Nick Saban's Daughter Makes Unexpected Admission About James Franklin's "Heart" After GameDay Meeting

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

James Franklin is no longer at Penn State. But erasing the legacy he built over 12 years in Happy Valley isn’t so simple. A resurfaced clip from the 2024 NFL Draft perfectly captures the quiet character that earned him immense respect from Nick Saban’s daughter, Kristen.

Back in the 2024 NFL Draft, James Franklin had a problem. Well, the good kind of problem. Two of his Penn State stars got drafted in the first round, but they were celebrating at two separate locations 57 miles apart. So what he did was show up for both of them, even if that meant he had to drive for an hour between each of his players’ houses. While scrolling past the viral Draft Day highlight on ESPN, Kristen couldn’t help but recall her own off-camera run-in with the former Nittany Lions head coach during a bustling College GameDay morning in Georgia.

“Met him on Gameday in Athens,” she commented. “Truly a kind coach with a big heart!”

When a coach gets fired, people usually only talk about his failures. So, nobody really expected anyone from the legendary Saban family to step up and praise him out of nowhere. But seeing that clip, she just had to share her experience.

That particular draft night started in Waldorf, Maryland, with Olu Fashanu. James Franklin was there for the 319-pound tackle when he became the No. 11 pick by the New York Jets. After that, he got in the car and hit the road. An hour later, he was sprinting towards Chop Robinson’s house for his draft party. By the time the head coach stepped inside, his player had just gotten the call as the No. 21 overall to the Miami Dolphins.

That relentless dedication is exactly what caught Kristen’s eye. Her sudden praise came as a big surprise to many people, but it proves one thing. While critics were busy attacking his 4-21 record against Top 10 opponents, nobody in the locker room ever doubted his loyalty. But then, just one season later, Penn State got impatient. And when a preseason No. 2 team opened Big Ten play 0-3, he was fired six games into the 2025 season.

When James Franklin finally spoke on College GameDay, he didn’t fight the decision publicly.

“Fair is not for me to decide,” he said. “But what I want to do is I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments… Most importantly, it’s about the players. I’m a players’ coach. I always have been. So that’s the hardest part, is walking away from all those young men in that locker room, the recruits that were committed to us.”

And while he’s been modest about it, Nick Saban stood up for him, calling the firing “unfair as hell.” And even after his exit, the players he built showed up. Eight Penn State players got drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, making it 58 picks since 2018 and 403 all-time. But by then, James Franklin had already moved on to Virginia Tech,

James Franklin saved Penn State from a financial blow

When Penn State fired James Franklin, his buyout was $49 million. Anybody could’ve grabbed that with no questions. But not him. Why? The reason is buried in what college football has become. He saw it up close when he was with the Nittany Lions. The NIL changed everything.

In 2024, Penn State went “all-in” with a $7 million NIL budget. In contrast, programs like Ohio State and Notre Dame were pushing past $20 million.

“We were still competing against schools that had been all-in every year of the NIL market,” he said. “Schools that did whatever it took.”

Penn State tried to catch up, and for the first time, they were financially in the same tier as the NIL heavyweights. A

The season quickly unraveled following a brutal overtime loss to Oregon, a five-point stumble at UCLA, and a one-point heartbreak against Northwestern, culminating in his mid-season firing in October. Now, his decision to take the Virginia Tech job reduced his buyout number to $9 million, while Penn State saved $40 million.

“You go through that deal, and you’re thinking, I don’t want to let them off the hook financially,” he said. “But it wasn’t about me penalizing Penn State. At that point, it was about what I need to do for my family and for myself to be happy and move on.”

Walking away from $40 million shows exactly why Kristen’s unexpected GameDay observation was completely spot on. Instead of fighting with the university for money, he held no grudge.

“This place, Virginia Tech,” he added. “This place wanted us. You know what that feels like? They wanted us. That’s powerful. Money can’t replace that.”

Matt Campbell might do well as his successor. But for all we know, Penn State lost a wonderful players’ coach.

The post Nick Saban's Daughter Makes Unexpected Admission About James Franklin's "Heart" After GameDay Meeting appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos