Former Penn State RB joins James Franklin’s coaching staff

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Familiarity is one of the most underrated aspects of sports, and it’s one of the main reasons we see so many players follow their coaches to different schools or different teams. Penn State fired James Franklin nearly a year ago and it was the exact same situation — some players followed him over to Virginia Tech, while some recruits decommitted.

To dig even further, a lot of times these coaches build out their new staff with assistants from their previous school. While his latest addition to Virginia Tech’s staff isn’t a familiar coach, it is a familiar player.

Former Nittany Lions running back Journey Brown announced on social media that he’ll be joining Franklin’s staff with the Hokies. This will be his first coaching role since medically retiring from football back in 2020.

Maybe this doesn’t feel like the biggest betrayal to Penn State fans, but there is somewhat of a rivalry with Virginia Tech now that Franklin is coaching there. He’s taken some recruits from his old school, while also discussing his firing and how he felt slighted every time he gets a chance.

Brown has to know this, but perhaps his itch for football needed to be scratched and this was just the foot in the door he needed. While Penn State fans will always have love and respect for his time at the school, it’s hard to imagine he’ll get much support from them while he works with the enemy.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Former Penn State RB joins James Franklin’s coaching staff

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