Everything Penn State coach James Franklin said after the Lions' 10th spring practice

Penn State coach James Franklin held his latest news conference of the spring on Tuesday night. The 12th-year leader of the Nittany Lions spoke after his team’s 10th practice. The first question focused on how his program would go about handling the spring transfer portal window, which opens Wednesday, compared to the winter window, which took place amid the team’s College Football Playoff run.

“That was different, because we were in negotiations with guys and things like that,” Franklin said. “This is more just ‘Hey, no surprises. Let’s communicate with each other.’ So it’s more that.”

Next, he was asked if coaches have input on the way the portal window system works. Currently, there are two. The winter one lasts for 20 days in December and the spring one for 10 days in April.

“I think from my board meetings with the AFCA and what most coaches across the country are speaking on, I want to be careful not speaking for all coaches, but I think a good majority of them would like one window. I think that’s in everybody’s best interest,” Franklin said. “The players know who’s on the roster. The coaches know who’s on the roster. Even if you made it after spring ball and then even maybe got rid of spring football, and went to like a summer OTAs or did it then, I think there needs to be one window.

“Right now, there’s no rules. You could have 50 guys go in the portal at this time of year, and it’s a problem. There’s also protection already for if there’s a coaching change and things like that that we’ve seen. Right now, there’s just no rules, and I don’t really think it’s in anybody’s best interest.”

Watch a video of and read everything else Franklin said below.

On if the situation with Nico Iamaleava at Tennessee might alienate some college football fans

“I’m focused on Penn State. I can’t speak on what’s happening in another state, in another conference. I’m concerned about what’s going on here at Penn State. And for the most part, I’ve been very pleased with how our players and coaches have handled it.

“We still are working very hard to make sure that this is a transformational experience. And it’s interesting. That’s a two-way street for players and coaches. So I can just speak on kind of how we’re operating, and we’re not trying to operate like that. And for the most part, our players haven’t either.”

Does the timing of the spring portal window change when the program has its spring evaluation meetings (which are typically after practices conclude)?

“Once again, it’s really kind of a “no surprises” discussion,” Franklin said. “And what I mean by that, if the players have any issues or concerns, we want them to come in and talk to us. We’ve talked already to the team about how we’re handling the 105. That was addressed before the first window. That was addressed before this window. So everybody is on the same page. I meet with the players a lot, and there needs to be a communication, two-way street. So right now, we’re not having meetings obviously during spring ball, but there needs to be communication.”

What is the domino effect of Penn State losing reserve swing tackle JB Nelson to the portal?

“Really, not a whole lot of changes for us,” Franklin said. “Not a whole lot of changes for us.”

How is Cooper Cousins improving in his second spring?

“He’s doing a really nice job,” Franklin said. “[Alex] Birch[meier]’s doing a really nice job. T.J. [Shanahan] is doing a really nice job. There is a lot of competition there. A lot of competition at those positions. Traut has done a really good job of recruiting and developing guys, so we have depth. That creates some of that as well. It’s all of them. But it’ll be really good competition with Cooper being one of those guys that’s heavily involved in it.”

How is Penn State tackle Drew Shelton progressing?

“He’s a veteran guy,” Franklin said. “He’s played a ton of football since his freshman year. He just continues to get better. He’s super mature. He’s a team-first guy. I think he takes a ton of pride in Penn State. And he’s been a leader, really, not only for the offensive line, but for the offensive unit and for our team. I think he’s got a chance to have a really, really good year for us, and I think he’s got a long-term, bright future.

“So I think a lot of our guys, and I think he’s a good example of it, they understand the value of being at Penn State. They understand the value of competing against these guys every single day at practice, and then the league we play in. So I think he’s a really, really good example of a young man that’s maximized his Penn State experience.”

On third-year lineman Alex Birchmeier

“I think he’s one of these guys,” Franklin said. “And everybody’s journey is different. You guys hear me talk about that a lot. The light has gone on for him. We’ve seen a huge improvement for him at the end of last fall, winter workouts, and then this spring as well. Obviously, a guy that we’ve always thought very, very highly of, and everybody’s process is different.

“The game is starting to slow down for him. I think he’s got a really good feel of what we’re asking him to do. And we see flashes of some really good stuff. So like all these guys, it’s about consistency, but he’s flashing some really good stuff right now.”

On the fact that Penn State has never added a scholarship quarterback from the transfer portal

“Number one, we’re a developmental program across the board,” Franklin said. “We believe in that. I also think early on, we kind of had to be that way. But I think it also is kind of ingrained in who we are, in our DNA. I think we’re very upfront and transparent with people. And I think we’ve done a good job of developing that position so the next guy up has had an opportunity to compete, and win the starting job and things like that. And for the most part, that’s gone pretty well.

“We’re not opposed to doing it if we have to. But I’m a big believer, when you can promote from within, you know what you have, you know what you’re getting. And although the portal sometimes seems sexy, you don’t always know what you’re getting until they show up on campus. So I think so far, it’s been good to us.”

On second-year defensive end Max Granville

“He was a guy that flashed as a true freshman,” Franklin said. “We went back and forth on whether we were going to burn his shirt or not. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s put on really good weight. It’s really important to him. He works extremely hard at it.

“When he first got here in the fall, he flashed mainly as a pass rusher. Now he’s got the size to be physical in the run game as well. So he’s going to be a guy that we think is going to factor in for us this year, and be part of that competition.”

On the difference at wide receiver between last year and this year

“I think year two within the scheme, I think Andy [Kotelnicki] has gotten a better personnel of who we have across the offensive board, not just at wide receiver. Marques [Hagans] now has been here for a number of years. Mark Dupuis is helping out there as well. So I think Drew’s [Allar] got a big part in that as well, what we’re able to do in the off season. This summer is going to be really important.

“We need some of these young guys that have been in the program, kind of like talking about at quarterback, to take the next step, and we think they will. I think the two transfer portal guys have come in here and increased the competition across the board for different reasons and in different ways. [Kyron] Hudson, obviously, has played at this level and been productive, and that has showed up. Very mature guy. He’s a very physical player. Tremendous ball skills. And [Devonte] Ross hasn’t been at this level, so his improvement since he’s been on campus with all the resources has been dramatic.

“But he’s also showed that he can make big plays against this level of competition. So I think it’s been really good for the room. Nobody’s promised anything, but it’s raised the level of competition in the room. But we still need some of those guys who were already on the roster to take the next step, and we’ve seen flashes of that this spring.”

On Jim Knowles’ impact on the Penn State secondary

“I think the biggest thing is we have more tools and more answers to solve some problems,” Franklin said. “There’s going to be a couple of players a year that are a problem. There’s going to be a couple of games a year that are a problem. And you got to have enough answers and tools in your tool belt to deal with them. And Jim’s been doing it a long time. He’s very clear about how he wants to do it. And again, I think the time that we spent on what can stay the same and what needs to change, and the terminology, and all those things, has been helpful.

“I’ve been very pleased with how our defense has handled things. And not only that, with Andy, he’s going against a ton of different formations and motions every single day of practice. And I think that’s going to put us way ahead. Because if you don’t do a whole lot of that, and then you get it during the season, it could be a pain in the neck. So I think that’s been a real positive for both sides of the ball, just how we install and, in a lot of ways, how we service each other.”

On safety King Mack returning after one year at Alabama

“He’d been talking to the guys on our team all year long,” Franklin said. “Still close with those guys. I think he saw a bunch of the guys that he came in with, with the year two, take a big step, which he would have been a part of that if he was here. And I think, kind of like I talked about before about not knowing what you’re going to get out of the portal as coaches, in terms of the players you’re bringing in, or players going to other programs that don’t know the culture and what it’s going to be like.

“So for King, I think very early on, it was a no-brainer for us, because I think he would have played a significant amount for us last year. And I think for King, why take unnecessary risk? He knows us. We know him. So it didn’t take very long. Once he entered the portal, I had a conversation with him. He was talking to our guys. Dex got on the phone with him. We were able to kind of get it done pretty quickly.”