James Franklin Is Not Happy About Big Ten Media Days Being in Las Vegas

The Penn State coach voiced his displeasure over the location of the conference's annual preseason media day event.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin is not thrilled about Big Ten Media Days being set in Las Vegas. / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Penn State head football coach James Franklin has never been afraid to speak his mind.

So it's no surprise that the Nittany Lions head coach came to the defense of the media on Wednesday when discussing his displeasure about Big Ten Media Days taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada this year.

In recent years, the annual preseason media event for the league has been set in Indianapolis. Before Indianapolis? Chicago.

Those locations, in the heart of Big Ten country, made a lot of sense. Now, with conference realignment, west coast schools like Washington, Oregon and USC are members of the league, so Las Vegas was chosen to accommodate some of the western U.S. member schools.

Franklin thinks it's silly.

"A lot of our beat writers did not come to this because they couldn't afford to get out here," Franklin began. "And the majority of our teams are near Chicago where this used to always be. A majority of our teams are near Indianapolis where this used to be. And it creates a different environment. I walk around the lobby, and I don't see any signage. I don't see anything for the Big Ten," Franklin continued.

He's got a point. The league seems to be forcing a western location on behalf of the minority in the conference, which is creating a different atmosphere for the event this year than in recent years.

Franklin doesn't like it—not only because of what he already mentioned, but because he sees the SEC making every league event a big deal—down to the coaches' meetings in the offseason.

"I think that other conference, when they have their meetings, there is essentially a press conference every single day at the end of the meetings. It keeps people talking about that conference at a time in the year and it makes them relevant. We're not doing that. We need to be talking about the Big Ten and our programs and the things we have done and make it as accessible to everyone as we possibly can, and connecting with the fans. And don't misinterpret what I'm saying. I think Vegas is a special place, and I think they run events as well as anyone. But it's a different feeling."

Penn State’s James Franklin not a fan of Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/oY6EuxWpME

— Mark Brennan (@MarkXBrennan) July 23, 2025

It is certainly different to see a conference that was once made up of schools primarily from the midwest now shift their meetings out in the Mountain Time Zone, but alas, here we are in a new era of college athletics.

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