James Franklin is still catching strays while living rent-free in the heads of Penn State fans

It has been nine months since James Franklin was fired at Penn State. The firing was one that the fanbase was happy with after growing frustrated with their former head coach.

For all the good Franklin has done, taking the program from where it was when he got there to struggling in big games, it was apparent that it was time for both parties to move on. Normally, when a coach is fired in college football, that fanbase will move and embrace the change. They won't care what he does next or where his next stop ends up being.

Not Penn State fans. James Franklin remains living rent-free in their heads. He always will. Now, he remains on their minds so much that he is catching strays from Nittany Lions fans over Team USA in their World Cup quarterfinal loss against Belgium.

Virginia Tech coach James Franklin catching strays from Penn State fans over Team USA

Team USA came out flat against Belgium and paid for it. They fell behind 1-0 with some sloppy play on the backend before tying the game on a free-kick. However, just after they tied it, they had another breakdown on the back, which led to the game-winning goal in the first half by Belgium in their 4-1.

It was certainly frustrating for Team USA and fans after the way they looked up until this point. However, playing the best opponent of the tournament yet, their performance was compared to Franklin's tenure in State College.

Some Penn State fans say that they have moved on from Franklin now that he's gone, but they haven't. Whether it's recruiting, his staff hires, the roster, or now Team USA, there is always a James Franklin comparison to be made. Good luck finding another fanbase that pours this much of an obsession into someone that they begged to be fired for a long time, and then, when he is, talks about him more than they did when he was there.

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