication: Hanover Evening Sun
Penn State head football coach James Franklin reacts to something on the sideline during the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in State College. The White team defeated the Blue team, 10-8.

Penn State head coach James Franklin got into a bit of a heated back-and-forth with a Nittany Lions fan or fans during the team’s Spring game on Saturday, according to video posted to X/Twitter. The video was shot by another Penn State fan that is to the right of the group Franklin was speaking to and doesn’t show the fans involved.

“I’d be happy to talk to you about it. If you want to come talk to me after the game, I’d be happy to talk to you about it,” Franklin is heard yelling as he walks toward the endzone stands on a video posted by @t1nkerzz, who revealed the fan allegedly called Franklin “a fraud” in an attached comment.

After a little back-and-forth, Franklin then directs a Penn State staff member to “get his name.”

“Who said it? I’d be happy to have a conversation,” Franklin added before walking away, only to turn back around and wish someone in the crowd a “Happy Birthday.”

Suffice it to say, it was an interesting interaction for a head football coach to have with his own fans.

James Franklin rips roster limit confusion in House settlement: ‘I don’t like it at all’

The pending House Settlement is expected to cause massive shakeups in college sports, which many schools are already preparing for. However, before the settlement is going to be approved, more details need to be agreed upon, including roster limits, which have become a sticking point in the negotiations.

Judge Claudia Wilken is being tasked with approving the House Settlement when the time comes. However, she now says that attorneys have 14 days to either phase in or grandfather roster limits as a part of the agreement. That would be instead of immediately adding roster limits to schools.

For many head coaches, like James Franklin at Penn State, the threat of roster limits is frustrating. It’s expected to take away depth and effectively limit walk-ons at college programs. So, while Franklin is against roster limits he’s also paying close attention to the House Settlement.

“I don’t like it,” Franklin said. “Yeah, I don’t like it at all. As you guys know, I’m a D-II football player. I went to college on a $1,500 scholarship and a full Pell Grant. So, I know what the game of football and college athletics does in general, in terms of helping build well-rounded individuals. What we do in the classroom is complemented by what we learn on the fields and the courts. I’m fighting and scratching and clawing to hold on to what I believe college athletics is all about, and having transformational experiences for student-athletes, not transactional. I’m fighting.”

While the House Settlement did receive preliminary approval, that doesn’t mean final approval is a certainty. The roster limit issue has proved that, as Wilkin shared she won’t approve the settlement if changes aren’t made to the language around roster limits.

— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report.