James Franklin bags Penn State Football’s white whale | Press conference takeaways

Some things are bigger than football 

It was well documented that Franklin had not been able to see his family since about June when players and staff reported to campus.

One of Franklin’s daughters has sickle cell disease, which makes her very high risk if she was to contract COVID-19, so his family has been quarantined in Florida while the head coach is hard at work in State College.

Franklin let the media in on a secret today, that he quarantined and surprised his wife and two daughters on Christmas Eve at their home in Florida, who did not know he was coming.

Who wouldn’t want to see a video of that homecoming?

He was open and transparent about the risks of getting his family back to Pennsylvania in the coming months, but from the day of his introductory press conference, family has been by his side, and undoubtedly played a part in their struggles this past season.

Without drawing to many conclusions and making to many assumptions, Franklin looked tired and beaten down on the sidelines this season, and maybe missing his family played a role.

Getting his family back together and a sense of normalcy for 2021 could do wonders for Penn State football, as Franklin has always preached about a family atmosphere within his program.