James Franklin, Saquon Barkley to Headline Penn State NIL Event in Philadelphia

Happy Valley United is hosting a series of "We Are" events this offseason, beginning May 8 in Philadelphia with Franklin and Barkley scheduled to appear.

Penn State football coach James Franklin takes a selfie with students following the Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

James Franklin has joined the guest list for the upcoming Penn State football NIL event in Philadelphia, where former Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley also is scheduled to appear.

Happy Valley United, Penn State's official NIL collective, is hosting the first of its 2025 "We Are" events May 8 at the Union League of Philadelphia. Penn State football fans can meet and interact with current and former Nittany Lions players and coaches, including a very Philadelphia-centric group.

Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles running back who recently won his first Super Bowl, will take part in the program with Philadelphia natives Jim Knowles (defensive coordinator) and Deion Barnes (defensive line coach).

Former players from the area include Dan Connor (Penn State's linebackers coach) and Adam Taliaferro. Former Temple head coach Stan Drayton, now Penn State's running backs coach, returns to Philadelphia as well. And Franklin, a recent addiiton to the NIL event, played high school football in Bucks County.

The Happy Valley United event is scheduled for 6-10 p.m. at the Union League on Broad Street. Tickets are $200 for general admission and $650 for a VIP experience featuring early access for a chance to chat with Penn State football lettermen in attendance. Happy Valley United announced this week that the event is sold out.

Head Coach James Franklin is back in Philly🙌

Philly, we’re coming BACK! This Thursday, May 8th, Penn State Football coaches, players, lettermen, fans and alumni take over the city for our 2nd annual We Are in Philly event! Blue & White energy, big Penn State vibes, and a night… pic.twitter.com/Af2UtZ3zsJ

— Happy Valley United (@HappyValleyUtd) May 5, 2025

Happy Valley United is scheduled to host similar events in Pittsburgh on June 11 and in New Jersey on July 24. The events are part of HVU's pitch to raise more funding and awareness for Penn State's NIL program.

On a recent edition of the Penn State Coaches Show, Franklin highlighted the impact NIL had on his program's ability to return so much talent from its 2024 roster.

"I know there's some frustrations or concern or lack of understanding about NIL," Franklin told host Steve Jones. "But I would sat this is one, to me, obvious positive about NIL. What I mean by that is, you have a lot of guys every year who are third- or fourth-year players, and they're trying to make the decision on whether they should leave early to go to the NFL or come back.

"And in the old days when were making those decisions, [the players] would have to turn down third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-round money in the NFL to come back to college for nothing. So now, you're able to say, 'Let's not worry about that, because we can help with some of that, and let's just make the best decision for your family, your education and your NFL future.' And you're not asking players to walk away from significant money in the NFL."

For more information, visit Happy Valley United's website.