Handling the Heat: How James Franklin Manages Pressure Facing CFB Head Coaches

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In the pressure cooker of college football season, head coaches vigorously compete to deliver the results they were hired for. To Penn State’s head coach, James Franklin, a fortified support system on and off the field keeps the outside noise at bay.

“This profession has always been challenging on people and on head coaches and on families,” Franklin said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Rather than spending time contemplating expectations, Franklin and the Nittany Lions are business as usual in their preparations.

The blue and white will open Big Ten Conference play on the road versus Illinois for the eighth consecutive season. Of his 10 seasons as head coach, nine have kicked off Big Ten matchups on the road.

This stat line initiated discussion from Penn State Athletics administration in 2022 when Athletic Director Patrick Kraft emphasized the ongoing pattern for the Nittany Lions as “frustrating and disappointing” at Big Ten media days.

No matter how the gauntlet of Big Ten matchups shakes out from year to year, the alignment between the football program and university fuels the fire to forge success from pressure.

Franklin cited his working relationships with Board of Trustees Chair Matthew Schuyler, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and Kraft as cornerstones to establishing a culture committed to all-around excellence within the Big Ten.

As one of eight active FBS coaches with a winning percentage over 66 percent and 12-plus years of coaching experience, Franklin faces mounting external pressure on the Nittany Lions to gain a competitive edge over powerhouse programs like Michigan and Ohio State.

The blue and white is not the only program facing demands to make prompt adjustments. Following Alabama’s unexpected loss to Texas 34-24 last weekend, Head Coach Nick Saban mentioned how important differentiating the “internal standard versus external noise” was to establishing accountability within his locker room.

Other programs such as Head Coach Mike Norvell’s Florida State Seminoles, look to prove their worth to other Power Five suitors following dominant performances over LSU and Southern Mississippi.

The bottom line: Charting a course with a common mission is critical for college football head coaches and the survival of their programs.

Now the fifth coach to win the Rose, Cotton and Fiesta Bowls at the same university, Franklin ensures his staff is well-briefed for the day.

While the rest of Happy Valley begins to stir, Franklin holds a staff meeting at 7 a.m. every day to have “no gray area” with team expectations and responsibilities. Roster management and depth chart decisions are made early in a game week rather than tabled for game day.

With a packed schedule comes the difficult task of striking a balance. Between his responsibilities to his staff and players and his family, Franklin has admitted his struggles to nurture both of these aspects.

Communication is crucial to Franklin in his personal and professional life. His wife, Fumi, has called him an “over-clarifier” in the past when discussing how he gets his points across.

“She usually knows what I’m saying as soon as I say it, but I have a tendency to say it three more times,” Franklin said light-heartedly in his weekly press conference.

Living in a college town provides a sense of comfort to the Langhorne, Pennsylvania native. The end of a Penn State Football practice allows these worlds to collide as many wives and family members are allowed to visit the team and personnel during this window.

In addition to personal pressures placed on college football head coaches, the changes surrounding the transfer portal provide a new and crucial gateway of communication.

“We’re having conversations that we would never have had before,” Franklin said. “If not, the conversations are going on without you.”

Transparency is a key skill that the Penn State Football staff utilizes to discuss a player’s progress and the opportunities made readily available by the portal.

As a coach who considers communication a strong suit, Franklin develops his team under the guiding values of a positive attitude, willingness to sacrifice, great work ethic and competing in everything you do.

To get his players to buy into these values and deliver on game day, he must exemplify them himself.

“I try to take the same advice that I give,” Franklin said. “[I] just try my very best to be the best version of myself for the players, for their parents, for the staff, for my family as I possibly can be.”

Emma Holtz is a senior majoring in public relations. To contact her, email emma.holtz01@gmail.com