Everything Penn State coach James Franklin said at his final news conference before Minnesota

Penn State coach James Franklin met the media for the final time before his team’s trip to Minnesota on Wednesday night. The first question he fielded focuses on why he said back on Monday that he doesn’t believe quarterback Drew Allar gets enough credit for the season he is having.

“Obviously if I wanted to get into those details at this time or that time, I would have spoke on it,” Franklin said. “But, not interested in getting into that right now.”

Next up was a question about the progress made so far by second-year Nittany Lions cornerback Audvaion Collins.

“Yeah, he’s a kid that transferred into the program, when he got here, he was like 165 pounds, and he just has embraced everything that we’ve asked him to do,” Franklin said. “He works his tail off in the weight room, at practice every day, has a huge smile on his face, and really just made a significant move in competitive periods all during the spring and training camp.

“We felt like he would be in a position to help us this year. He’s just a kid that’s really brought in to thinks we ask our guys to do. I think he enjoys it here and is one of those guys where he’s very well liked. As he continues to have opportunities and make plays, you’ll see his role continue to grow. He’s that close to making some big time plays for us. We’re big fans of his.”

Read everything else Franklin said Wednesday and watch video of his news conference below.

On Tom Allen not getting enough credit for how well the Penn State defense is playing

“I think what happens sometimes is, I don’t care what profession you’re in, depending on who you follow plays a role in how you’re perceived,” Franklin said. “He follows Manny Diaz, and we had one of the top defenses in the country, so you come in here, and I think defensively we were ranked anywhere between 2, 3, or 4, so unless you’re one, it doesn’t feel like you got a whole lot better.

“But, I think he’s done a really good job of coming in here and adapting. We have one of the best defenses in the country. I think our defense is our highest rated unit. And, no one’s talking about it. I think he’s done a really good job of, he’s been a head coach for a long time, and getting back into the defensive coordinator role, and the staff and team has been great. Holding onto a lot of things we’ve been doing and then putting his own stamp on it. He probably had the toughest follow. Give him a ton of credit. Very different personality and approach. But, I think he’s doing a great job, and our whole defensive staff is.”

On why former Penn State center Ty Howle fits as a tight ends coach

“Well, first of all, he’s the son of a high school coach,” Franklin said. “So he knows ball. He loves ball. He studies it. So you look at kind of his background, I think he has a chance to be a coordinator one day. He studies the game. And a lot of times coaches live in their world or their box, and they know their responsibility, but they don’t know the rest of it. And he always has been a student of the game. But I think the other thing is, I’m a big fan of having o-line coaches at the tight end position. Because all of these tight ends, they want to run routes and catch balls, and most of them did that in high school, but you need somebody to develop them as a blocker as well.

“So I just think you can’t have enough o-line guys on your staff, you can’t have enough quarterback guys on your staff, because they see the big picture. But that that’s usually the area where tight end coaches and tight ends in general are behind is in the running game, because a lot of them are receiver guys or tight end guys, and it’s all about what they do in the passing game.

“Very similar to my argument with all these awards. It’s just based on catches, you know? And if it’s the the receiver award, then I get it, but if not, it should be about being a complete tight end and I think blocking is part of the job description.”

On Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter being a Lombardi Award finalist

“Yeah, he’s very, very disruptive, and he’s got plays that flash,” Franklin said. “Whether you’re a football kind of lifer and somebody that really studies the game, he’s got plays that really flash. But even if you’re not, he’s got plays that you’re like, ‘wow, those are impressive plays.’ I think it took him a little time to get comfortable at defensive line and specifically defensive end. But, he’s a disruptive player.

“When you talk about tackles for loss and you talk about sacks, and you talk about pressures, and you talk about offensive coordinators spending all week on how they’re going to manipulate their protections to deal with him, he’s an impactful player.

‘The good thing is that he’s on these lists for these awards. The bad thing is, none of these awards have adapted to the new college football. And, all these awards are still during the season, when all of us are playing. They want you to come to the awards, but we got practice, so some of the awards have gone virtual, or they’ve moved the actual award banquet to after the season. I think a lot of these awards need to look at it and with the college football model, changing, they’re going to have to change and adapt with it as well.”

On dealing with the portal and early signing period amid a Playoff push

“That’s where having a bigger staff is helpful,” Franklin said. “I think there’s a lot of arguments about people seeing the size of the staff. I don’t know how you do it today without that. But then, not only that, it’s not just the size. They got to be really, really qualified people. We’re fortunate here. We got a group of people that have been with us for a long time, and they’re working on those things. That’s what they’re doing 16 to 18 hours a day.

“So, you know, even signing day is going to be different, Like, we’re going to have Signing Day, and typically it’s the whole staff. [This year], it’s going to be me and the recruiting staff and the rest of the coaches are going to be doing the game planning and doing all those types of things. So we do take some time every single week where myself and those guys will organize it, and then we’ll include the coaches in the part of the conversation that they need to be a part of. But, have it already organized and ready to go, so we’re being as efficient as possible.

“And then, typically, we try to do it late in the week, like on a Thursday and Friday, when most of the game planning and everything is done. We try to do it then as well, but it takes a lot of organization and vision and communication to make sure everybody’s on the same page. And that I’m hearing, and Andy Frank is hearing, and Kenny [Sanders is] hearing from our staff to make sure that we’re formulating the best plan based on all the information that we have.”

On the strength of the Big Ten and CFP narratives in 2024

“I think it’s interesting, because there’s this battle going on right now out, you know, in terms of the narrative of college football, of who should be in, right? We talked about this before,” Franklin said. “It was four, and everybody argued, we got to go to 12. We get to 12. And what’s happening? Everybody’s arguing that 14, 15, 16, are getting screwed. And we talked about the basketball tournament, right? How many is that? 68 and what happens there? Sixty-nine and 70 [think they should be in]. So, this is part of it. But I’ll say this. I mean, obviously I’m concerned about Penn State, and obviously I’m concerned about the Big Ten. But, I’m one of the few guys that have been a head coach in both conferences.

Penn State practice notes: Offense | Defense

“And to me, the right thing to be talking about is the two best conferences in all college football are the Big Ten and the SEC. And, we should have the most teams in. I don’t think there’s any question to that. I think where it becomes problematic is, when you have rules for certain teams and certain conferences to get in, and maybe people don’t feel like they’re actually in the top 12. So I get it.

“We’re fortunate. We’re part of the two conferences that I think everybody would agree are the two strongest conferences. I don’t think we need to take shots in the Big Ten at the SEC, because that’s been proven over time, and I don’t think the SEC should be taking shots at the Big Ten. We’re in a really, really good position, both conferences. I don’t think there’s any argument there. And the reality is, whether people’s feelings are hurt or not, these two conferences need to have the biggest number and the biggest presence in the Playoffs, because we’ve earned it throughout the season.”

On how Penn State will deal with the turnover-driven Minnesota defense

“The stats that we talk about week in and week out, it’s the turnover ratio and the explosive play ratio,” Franklin said. “And those two things are going to be critical on Saturday. And with a team that’s doing a really good job of turnover ratio, that’s going to be a factor. A major factor in the game. We’ve done a good job of protecting the football. We’re going to have to continue to do that.

“And the area that I think we can get better, that I think we talked about, like, a week or two ago, is that we’re creating some of those turnovers as well. So, you know, I give PJ [Fleck] a ton of credit. He kind of grew up professionally, like I did. Where before you can learn to win, you got to learn how not to lose games. And there’s certain things that will get you beat. And, that’s turning the ball over, and that’s giving up explosive plays, and that is not playing with a great effort.”