Expectations are through the roof for HC James Franklin’s Penn State team. The team retained nine important starters from last year, added Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, and snagged three wide receivers in the transfer portal, putting them in the national championship discussion.
Franklin sat down with the Reading Eagle to discuss NIL challenges, transfer portal chaos, and his optimism for Knowles as the team’s new defensive coordinator.
Penn State Coach James Franklin Opens Up On New Age Challenges
Penn State head coach James Franklin called the NIL and transfer portal system a “beast,” comparing himself to Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni.
“The reason I call it a ‘beast’ is that it’s so different from the college football I grew up with. The other thing is you’re essentially Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni. You’re both. You’re kind of filling both positions,” Franklin told the Eagle.
“You’re having to navigate all those things. That’s what makes it a beast. I think you are swimming upstream, but I do think there’s still a decent amount of families and kids that are trying to choose a college for the same reasons why student-athletes have been choosing colleges for the last 100 years.”
Franklin isn’t alone in this sentiment. While the sport is booming with “new age” coaches who have seemingly nailed the transfer portal and NIL, many “old guard” coaches are struggling to gain a foothold on recruiting.
“I still think there’s a good amount of people out there, but the money can be significant. That’s where it becomes most challenging. These numbers are not insignificant. You have to be consistent. If you’re recruiting a kid and they’re leading with money, as much as you like the kid, he’s probably not the right kid for you,” he explained.
“The same way with the family. The same thing with us. I must ensure our entire coaching staff isn’t leading with money because we must be consistent across the board. We have to ensure we’re getting the right kids and attracting the right kids.”
But despite the chaos and high level of responsibility that comes with being a college football head coach, the Nittany Lions have kept more players than most, something Franklin said is due to consistency and the way they treat their players.
“I think relationships are more important than they’ve ever been,” Franklin said. “I think recruiting is more important than it’s ever been. You’re bringing the right kids and families here. We’ve been able to close the (NIL) gap because we were behind. You can’t just ask people to walk away from significant money. You have to be able to be in the ballpark,” Franklin said.
“We’re able to show recruits that they’re important to us in a lot of different ways. We show them the best players in the other programs are leaving. Our best players are coming back. It shows you that we’re going to invest in our own roster rather than in somebody else’s roster.”
Franklin also attributed success to Penn State’s trustees, chairman David Kleppinger, President Neeli Bendapudi, and Athletic Director Pat Kraft, who have allowed him to push the Nittany Lions to the next level. But it also comes down to assistant coaches, and Penn State made a big hire with Knowles.
KEEP READING: James Franklin Throws a Wrench in Nebraska, Oregon, and Texas A&M’s Recruiting Plans
Franklin praised Knowles’ experience at Duke, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State, telling the Eagle it helped Knowles learn a lot and become effective at his job.
“Sometimes when I hire people and they’ve only been at the blue bloods, when you’ve always had the best resources and the best players, it’s a very different learning experience and a very different learning curve,” Franklin said. “He’s also been a head coach before. He’s also from the footprint, from a prominent high school in St. Joe’s Prep.”
“All of those things matter. I’ve learned that he’s a man of few words. He can turn it on, but he’s not a talker. In the building, in staff meetings, he’s a man of few words. He doesn’t talk much, and he’s not loud. You have to lean in. When he talks, people listen.”
Now, with Penn State one of the favorites to win a championship, Franklin, Knowles and the rest of the Nittany Lions will each have to put in their all to get the team over the hump.
Despite coaching for three decades, 11 years of which were for Penn State, this could be Franklin’s most impactful year yet.
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