Penn State Football: Stranded at Airport, Franklin Gets a Lift from Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney

Recounting his travels on the recruiting trail ahead of next Wednesday’s early signing period, Penn State coach James Franklin noted an unexpected hero in a recent moment of need.

“There’s literally not enough hours in the day,” Franklin said, a week removed from a flight last Friday. “Last week was a grind because we had LaVar Arrington being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame [in Las Vegas] which was awesome. What wasn’t awesome is the two days before flying out there to be there for LaVar’s induction, which I thought was really important. After LaVar’s deal, I had to fly from there to Florida, so my flight was at 4:10 a.m. I wish it was p.m.”

While Franklin might live a life different than most, he’s not above getting stuck in an airport early in the morning waiting for a plane to finally get the green light. Enter Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

“I got to the airport and the plane had broke down, so I sat there till 9 a.m. Luckily my old buddy Dabo Swinney came in and he was going to the Orange Bowl press conference in Fort Lauderdale. I said, ‘Dabo, can I please jump on this plane with you?’ We flew out to Florida. Dabo and Clemson, thank you very much, appreciate you guys. I think Dabo will rub this in and hold it over my head for the next 20 years.”

This isn’t the first time the two head coaches have crossed paths on the road, as Franklin pointed out back in 2020.

“His wife and my wife are pretty good friends,” Franklin said at the time. “We go on the Nike retreat with them every year. I’ve got some pretty good stories about golf carts. It’s interesting because if you look at his career and ours here, kind of very similar for a period of time.”