“One of the cringiest coaches”: James Franklin draws flak from fans over hairline comments to Marcus Freeman

A conversation between Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Penn State coach James Franklin has led to critical comments from college football fans. They are unhappy with the Nittany Lions coach just days before the Orange Bowl on Thursday.

During a news conference involving the two coaches on Wednesday, the following discussion occurred:

James Franklin: “How old are you, Marcus?”

Marcus Freeman: “38.”

James Franklin: “I mean, look at the hairline on this guy. Envious of the hairline."

The comment has caused some fans to react in a negative way. Here is a selection of some of their reactions on X.

Some criticized Franklin's character.

"Franklin is such a clown," a fan wrote.

"Franklin is honestly one of the cringiest coaches in CF," another fan posted.

"Franklin is such a f***in douche," a third fan commented.

A fan noted that this is not the first time that James Franklin has said something bizarre during a news conference.

"like during his press conference this year where he said he wanted to get Tyler Warren’s parents a cottage in the poconos so they could make another Tyler Warren 🤣🤣 like it’s funny but still weird," the fan wrote.

Some praised Marcus Freeman.

"God given talent. Thats why he had to work at Notre Dame. Every man pays a price for his deal with the devil," a fan wrote.

"Marcus Freeman is so locked in," another remarked.

Some fans made comments about Freeman's hair.

"The real one or the drawn one?" a fan posted.

"I would bet half of it is charcoal," another tweeted.

"Might be fake, James 😆. Jk boy is clean tho," a third commented.

James Franklin on Notre Dame's independent status

Away from talking about the Notre Dame coach's hairline, James Franklin criticized Notre Dame's independent status in college football.

"It should be consistent across college football. This is no knock at (Freeman) or Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference. I think everybody should play a conference championship game or nobody should play a conference champion championship game. I think everybody should play the same number of conference games."

Notre Dame seems to have a minor advantage over teams that play in conferences. While they face several Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, this is not as much as the likes of Penn State do in the Big Ten.

Apart from this, Notre Dame can essentially pick who it plays. Despite playing ACC teams, they are ineligible for the ACC championship, but this doesn't mean that they cannot make the CFP. While other teams have to either play one extra championship game or use a conference title game as a way to get a CFP berth, the Fighting Irish have to be ranked in the top 12.

Franklin is probably not alone in these thoughts, but Notre Dame is not likely to change its position if it can still benefit from it.