STATE COLLEGE — James Franklin was part of a spoof that has gained national attention, including a piece Tuesday morning on CBS News. Former New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning — wearing a wig and makeup — posed as a walk-on during tryouts for the Nittany Lion team in August.

Manning is collaborating with his older brother Peyton’s production company called Omaha Productions, along with ESPN and NFL Films, and his show “Eli’s Places,” focuses on behind-the-scenes looks at college football.

Franklin was in on it, but no one else conducting the tryouts was aware.

Manning’s wig had long blondish hair. He went by Chad Powers, a 26-year-old part-time school teacher trying to make the Penn State team.

He used a country-bumpkin accent around the other players and told PSU offensive analyst Danny O’Brien, who was presiding over the tryout in Holuba Hall, that he played sandlot football because he was home-schooled. He said his mother was his coach.

During Tuesday’s press conference for the Lions’ game Saturday with Central Michigan (noon, BTN), Franklin said Manning, who lives in New Jersey, initiated the request because the family has a relationship with Penn State.

He called the Mannings “the first family of football,” and added that Sean Clifford has attended the Manning Passing Academy for several years.

“Eli has done a great job with all of this,” Franklin said. “He’s also a regional guy so they reached out. All those things factored in, but at the end of the day, they wanted to make sure it wouldn’t disturb our process.”

The filming took place on Aug. 26.

Franklin said “it only took 10 minutes” of his time, and “they did 99 percent of it without messing up our normal routine.”

About 24 hours after it was released, it had already been viewed more than 4.5 million times.

“This is a game,” Franklin said. “It should be fun for the players, the coaches, for fans, for alumni, for the community. And although the videos everyone puts out, hype videos, serve a purpose, providing other opportunities to peek behind the curtain, show personality and see these things and have fun are good.”

Franklin said Penn State did not have input into when it would be released, thought the first glimpse would be more of a teaser and added it was “turned around a little quicker” than anticipated.

Former PSU linebacker Brandon Bell, who works for NFL Films, was part of the coordination.

Manning told the New York Post that Franklin “was in on it but didn’t tell any of the other coaches.”

Manning, who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, did become concerned his wig might unmask him.

“The wig was bobby-pinned pretty, pretty tight,” Manning told the Post. “I started sweating a bit, and it kept flying in front of my eyes, so I kept having to put my hand through it and getting it through my face. It was so tight that they told me when I revealed myself at the end that I’d probably want to take out a few of the pins first so I could get the wig off easier.”

The walk-on drills focused on passing and footwork and timed Manning in the 40-yard dash (he ran 5.49).

At the end of the tryout, Franklin introduced Manning, who took his wig and mask off. Later in the day, he met the team and awarded punter Barney Amor a scholarship.

“That was cool,” Franklin said. “It just worked out and was unique and different … and when you can have someone like that on campus, and they can get in front of team and develop a message, that was a good opportunity as well.”

The entire video, as part of “Eli’s Places” will be aired tonight on ESPN+.