On Saturday, Penn State will host Military Appreciation Day at Beaver Stadium as the Nittany Lions host Iowa in Week 10.

But head coach James Franklin wanted to start the appreciation a little earlier than the weekend. On Wednesday, Franklin welcomed members of Penn State’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. (ROTC) to the team’s football practice.

Franklin – whose father served in the Air Force – signed autographs, posed for photos and shook the hand of every ROTC member in attendance.

In the video, Franklin said that he believes there have been approximately 10,000 tickets donated for the men and women who serve in the armed forces.

Franklin also took to Twitter to show his gratitude for the members of the Penn State ROTC and thanked them for all the sacrifices they have made.

Penn State and Iowa are set to kickoff at 7:30 PM EST on Saturday. The Nittany Lions (6-2) are ranked No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The game will be aired on BTN.