Tight end Pat Freiermuth is focused on his job with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he still always has an eye on his alma mater — Penn State.
It’s been a tough season for the Nittany Lions. After rising to a top three position in the AP Poll, Penn State suffered three consecutive losses. The first defeat was to the No. 6 Oregon Ducks, but the next two were against the struggling UCLA Bruins and Northwestern Wildcats.
After dropping the Northwestern matchup, 22-21, Penn State fired long-time head coach James Franklin.
Although he sees why the move was necessary, Freiermuth told Heavy Sports in an exclusive interview this week that parting with Franklin in the middle of the season is not a choice he would have made.
“I don’t agree with the decision so early [in the season],” the tight end said Tuesday. “I understand why, obviously, with the couple losses to some certain teams.
“But I wish they would have allowed him to finish out what he started and seen what could have transpired the rest of the season.”
Penn State fired Franklin after a 3-3 start to the 2025 campaign. Franklin led the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoffs semifinals just nine months ago.
Pat Freiermuth’s Close Relationship With Former Penn State Head Coach James Franklin
Freiermuth played for Penn State from 2018-20. All three seasons were under Franklin, who recruited the Massachusetts native to come to Pennsylvania to play tight end.
It’s that relationship that makes it difficult for the tight end to accept the Nittany Lions parted with Franklin in the middle of a season.
“I was very close to Coach Franklin. Him, my family, we were really close. He was always really good to me and my loved ones,” said Freiermuth.
“I feel for him. I feel for how it all played out.”
Freiermuth burst onto the scene as an immediate star at Penn State. He hauled in eight touchdowns as a freshman. He scored 15 receiving touchdowns in his first 26 contests from 2018-19.
Shoulder surgery cut his final college season in 2020 to only four games. Yet, Freiermuth still became the first Penn State tight end to win the Big Ten’s Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year award.
Freiermuth stated he doesn’t know where the Nittany Lions might go with their head coach opening. But the tight end implied he wants whoever replaces Franklin to succeed.
“I’m interested to see who they hire. I’m always rooting for Penn State.”
Freiermuth Encouraging Penn State Alum to Give Blood in Donation Competition
Penn State won’t be winning the Big Ten football championship this fall. However, the school can still beat its conference rivals in “The We Give Blood Drive”.
The global health leader Abbott and the Big Ten Conference established the blood drive last year. Now in its second season, the drive is a competition to see which Big Ten school can donate the most blood.
The winning school will receive $1 million from Abbott to advance student and community health initiatives.
Freiermuth is raising awareness to the blood shortage issue in the United States to both tackle the problem and earn Penn State the victory in the competition.
“It’s super big because there’s a blood shortage,” Freiermuth said. “Every two seconds in the United States, people need blood. So this is obviously important. With the blood shortage, I’m encouraging people to donate blood.”
Donations in the blood drive will be accepted through December 5. The conference will announce the winning school at the Big Ten championship game the following day.
To sign up to donate blood for a particular school, visit BigTen.Org/Abbott.
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