James Franklin shares story on Micah Parsons, his impact on this Penn State team

Through two games with the Dallas Cowboys, Micah Parsons is putting together a Defensive Player of the Year campaign. Parsons already has three sacks, six quarterback pressures, and four TFLs. The stat sheet does not even show the double (or triple) teams he eats to allow fellow Dallas defenders to make plays in the backfield.

You cannot use too many other words to describe him other than incredible. Those involved in the NFL have taken notice, as has Parsons’ former college head coach, James Franklin.

While most are currently focused on the former Penn State star’s incredible on-field performances, Franklin still appreciates what Parsons has done away from football. He thinks the sport will wind up being just a sliver of the story of Micah Parsons.

“I wish we had him for that third year instead of canceling the football season,” Franklin said. “But I’m proud of him. I’m really proud of him. For a lot of different reasons. Football is one of them but it’s a small one… Even though 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. And I’m very proud of him.”

Parsons is still very much involved with the Penn State program and appreciates what the Nittany Lions have done for him. Franklin revealed he and former defensive coordinator Brent Pry got a “beautiful, heartfelt, (and) thoughtful” text from Parsons out of the blue recently. He even made his way back to State College before the Cowboys began their season.

“He came and spoke to the team two weeks ago,” Franklin said. “And just did a phenomenal job. Talked about the game but talked specifically about Penn State and this community.”

Franklin highlighted how Parsons was — and still is — a huge fan of the Penn State wrestling team. He loves the mindset Cael Sanderson has brought into his own program. Parsons worked out with the wrestling guys and is still vocal in supporting them on social media.

He might have only played two full seasons with Penn State, but nobody loves the Nittany Lions more than Parsons.

James Franklin uses Micah Parsons as an example with NIL

After being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Parsons signed a four-year contract worth just over $17 million. The ultimate payday is coming though, with the market surely about to be reset. Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones is going to have to open his checkbook in order to have Parsons sign a long-term extension.

Add in endorsement deals and Parsons could splash some serious cash if he wanted to. Franklin says he is the complete opposite. “Frugal” is how he describes Parsons and uses him as an example when discussing NIL with his team.

“I’m a supporter of NIL,” Franklin said. “Very much so. But I also worry that it sets up unrealistic expectations of how hard it is to earn a dollar. I think 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 worry about unrealistic expectations about how hard it is to earn a dollar in our country. I want our guys to appreciate that…

“And 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.”

No matter how much money Parsons makes throughout his career, he is going to continue to dominate during games. The goal is to win a Super Bowl and Dallas is off to a nice 2-0 start. Some individual awards are surely going to come in the meantime.

Throughout it all, Parsons will continue to make an impact on Penn State. Franklin has an incredible example of what the school can do for us, both while playing in college and then once at the next level.