Penn State offensive coordiantor search: James Franklin explains why there is a 'small pool' of ideal candidates

Penn State coach James Franklin is not a fan of having his coaching searches playing out in public. The 10th-year leader of the Lions prefers to keep things close to the vest when it comes to finding either his next position coach or coordinator. But, after making his first regular season firing of his tenure when the Lions moved on from Mike Yurcich two Sundays ago, it is guaranteed to come up frequently between now and the time the choice is made. The first such instance happened Tuesday when Franklin held his second conference of Michigan State week. Will the timing of the move help the Lions?

“I don’t know how much of a head start it is, because my energy needs to be focused on beating Michigan State,” Franklin said. “I may look a little bit more tired now because, essentially, from 6 am until 10 o’ clock at night, is all on our opponent, Michigan State. If I’m going to do any of those other things, it’s going to happen before that or after that. There are only so many hours in the day.

“I have to come out here with the right energy for practice. Helping the staff with the game plan. Do all the other administrative duties that we’re trying to do as well, recruiting, there are only so many hours in the day. It’s not like we’re getting that much of a head start. Because my focus is on Michigan State. But, there’s a little bit [of focus on the offensive coordinator search].

Until a pick is in, Ty Howle and Ja’Juan Seider will lead the Lions offense. It is unclear who called the plays in last Saturday’s 27-6 win over Rutgers. But, both had some kind of role in the process. Franklin again would not reveal who is the gameday play caller.

What is the Penn State timeline for hiring a new coordinator?

At a news conference last Monday that was filled with questions about Yurcich’s dismissal and the future of the program’s offense, a timeline was laid out for how long Penn State might need to hire a new coordinator.

“Sooner rather than later, right? It’s hard,” Franklin said. “Hiring someone is like a full-time job. Can’t really have two full-time jobs right now. Most important thing is for us to play well this week. And, finish the season the right way. And, then during that process, be working through narrowing down a list. I already have a list. It’s narrowing it down, running all the numbers, seeing if people are interested. And, then, trying to find a way to get that turned over as soon as we possibly can through maybe some Zoom calls, in-person interviews.

“And then in a perfect world, I think you would like to have a situation like we did with Manny where we hired him, had him here for the bowl game. I think we have done that at other times as well. Now they’re here, around the guys, see how we operate, meet, get a feel for the culture, be able to watch and evaluate the players and say, okay, here are areas we’re strong, here are areas we need to maybe find some solutions.”

What are the Lions looking for in an offensive coordinator?

Franklin was asked Tuesday about the guidelines he will use for finding his next play caller. The answer was insightful.

“I think it’s really still the same factors,” Franklin said. “It’s who’s going to be great on third down? Who’s got the data to back up explosive plays and explosive offense? Because, in college football nowadays, to just be able to go four yards, is hard to do a play all the way down the field. Opening drives. But, a big one is, data and information based on the people that have been able to score against their best competition. The best competition in whatever leagues they’ve come from. I think that’s an important piece of this as well. Obviously we got even more competition coming into the league as well. So those things factor into it.

“Overall, our numbers are pretty good. But, we got to make sure that we put ourselves in the best position, based on the teams that we need to beat, and to be able to do that, and have the data to back it up and the evidence to back it up, and the experience to back it up. That’s really the biggest difference. And then, hopefully, someone that’s done it long enough that you have a true indication.

“Because, where you have to be careful is, somebody could have a special quarterback. Or, somebody could have a generational wide receiver. And, it skews all the stats. That’s what makes it hard. So, that’s where the bigger sample size, the bigger body of work, allows you to eliminate some of that risk and feel more confident in the decision. And then, also, somebody that’s going to come and be able to use the personnel based on how it’s already been built, if that makes sense.

More: Penn State coach James Franklin updates Drew Allar’s status after Tuesday’s practice

“So, the interesting thing, I think the perception out there, whether it’s an offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, position coach, or a head coach, there’s less options out there than I think people think. When you really dig into it, there’s a small sample size. When I hired Manny [Diaz], there’s like three or four guys out there that have that track record. And, there’s probably eight schools that are trying to get them. So, it’s not as obvious as people may think.

“To be honest with you, even if you look at hiring a guy with NFL experience, that sounds good. But, there’s not a whole lot of evidence of that model working on the college level as well. So, it’s a smaller pool than you would actually think. And, there’s probably not as many obvious candidates as people think as well. And obviously it’s no different than recruiting. You’re trying to get the five star guy. But, you’re also trying to reduce risk, as well. So all those things factor in.”

Prior relationships can help guide the process, as well.

“You’re not trying to figure that out, are they a cultural fit, too? So it’s a smaller pool that I think probably people would think,” Franklin said.