James Franklin continues to live rent-free in the heads of Penn State fans

When Penn State fired James Franklin as football coach in October, he quickly became the top coach in the coaching cycle. In mid-November, he was hired to replace his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, at Virginia Tech.

Since he was fired and hired in Blacksburg, for some strange reason, he continues to be the topic of Penn State fans on social media every single day. I'm not kidding, just search James Franklin, and you will find more Penn State posts about him than Virginia Tech.

It's becoming very strange and obsessive. They say they don't care about him, and they say they're glad he's gone, but you would never know it by the obsessive posts. That hit its peak on Saturday when Class of 2027 defensive lineman Carter Blattner committed to new Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell over Kentucky, USC, and Virginia Tech.

James Franklin continues to live rent free in Penn State fans heads

When Blattner's commitment was reported by Hayes Fawcett of Rivals, the comments were mostly centered around Franklin from Penn State fans. I kid you not. Check some of these out for yourself.

As you can see, the obsession is still there. It will be until Franklin retires. If he ever leaves Virginia Tech, Penn State fans will follow every move he makes at his next stop. Virginia Tech would care less and let it go after a day. Apparently, that's not the case for Nittany Lions fans.

If Campbell doesn't get Penn State over the top, somehow, someway, it'll be Franklin's fault. Both programs have moved on, and Virginia Tech and Franklin are looking ahead to 2026 and the fall season. Recruiting wins and losses are going to continue over the years between Campbell and Franklin. Rest assured, when Franklin gets a recruiting win over Campbell, Hokies fans are going to be stuffing Campbell into a locker.