STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- James Franklin seems as if he's been everywhere since taking the Penn State job, and now he's taking it one step further by heading to the State of the Union Address on Tuesday night.
The Nittany Lions' head coach was invited to President Barack Obama's speech by Penn State alum and U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, who grew up near Happy Valley. The announcement was made Tuesday morning.
"I am grateful and very appreciative of Rep. Glenn Thompson's invitation to attend the President's State of the Union Address," Franklin said in a news release. "I look forward to hearing the President's vision for 2014 and beyond and what we, as citizens of the greatest union in the world, can do to help move our nation forward."
Franklin became head coach on Jan. 11 and told the media on his first day on the job that he wouldn't turn down a speaking engagement. Now, in a bit of a role reversal, he found a speaking engagement whose attendance he couldn't refuse.
The President's address will begin at 9 p.m. ET and can be watched on all the major television networks.
"[It's] an honor to have Coach Franklin as my guest for this occasion," Thompson added.
