Will Penn State need a 'capologist' in upcoming revenue sharing era? Here's what James Franklin thinks
The college athletics world could change in a way it never has before next week. If the NCAA vs. House lawsuit settlement is approved on April 7, the door will be open for revenue sharing between schools and athletes. Roster limits will be put into place. Money will be dispersed unevenly across sports within an athletic department and also on each team as a minimum is set while the big stars make more. Penn State and its peer institutions will have to answer questions they never had before in the weeks and months ahead.
Who will figure out how to divide the money, assuming the pot is created in a courtroom next week? That’s the biggest one. Some schools have raced to hire general managers, or salary cap experts, or money managers. Penn State football has not done so yet. Will it? Speaking on the Andy & Ari On3 show Tuesday, James Franklin struck a familiar tune on that topic: Maybe one day, but not this one.
“So for us, we were interested in going out and maybe hiring someone like that from the NFL,” Franklin said. “But you’re also talking about basically something that’s really kind of started out of nowhere. And where are you getting these people from? Are you getting them from the NFL? Are there guys that are out of work; are there people that have tremendous experience? And obviously, there’s four or five that have been hired, that are making significant money, and that’s been attractive. So it’s, it’s poured a lot of people kind of into this role now and created some opportunities for people that are doing it.
More: James Franklin: ‘We have the alignment I’ve been pounding on the table for’ since 2014
“So I think the important thing is not going to hire somebody, just so you can say you hire somebody. Got to find the right fit. And sometimes you can have somebody that is a former player or an alumni of the University that has gone on to the NFL hand as done some really good things and wants to come back and have an impact, you’re able to get a really high-end person in that position. But for us, we got really good people here. We weren’t able to find the right fit that made sense. So, we’ll keep looking.”
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Chris Beard
Not taking Texas A&M job
- 2New
Mike Gundy
Mocks NCAA ruling
- 3
Johni Broome injury
Bruce Pearl shares latest
- 4Trending
Ryan Leaf
Calls out ESPN, Pat McAffe
- 5
Kirby Smart
Calls out tampering
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Penn State does have a general manager for personnel and recruitment. That’s longtime Franklin confidant Andy Frank. And, this offseason, it hired letterman Aeneas Hawkins to be its Assistant Director of Player Advancement & Revenue Sharing Strategy. So, part of the money management puzzle is coming together. When it’ll fully be complete is anyone’s guess, as a hire will not be made just for the sake of making one.
“We were able to bring back one of our former players, and he’s done a really good job of working in this area, and he was actually working as a as in a player rep, in terms of representing players as an agent, so he gives us a different perspective in that room as well,” Franklin said of Hawkins. “And I think that’s been valuable.
“But everybody’s kind of looking at this and trying to put together the best they can from a personnel department. And we’ve done the same thing.”
