Steve Slaton Still Wants to Talk to James Franklin: ‘He Gotta See Me’

Even though Steve Slaton is preparing to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, there’s one aspect of his career he may never be fully over. Before he became a WVU legend, Slaton was all set to accept a full scholarship from Maryland. That was until then Maryland assistant James Franklin pulled his scholarship in favor of another recruit, one who did not become a Hall of Famer.

While none of that really matters at this point and Franklin is far remove from his time working up the coaching ranks, Slaton still wants an opportunity to discuss that situation mistake with the now Penn State head coach.

Slaton actually shared his thoughts about what happened all those year ago with WV Sports Now’s Mike Asti during an appearance on the “Mountaineer Report” show. And it’s safe to say Slaton still has some strong feelings towards Franklin today.

“As anybody in life, not just with sports, you have those moments where your determination has to ignite. You have to ‘hey, I’m gonna prove you wong,’ And that was the moment for me that was always in the back of my head,” detailed Slaton about how what Franklin did motivated him throughout his career.

Unfortunately, Slaton never got to seek his revenge on the field against Franklin either. By the time Slaton had his monster performance against the Terrapins in the third game of the 2006 season, Franklin was at Kansas State and already two years remove from leaving Maryland.

And Slaton will forever wish he got that chance to “run it down his neck” against a team coached by Franklin.

“James gotta see me. We never spoke and I don’t know if anybody ever asked him the question, but he gotta see me,” said Slaton.

“We gotta have a conversation. I mean. we’ll laugh about it but we all make mistakes,” he added.

It’s clear Slaton is also not interested in any excuse Franklin may want to offer in a future meeting between the two. To sum up Slaton’s feelings, he has one way to describe how Franklin handled the situation.

“It was handled like bs,” he said with a smile. Instead of calling Slaton directly to let a player he was personally recruiting know he was pulling his scholarship, Slaton claims a Maryland reporter broke the news to him first.

What transpired next is history, West Virginia history…Hall of Fame history…

Slaton, widely regarded as the greatest running back in WVU history, totaled 3,923 rushing yards, averaged 5.9 yards per carry and scored 50 touchdowns on the ground in his three years in Morgantown. He also made 65 receptions for 805 yards. Slaton earned consensus All-American status in 2006 and was a key part of some of the most successful teams in program history.

Selected in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by Houston, Slaton played four years with the Texans before concluding his career with the Dolphins in 2011. He played with the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL for one season before retiring from football and pursuing a career in the culinary arts as a personal chef and kitchen consultant in Houston. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025, at Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Find more coverage of Steve Slaton at WV Sports Now.