James Franklin's office now has a stuffed, taxidermied lion

James Franklin’s office now has a taxidermied lion (photo)

Dec 27, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin celebrates after overtime of the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl against the Boston College Eagles at Yankee Stadium. Penn State won 31-30 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

The only surprising thing is it took the Penn State coach this long to get one.

Penn State fans may remember when head coach James Franklin tweeted a terrifying and confusing picture of his own face morphed with that of a lion shortly after being hired to take over as the top man in Happy Valley.

Franklin took it a step further prior to his second season on the job. On Thursday, the Penn State head coach received a taxidermied Nittany Lion from diehard fan Mark Roller, and now will feature the stuffed creature in his office going forward.

#PSU has the BEST fans in the nation. Fired up about this guy-he's going in my office! Thanks, Mark! #PSUnrivaled pic.twitter.com/vZ3m5hh8o4
— James Franklin (@coachjfranklin) June 5, 2015

Given Franklin’s constant intensity, occasional odd behavior and apparent love for large felines, it’s a bit hard to believe it took him this long to get such an office decoration.

Something about Franklin’s intense personality appears to be leading him towards a very successful coaching career. He guided lowly Vanderbilt to three straight bowl appearances and is quickly building up Penn State with strong recruiting classes.

No word yet on if Penn State will try to remodel its unrealistic and horrifying mascot after the real lion.

Oct 5, 2013; Bloomington, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions mascot does one handed pushups after a touchdown against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Indiana won 44-24. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports /

More from College Football

Home/College Football