Penn State Football Coach Drove 57 Miles to Be with Both of His Players as They Got Drafted into the NFL

Penn State Nittany Lions players Olu Fashanu and Chop Robinson were drafted to the NFL by the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, respectively

Penn State head football coach James Franklin had a long night of driving to support two of his former players who were drafted by NFL teams about an hour apart!

As reported by Yahoo Sports and seen on Franklin's social media accounts, the coach, 52, had two Nittany Lions players likely to be picked in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, April 25 — offensive lineman Olu Fashanu and edge rusher Chop Robinson.

Both players lived in Maryland, so the task was possible. However, the fact that they lived in cities 57 miles apart from each other added an unquestionable level of difficulty to the feat.

Per Yahoo Sports, Franklin started in Gaithersburg, Md. with Fashanu, 21, and his family to watch him get drafted by the New York Jets as the 11th overall pick in the NFL draft.

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"You are an incredible young man & football player. We couldn’t be happier for you & your family," wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in a post featuring a photo of the coach and his pupil. "Your love for the game, dedication & hard work will continue to stand out in your professional career. The @nyjets are extremely lucky to have you! #WeAre."

Franklin got back in his car soon after Fashanu was picked and headed north to Waldorf, Md. to be with Robinson, 21, and his family.

The Nittany Lions coach stared down quite a time crunch. Robinson was picked 21st in the draft overall by the Miami Dolphins, about 70 minutes after Fashanu's name was called.

But as seen on Penn State Football's X account — he made it. "When you have two first-rounders that live an hour apart… you make it happen. Made it just in time. @CoachJFranklin." the organization wrote in a post featuring a video of Franklin running up the steps of Robinson's family home.

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"Congrats Chop, the @MiamiDolphins are lucky to have you! You’ve earned this opportunity," Franklin wrote on X, congratulating Robinson. "We appreciate what you’ve given to Penn State. Continue to compete & chase your dreams. #WeAre."

Per Yahoo Sports, two other Penn State football players — tight end Theo Johnson and edge rusher Adisa Isaac — are potential second-round draft picks. But they live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and New York, respectively.

So, no amount of dedicated driving will get Franklin to both houses on time.

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