With Michigan State suffering a devastating 38-13 home loss to 1-4 UCLA, the fanbase was as outspoken as ever about the future of the program.
There were plenty of opinions about Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith and some potential replacements. Even some former players voiced opinions on the direction of the program, including Michigan State cornerback legend Trae Waynes.
The 2013 Rose Bowl champion and former first-round NFL draft pick saw what happened between the Spartans and UCLA on Saturday afternoon and then he heard the news about James Franklin being fired at Penn State.
Coupled together, those two situations shaped his now-popular opinion.
Bring James Franklin to MSU ASAP!!!
— Trae Waynes (@TWaynes_15) October 12, 2025
Waynes played against Franklin in 2014 during the now-former Penn State head coach’s first season with the Nittany Lions. The Spartans won 34-10 and Waynes was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. But he must have come away impressed by Franklin.
Since 2014, Franklin has won 10-plus games six times. He’s also won a Big Ten title, a Cotton Bowl, a Rose Bowl, and a Fiesta Bowl — and he won two College Football Playoff games in 2024.
The former Michigan State defensive back wants Franklin, however, which isn’t exactly an endorsement for current head coach Jonathan Smith.
It’s never good when former players (especially legends) are voicing opinions about the next head coach before the current one is even two years in. It feels very early for this talk, but college football has changed quite a bit over the years.
A lot of people are Team Waynes here.