James Franklin pushes Penn State to embrace change: Notebook

Penn State head coach James Franklin had no shortage of topics to discuss Wednesday.

Meeting with the media for the first time since a 24-10 loss to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl, much had taken place. Roster movement in and out of the program, coaching departures and hires, and the steady drumbeat of change in college football continued nationally.

Hammering home that notion throughout his 44-minute press conference, this moment being an inflection point in the sport, Franklin touched on a broad variety of issues all dominating the conversation at Penn State and beyond.

Taking a look at the biggest points of interest, news, and notes from Franklin’s Class of 2022 late signing day, 2021 season-wrapping press conference:

1) Embracing change at Penn State

The press conference was, in effect, the quintessential internal dialogue Franklin has battled throughout his career at Penn State.

Acknowledging the dramatic changes in college football in the past five years, and particularly in the last two with the full-on advent of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness rules, Franklin readily noted his personal feelings on the matters.

“I’m a guy that likes the structure. And I like the consistency that we’ve been able to have,” he said. “I’d prefer not to have the changes that we’ve had.”

And yet?

“You better embrace them. I think that’s something that not only am I preaching to the administration and the fans, and when I answer your guys’ questions, but I’m also talking to myself about that as well,” Franklin said. “Whether you totally agree with the transfer portal or whether you totally agree with NIL or whether you totally agree with these things, the reality is, you have to embrace them, I have to embrace them. 

“And then once I’ve embraced them, I got to do a great job of educating and explaining to all the people that have a hand in Penn State football, whether it’s internal to Lasch Building or outside of it, that they understand what we’re competing against currently.”

Insisting that the only approach to addressing the rapidly shifting landscape of rules is to be both bold and aggressive, with a sense of urgency for fast implementation, Franklin added a new element to the mix.

Flexibility.

“You’re going to need to be flexible as a football program,” he said. “You’re going to need to be flexible as an athletic department and as a university to make sure that you are positioning your program and your school in the best position you can to take advantage of these rules.”

Taking advantage of the new rules with a nimble stance is not an open call to abandon principles, however. 

Focusing on the pillars of the program and elements that have consistently delivered success to Penn State and previously in his career, Franklin laid out a vision for what the Nittany Lions should look like moving into the future. 

“It’s also having an awareness of what are the core beliefs and values that should never change. These are the things that allowed us to be successful at Vanderbilt. These are the things that allowed us to come to Penn State and be successful at Penn State. And what’s the next step?” Franklin said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that I’ve talked to you guys about that I think we’re closer to achieving than ever is the alignment. The alignment with the board and all the way down to the head football coach.

“I think that’s really the next step for us so that we can consistently do what the fans and the alumni in the Lettermen want us to do.”

2) Case in point?

Franklin wasn’t quite so explicit as to complain directly and publicly, but he offered comments about the academic calendar that should help clarify the program’s transfer portal movement this offseason.

(Rather, the lack of transfer portal movement in might be a better way to describe it.)

“I think a really good example is our spring semester starts earlier than most. And when guys are looking to get into the transfer portal and be somewhere for spring ball, we can’t use the normal admissions process that’s always existed to get a guy in,” Franklin said. “There’s gonna have to be some flexibility.”

Without naming names, Franklin turned his attention to another university and football program – *ahem, Southern Cal* – that had taken a different approach to the one Penn State has to this point.

“There was a fairly prominent school that just got some guys on their campus and in class, and they have a similar academic schedule that we have, and they were able to get guys into school,” Franklin said. “I just think it’s something that not only the NCAA and the Big Ten has to look at, but all these different institutions have to look at as well and say, ‘Hey, these are the new rules. These are the new realities. Are we willing and what do we need to do to position our program and our school in the best light to take advantage of these things?’ I think flexibility is probably as important as it’s ever been.”

3) Season for reflection

Asked how much of a step back the 2021 season had been to Franklin’s goals for the trajectory of the program, Franklin instead offered that the 7-6 final record should be crystallizing in some ways.

“I think most people would say obviously we were really close last year. We were very, very close, at one point ranked number four in the country and doing some really good things,” he said. “But I think it’s also a great example where depth is so important, where development is so important because injuries are going to play a factor in college football across the board. Depth is important. Some things going your way are important as well. And then obviously continuing to build from an offensive, defensive, and special teams scheme perspective; all of it.” 

Circling back, Franklin stressed the incremental influences that ultimately take shape on the playing field. 

“It’s what we do on the field that’s important, but it’s also all the things that we do off the field that we’re willing to compete in everything year-round,” he said. “We have got to be willing to compete year-round, because all the little losses that you have throughout the entire calendar year, those add up. All the wins that you have throughout the calendar year, add up. 

“We have to be willing to do those things in all areas year-round for us to have the type of success that we want to have consistently.”

Saying that Penn State needs to “get back to” the successes it has experienced during his eight-year tenure with the program, Franklin said he and his staff “embrace the extremely high expectations” that accompany their roles. 

“But I want to make sure that we’re doing all the things necessary to compete with the teams that we are compared to year-round,” he said. 

4) Remaining Penn State roster movement

The answer wasn’t exactly specific, but on a day that the Nittany Lions welcomed a new member to the Class of 2022 and solidified an ambiguous situation for Tyrece Mills, Franklin offered that movement in and out of the program likely hasn’t concluded. 

“There’s a little wiggle room,” he said. “I don’t know if the word solidified and the roster is ever going to be that again under the current model.”