James Franklin hints at new project as Lasch construction wraps

The dust isn’t quite settled on the Lasch Building weight room expansion project yet, but Penn State’s football program is largely operating in the new space. While still putting the finishing touches on the estimated $48 million construction project, both inside and out, the work appears to be nearly complete.

Long pushing the program and Penn State athletic department toward much-needed infrastructural improvements, though, head coach James Franklin hinted Thursday evening that a new project will soon likely take shape. 

Joining host Steve Jones for his weekly radio show in State College, Franklin pointed toward a long-sought dining and nutrition project for the Penn State football program. And, with new athletic director Pat Kraft and university president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi working collaboratively on the effort, Franklin noted his optimism that steps would soon be taken toward achieving those aims.

“That’s something between Pat and Dr. Bendapudi that we’re working on,” Franklin said. “I think we’re gonna be able to make progress and make progress quickly.”

James Franklin’s push for infrastructure improvements

Franklin’s comments came on the heels of another small splash he made earlier this week regarding athletic dorms at his Tuesday press conference. Stating that Penn State had lost an eventual NFL-bound prospect in the recruiting process due to the quality of its dorms, and nearly lost five-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton for the same reason, Franklin noted that competing programs typically have athletic or football-specific dorms. 

In the case of a new, football-specific dining facility, meanwhile, Franklin explained its necessity from a purely physical perspective. Stressing the importance of nutrition to the game’s highly-tuned development and performance enhancement quotient, Franklin lamented Penn State’s lack of infrastructure to implement it. 

“We’re one of the few athletic programs at this level that does not have a true training table for the entire athletic department and specifically for football,” Franklin said. “And the reality is, we all know, we all do as you get older, it’s magnified how important your diet is and how important your nutrition is. You can lift all the weights you want. If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, and if you’re not fueling your body properly, it won’t grow the way it’s supposed to grow. It will not recover the way it’s supposed to recover.”

Sense of urgency taking shape

Coming out of a summer in which Franklin set the table for the first months working together with his new AD and president, progress on the project would represent an urgency the head coach has pushed to achieve within the program. 

Acknowledging the need for alignment among decision-makers and the resources to devote to implementing changes quickly, Franklin said the competition is what creates distinction among programs in which every edge can make a difference.

“The margin of error in college football, with where we’re trying to go, is very small. You’re scratching and clawing for all these little areas where you can either maximize your ability or maybe gain an advantage or differentiate yourself,” James Franklin said. “And, it’s harder than ever to differentiate yourself. So, you better be scratching and clawing for every inch, every yard you possibly can on the field. And the reality is, the more wins that we get in the offseason, it puts us in the best position to be successful on Saturdays.” 

Penn State football returns to action Saturday when it hosts Central Michigan at Beaver Stadium (noon, BTN).