When James Franklin set up big surprise by taking 1-hour drive to celebrate Penn State players getting drafted in NFL

The NFL draft is more than just a formal signing or about heading to the next destination. It's a roller coaster ride that sees college football players' dreams coming to fruition. As such, even the coaches who trained and prepared for this moment often can't tone down their emotions.

Just hours away from the 2025 NFL draft, a clip from Apr. 2024 resurfaced, which showed Penn State coach James Franklin taking a one-hour drive from one place to another and celebrating with his drafted players.

Franklin first went to the house of offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu, who was picked at No. 11 by the New York Jets. He celebrated with his family, who were surprised to see the coach. An hour later, Franklin saw defensive end Chop Robinson being drafted at No. 21 by the Miami Dolphins.

By the time he got off the board, Franklin drove to Robinson's house, which was an hour away. When he reached there, the coach celebrated the occasion with his family.

This just goes to show Franklin's mutual happiness and emotional bond he creates down at Penn State.

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James Franklin to attend NFL draft at Green Bay to see Abdul Carter & Co. get drafted

James Franklin hasn't been in the draft building since 2005 when he was the coach of the Green Bay Packers. The NFL draft is going to take place from Thursday to Saturday spanning several rounds at Green Bay.

However, knowing that Penn State defensive standout Abdul Carter is expected to get picked inside top five, Franklin can't help but feel excited for his players, whose dream will come true this week.

"It's changed a lot," Franklin said. "I'm kind of interested in seeing it."

During his conversation on the Penn State Coaches Show on Tuesday night, Franklin recalled his time in Green Bay, where he was the wide receivers coach for the 2005 season.

"It was a special, unique experience," Franklin said of his season with the Packers in 2005. "A lot of the things we do now at Penn State are things that I stole from Green Bay. I thought it was a first-class organization from top to bottom. Had a great experience."

Now he is back in the area to see Carter and his teammate, Tyler Warren, get drafted.