Here are 2 glaring NIL blunders committed by Franklin:
1) Using valuable NIL money on Julian Fleming to play WR. This was one of the worst NIL moves of the Franklin era.
Fleming was a well known bust at Ohio State and Franklin signed him anyway. (2024 example)
2) Using valuable NIL money on 5 star TE Andrew Olesh. Olesh didn’t even dress for a single game and was not able to get beyond 4th string at the tight end position at Penn State. (2025 example)
Olesh’s TE peers by comparison, all played during their freshman year in 2025:
Elyiss Williams (Georgia) - played in 13 games as a 5 star TE
Linkon Cure (Kansas State) - played in 9 games as a 5 star TE
DaSaahn Brame (Tennessee) - played in 9 games as a 4 star TE
Nick Townsend (Texas) - played in 13 games as a 4 star TE
Given Penn State’s known TE depth, it made no financial sense to allocate valuable NIL funds for the TE position in 2025.
This blunder prevented Penn State from signing CB Brandon Finney who signed with Oregon and was named 2nd team All-B1G and defensive MVP in the 2026 Orange Bowl.