When Penn State lost to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff last season, some Nittany Lions players had some decisions to make. They could have entered the Transfer Portal or declared for the NFL Draft.
Some of them decided that the job at Penn State wasn't done and returned for their final year in Happy Valley. After things started well at 3-0, things went south quickly, and after a home loss to Northwestern, Penn State fired head coach James Franklin.
It was a move that the fanbase had been asking for, and they got what they wanted. We'll see if it works out for them. One school that benefited from the decision is Virginia Tech, which hired Franklin in mid-November to replace Brent Pry. At the Senior Bowl this week, one former Nittany Lions player pledged his support for Frankin in Blacksburg.
Former Penn State defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton pledges support for James Franklin at Virginia Tech
Penn State has a handful of former players participating in the Senior Bowl this week in Alabama, and one of them, Dani Dennis-Sutton, was happy for his former coach in landing a new job for 2026.
“It was tough when Coach Franklin left. Obviously, it was an unfortunate situation,” Dennis-Sutton said. “But I’m happy for Coach Franklin and his family. He’s happy there. He found a new home, a place that appreciates him. So I’m happy for him.”
Dennis-Sutton was part of Franklin's vaunted Class of 2022, where he landed several five-star players, and he was one of them. You can tell that Franklin's former player appreciates him, and rather than going to the Transfer Portal or the NFL Draft, they decided to run it back for one more season at Penn State. It didn't end up working out and cost Franklin his job. Just how much do Franklin's players like him? Twelve followed him from Penn State to Virginia Tech. That says a lot.