James Franklin hasn't given up on the locker room, but has the locker room given up on him?

Penn State football lost its third consecutive game in 2025. It has yet to record a Big Ten win and was majorly upset in back-to-back weeks to UCLA and Northwestern. Following the 22-21 loss on Saturday to the Wildcats, head coach James Franklin re-expressed his commitment to his team. The Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) can't say the same about their head coach.

"For me, it's always been about our players and those guys are hurting right now," Franklin said in his postgame press conference when asked if he still wants to be the head coach at Penn State. ". . . I'd do anything I could to take that hurt away from them . . . I love those kids.

"I'm committed to those players and that locker room and I've been that way for 12 years, and I've been that way for 15 years in my head coaching career, and I've been that way for 30 years. That won't change, that won't change. It's always been about the players for me. That won't ever change. That's what it's all about for me. So, my commitment is to the guys in that locker room and all the guys that have been in that locker room in the past."

Franklin was hit with angry, frustrated fans throughout the game, but even more so after the loss. The "Fire Franklin" chants were louder than ever. When he was under verbal criticism at the White Out, players rallied behind their head coach. After the upset at UCLA, quarterback Drew Allar said there's no other coach he wants to play for on Saturdays.

After losing to Northwestern, the Nittany Lions are at a loss for words.

On the field after the game, defensive tackle Zane Durant avoided his head coach. The frustration with the outcome was evident, and Durant made his way over for the Alma Mater without looking at Franklin.

Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said to reporters following the game that he isn't sure exactly what he will say to his teammates if he has a chance to talk to them tomorrow. Dennis-Sutton told reporters still that he does not regret not entering the 2025 NFL Draft, but the disappointment is clearly setting into the veteran core at Penn State.

Franklin's verbal commitment to his team and players is inspiring, but not so much anymore to the ones that matter. Loss after loss after loss, there's only so much Franklin can say when it's clear he's losing the locker room one game at a time. After losing to the Ducks, practices were grim. Then after the second loss, feet dragged again at times during practice. Only time will tell what the response at practice will be after falling to the Wildcats.

"Like I told them, we got to stick together, we got to tune out all the noise, and we got to get to work," Franklin said on Saturday. "That's the only answer is get to work. We've had some adversity in the past — not like this — and we're going to get to work."

The Nittany Lions might be finished sticking together just to lose again.