New Penn State coach James Franklin is, even by the outsized standards that apply for college football coaches, a big personality. That energy and charisma helped him turn around Vanderbilt’s football program, and doubtless helped Franklin earn the job of Most Relentlessly Scrutinized Public Employee in Pennsylvania.
James Franklin promises to ‘dominate the State of the Union’
It’s likely that the new Penn State coach was not being serious. But we should probably be prepared for a very Penn State-heavy State of the Union just in case.
Justin K. Aller
It makes sense, given Franklin’s newfound status as a Pennsylvania celebrity, that he’d be invited to Tuesday’s State of the Union address by Pennsylvania congressman Glenn Thompson. The invite is an honor, and one that Franklin is not taking lightly.
About to #DominateTheStateOfTheUnion lol, #WeAre #PSUnrivaled @congressmangt
— James Franklin (@coachjfranklin) January 28, 2014 This is probably a joke -- any tweet with more than two hashtags is generally to be understood as such, and there is that telltale "lol" tucked in there. But James Franklin is a man who built Vandy into a very competitive SEC team, and so we would all do well not to take him lightly. If Penn State does indeed "dominate the State of the Union" -- if, for instance, President Obama spends most of the speech talking about recruiting, how underrated Matt McGloin remains to this day, and how Blair Thomas never got a fair shake in the NFL, before ending with a rousing bipartisan "We Are" chant -- then we should count this as another big win for Coach Franklin, and a reminder to always take him at his word.
See More:
