Following his recent, and quite shocking, firing from Penn State, James Franklin is all set to make his first public appearance as a part of ESPN's College GameDay crew in Athens.
Scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET and run until noon on Saturday, Franklin will probably have to answer some burning questions about his firing. There's no official word on what time Franklin will join the show for his interview, but it will be the first time that fans get to hear his side of the story.
Better yet, it will be the same place where Ole Miss will take on Georgia. Lane Kiffin, the Ole Miss football head coach, is floated as a top candidate as Franklin's replacement, one that the Nittany Lions fan base particularly wants.
The Penn State fans have been constantly lobbying Kiffin since Franklin was sent packing, giving a tough fight to the Florida Gators fans who have been lobbying Kiffin since 2024 to replace Billy Napier.
Saturday, @CollegeGameDay heads to @universityofga ahead of a top-10 @SEC clash
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 16, 2025
🏈James Franklin joins live for an exclusive interview
🎤Guest picker: @JellyRoll615
🎸Live performance from @baileyzimmerman & @lukecombs
🗣️@PatMcAfeeShow Kicking Contest
🔗https://t.co/V1kxzFaWcb pic.twitter.com/4JU8b2gJdY
But the Rebels head coach will hardly be focusing on any of this, or other outside noise, as he prepares to face one of the toughest opponents on his slate as the severe underdogs.
Entering the showdown 6-0, this could turn out to be the first game that Kiffin's squad loses. That said, Ole Miss has decent resources to pull this one off against the Bulldogs; their seemingly weak areas might just make it easier for the Rebels.
If ESPN were to line up Franklin's live appearance with Kiffin's remote interview, it will be peak TV.