James Franklin weighs in on a heated Pennsylvania debate: Wawa or Sheetz?

“And I’m willing to negotiate if Sheetz or Wawa would like to work with our players,” James Franklin said.

Rivalries are one of the backbones of college football and part of what makes the sport great.

And Penn State coach James Franklin has thoughts. Not about any of the Nittany Lions’ rivals but about a very serious rivalry when it comes to convenience stores and gas stations, particularly in Pennsylvania and some Mid-Atlantic states. Specifically, Wawa or Sheetz?

During Franklin’s joint press conference Friday with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin ahead of Saturday’s Peach Bowl matchup, For The Win’s Meghan L. Hall asked Franklin to weigh in on the convenience store rivalry, and he delivered a very thoughtful answer — though firmly holding onto his Wawa roots.

Franklin, while sitting next to Kiffiin, responded to Hall:

“Hmmm. You’re putting me in a tough spot. For everybody in here that maybe doesn’t cover Penn State closely, we’re in central Pennsylvania, so right in the middle of the Eagles and the Steelers. And I grew up just outside of Philadelphia, so I’m a Wawa guy. But now I live in central Pennsylvania, and it’s Sheetz.

“Lane’s looking at me like I’m crazy. He probably doesn’t know what Wawa or Sheetz is. But I think I’ve got to stay with Wawa. I’ve got to stay with my roots and kind of where I grew up. But I have really learned to appreciate Sheetz being in central Pennsylvania.

“And I’m willing to negotiate if Sheetz or Wawa would like to work with our players moving forward with some NIL opportunities. I’m willing to negotiate.”

And then Kiffin chimed in with his hilarious two cents:

“And if they don’t respond to his negotiations the way he wants, he’s not going to coach the game tomorrow. That’s what we deal with now.”

There you have it. Franklin is a Wawa guy for life, but he appreciates what Sheetz has to offer.

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