Penn State football: Three takeaways from James Franklin's post-practice press conference
Penn State football coach James Franklin met the media on Wednesday night, fresh off a new 10-year contract extension worth $80 million.
There was plenty to discuss after the big news came out on Tuesday afternoon.
Let’s dive into three takeaways from the media session.
1. Franklin on need for philosophical change at Penn State
Franklin explained that Penn State needs to get “a little bit better” in every aspect as a program, including the way it approaches football from a philosophical point of view.
In Franklin’s view, there’s a battle to climb each step of the ladder in college football. There’s a fight to get into the top-25 on a regular basis. There’s a battle to get into the top-10. From there, things get more difficult.
“That gap between the top-10 and the top four or five programs, that’s more of a significant gap than any of those other stages we talked about,” Franklin said. “Then again, to get to that national championship.
“It’s all of it. It’s recruiting. It’s facilities. It’s scheme. It’s coaching. It’s fundamentals. It’s strength and conditioning. It’s nutrition, because you can lift all you want, but if you don’t have a training table — all of those things, it all matters. Sleep, the dormitories. It’s everything.”
Franklin said that if Penn State were to sign three or four more blue chip recruits every season, it would add up over four years. The added resources tied to his new contract will help get the best out of those prospects, Franklin thinks.
“Those little margins that you’re scratching and clawing for, they all add up,” he said. “I think you guys know that we’ve been close. We’ve been really close in some games. We’ve been really close in terms of getting into the playoffs. We’ve been ranked pretty high at times. We’ve gotta be able to sustain it and that’s what this is all about.”
2. Franklin on contract extension’s recruiting impact
Early signing day is quickly approaching for Franklin and his staff, with December 15 circled on the calendar.
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So, what’s the impact of the contract extension on Penn State’s recruiting efforts as it looks to close out a class ranked eighth per the On3 Composite?
“I think it helps,” Franklin said.
Franklin said that the main objective for the Nittany Lions as they conclude this cycle is to hang onto the 25 commits they currently have lined up, with wiggle room available for possibly one or two more additions.
“Obviously, I think the recruits and their families, they’ve been informed the whole time, whether it’s been individual phone calls with recruits and parents, whether it’s been group Zoom calls, whether it’s been one-on-one meetings in person on campus,” Franklin said. “Those things have happened, but obviously, when it comes out publicly and there’s no more speculation, it helps.
“It’s kind of the cherry on top, the final piece.”
3. Contract extension timeline
Franklin explained that he told Penn State’s players and recruits about a week ago that the contract extension was coming.
He’d been communicating with the team’s Leadership Council about it throughout the entire process, as well.
“It’s been a moving target the whole time, but I wanted to make sure that they heard first,” he said of his team.
