College Football

Penn State's James Franklin admits a 'coach crush' on Ohio State linebacker

Updated Oct. 18, 2023 4:18 p.m. ET

James Franklin has an elite defense on his hands, but that hasn't stopped the Penn State head coach from admiring a player from Big Ten East rival Ohio State, who his Nittany Lions will face in Columbus in a Week 8 matchup on "Big Noon Saturday" (Noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

"A guy that I got like a coach crush on is No. 35 Tommy Eichenberg, [he] is just a really good football player. He's fun to watch," Franklin said at his weekly media availability Tuesday. "Physically, he can make the plays. He's obviously the quarterback of the defense. Everything kind of goes through him.

"You pick up a lot of stuff off tape watching him, as well as TV copies. Just a really smart, instinctive, athletic linebacker, who we have a ton of respect for."

Across Ohio State's first six games, Eichenberg has totaled 46 combined tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. Last season, the now-senior linebacker finished with 120 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, three passes defended and one interception.

Both No. 7 Penn State and No. 3 Ohio State have stout defenses this season; the Nittany Lions have surrendered just 193.7 yards per game (first in Big Ten) and 8.0 points per game (second, behind Michigan), while Eichenberg and the Buckeyes have surrendered just 263.5 YPG (third) and 9.7 PPG (third).

Furthermore, both teams are 6-0 and developing first-year starting quarterbacks (Drew Allar for Penn State and Kyle McCord for Ohio State). Penn State is coming off a 63-0 win over Massachusetts last week, while Ohio State earned a 41-7 victory on the road against Purdue.

The Nittany Lions are seeking their first win against the Buckeyes since 2016 and their first win at Ohio Stadium since 2011; Ohio State won last year's bout in Happy Valley, 44-31, which saw it score 28 points in the fourth quarter.

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