Penn State's James Franklin: What I'm Thankful For

Penn State coach James Franklin has an annual tradition at his pre-Thanksgiving press conference. Franklin weaves menu suggestions and surveys between questions about football, leaning heavily into side dishes. This year's survey asked about Thanksgiving preferences:

String beans OR collard greens?

Dinner rolls OR cornbread?

Thanksgiving dinner OR leftovers?

🥬 String Beans or Collard Greens?
🍞 Dinner Rolls or Corn Bread?
🍽️ Actual Dinner or Leftovers?

What are your Thanksgiving picks? 🦃😆 pic.twitter.com/8RGqOxBGY8
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) November 21, 2023

But this week, Franklin also took a question about Thanksgiving, specifically regarding what makes him thankful to be Penn State's head football coach. This has been an at-times trying season, with losses to Ohio State and Michigan leading Franklin to fire offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. Some fans booed, prompting captain Theo Johnson to make a poignant locker-room speech after the Nittany Lions' win over Rutgers.

So having absorbed all that and more, here's how Franklin answered the question, "What are you thankful for as Penn State's head football coach?"

"I think the people, you know," he began. "I love the players that I've been able to get to know, and their families, on a significant level over the last ten years. [I've] probably become more ore aware of that even, to be honest with you, because of Vanderbilt. Like it's amazing how many of those players that played with us at Vanderbilt have stayed in touch, have come here to visit, that I connect with when I'm out of town.

"Those relationships are real, significant relationships. You see players coming back to games here or on the road, the relationships with the players and the ups and downs and twists and turns of what healthy relationships go through with the staff, all the people that work in the Lasch Building, all the different roles."

Franklin continued:

"I think about the Quarterback Club, which was something I was against when I got here. I'm going to go over during the week and that relationship, I look forward to that now with the Quarterback Club. Sometimes you don't necessarily want to go to the press conference and answer questions. Sometimes you don't want to go to the Quarterback Club and answer questions. ... But I think at the end of the day, that's really what it is, right? It's about relationships and people. You've got your family and then you have your extended family. So that's probably the thing I am most thankful for, is all the wonderful, different people that I've gotten to know."

Franklin then turned his attention toward Penn State's locker room, drawing parallels to society in general.

"I think you guys have heard me talk about this before. That's what so great about college football. The locker room is full of people from totally, I mean totally, different backgrounds. I think our world can learn a lot from a college football locker room, because literally you got people that could not be any more different, from the way they were raised, educational experience, ethnic backgrounds, religious diversity. It's as good as it gets in my opinion.

"... I think that's where sports are so valuable to the educational process, which I know is questioned at times. Deservedly so questioned at times. When the professors come and they're part of our guest coach program, I think they leave feeling like, you know what? This is truly a complement to what they're learning in the classroom, and I'm very proud of all of that. That's probably the things I'm most thankful for."

Hear from Franklin in the video above.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.