James Franklin describes challenges of extended college football season

As coach James Franklin and Penn State get ready for the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions will be preparing for their 16th game of the season. Win that and a 17th will wait … with a national championship on the line.

It’s the longest a college football season has run, forcing plenty of change on coaches.

Franklin opened up on what the extended calendar has done for coaches. He thanked one person, in particular, for helping the Nittany Lions navigate the long and winding road. He also made it clear college coaches are just going to have to adjust to the new reality.

“I think you’re going to have to be open minded,” James Franklin said. “You’re going to have to be creative. You’re going to have to be flexible. And we have tried to do that. I think the sports scientists that everybody is using now, we are fortunate to have a young man by the name of Andrew Nelson, Dr. Andrew Nelson. Went on and got his doctorate.

“Nelly played for me at Penn State, went on and got his doctorate in sports science and has come back and has done a phenomenal job. He does a really good job of tying it all together, the coaching, our trainers and doctors, as well as the strength coaches in making sure that the complete plan makes sense and what we’re doing in the weight room complements what we’re doing on the field, and the same thing with the trainers and the doctors. I think that’s been really valuable.”

Managing the wear and tear on players is a massive part of the equation. That applies mentally, as well, though most coaches will focus on the physical element. Franklin pointed out one simple way the physical can be managed at Penn State.

“Subtle changes that you can make to your practices or to your lifting schedule that can keep the guys as fresh and healthy as possible, I think that’s a really important piece in all of this,” he said.

There’s another element that’s somewhat under the coach’s control, too.

“I think another thing that I would say is how important depth and development in your program is,” James Franklin explained. “You’ve got to be willing to play guys, and that’s been something that we’ve done all the way back since my time at Vanderbilt, trying to create depth by playing guys.

“Some assistants on your staff are better at it than others. You talk about it, and some guys won’t rotate them in the way you want, and you’ve got to have tougher conversations.”

The bottom line: College football seasons are as long as they’ve ever been for programs in contention. Everyone wants to be in contention.

Best of both worlds? You manage the schedule and in doing so put yourself in a better position to compete at the highest level.

“But I will also say this: I think it’s something that we’re going to have to look at in terms of what’s best for college football, what’s best for the student-athlete experience, what’s best in a university setting, because I don’t know if this is really what it was designed to be,” James Franklin said. “It’s turned into that.

“I know a lot of times when coaches talk like this people roll their eyes, but I think when every decision that we make is based on finances, then we’re not making great decisions that’s in the student-athlete and the game of football’s best interest.”