Having lost three games in a row after a 3-0 start to the college football season, and given the nature of their unexpected upset defeats to UCLA on the road and Northwestern at home, Penn State’s firing of James Franklin was perhaps a decision which the university could no longer avoid.
However, their downward spiral this year hasn’t stopped an NFL star and one of Franklin’s former players from offering his support and appreciation for his former college coach.
Green Bay Packers DE and former Nittany Lions standout Micah Parsons shared his thoughts on social media after it became known that Franklin’s time as the head coach in Happy Valley had come to an end.
RELATED: Penn State football coach James Franklin fired after Nittany Lions’ dreadful start to season
And Parsons feels the Penn State program still could have treated Franklin better and shown him more gratitude after over 11 years as their head coach.
Regardless of the situation at hand, this one doesn’t feel right to me! Coach deserved better! My self and countless others wouldn’t be where we are today without Coach! Thank you. #Weareforever! pic.twitter.com/r9XWVdyvxw
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) October 13, 2025
“Regardless of the situation at hand, this one doesn’t feel right to me! Coach deserved better! My self and countless others wouldn’t be where we are today without Coach! Thank you,” Parsons wrote in a post on X/Twitter.
Franklin’s 104-45 record during his Nittany Lions tenure is tied for the second most wins by a head coach in the program’s history, as per gopsusports.com.
Parsons played in two seasons in State College under Franklin, who is set to receive an enormous buyout from Penn State as per ESPN, in 2018 and 2019.
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin answers questions from the media following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images
The two time First team All Pro would then skip the 2020 Covid affected season before being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
Parsons has since developed into one of the game’s elite pass rushers and this past offseason, he was involved in a blockbuster trade that sent him to the Green Bay Packers.
Ultimately for Parsons, the adversity being faced by the Nittany Lions this season doesn’t take away from the impact and influence which Franklin has had on him and on his career.
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