Anyone heard the Franklin contract rumors?

[TheWizardofCamelot]

So you think that Franklin, Sexton, and Barbour went to Barron and the Board and suggested that a certain sum be added to tuition bills to support the football program? That would surprise me. But if those clowns had the temerity to do that, screw 'em all and send them to hell.

I already said this - more money going into the football program does not mean higher tuition for the everyday student. It doesn't work like that.

It likely means restructuring where the income of the football program gets distributed, cutting budgets of non-football athletics, and a very aggressive fundraising/donor campaign.

 

[Texas Lion]

I'm not convinced Rhule or anyone else recruits 'less better' at PSU than Franklin. Franklin is a great recruiter, but he needs something to sell - if he didn't, he would have recruited better at Vanderbilt. You can't blame four 4* QBs who didn't work out at PSU as 'misevaluated'. And I'd add the best QB we've had under his watch was a 3* prospect everyone wanted as a safety. Even with all the personnel issues we've had this year, we have lost three games by a total of 9 points.

Iowa - Led by 10 at the half.
Illinois - Led by 3 at the half.
Michigan - Led by 3 late in the 4th QTR.

Allar, when he committed, was a solid prospect but No. 89 overall (No. 6 QB) - not the top QB in the country as his ranking now reflects. I'm still not totally convinced he sticks with his commitment to PSU. We'll see.

Where is he going to go? Most, if not all of the schools have their 22 QB. Sure Ohio State is his home state school and because of the reclassification of Ewers leaves them with no true 22 QB.....but at what cost? A year behind Stroud, a few years behind a McCord or Ewers. I am sure OSU would be awesome, but the kid aint dumb. He is going to be the starter from his second year on campus pretty much with ease. Allar wouldn't find a better situation in the country for immediate playing time. He will play in at least 4 games next year and be handed the keys to the car the next year.

 

[blion72]

The point of my argument being - we are behind as far as facilities and resources are concerned. And from rumors, the resources being added to the mix happen regardless of who the coach is nest season.

I don't personally think we should offer Franklin top 5 money - I actually think we call his bluff, he's not getting another job - make him ride out his current contract another year or two, and see how things play out with Allar/Singletion. Make a decision after two more seasons.

do you think that the current recruiting class remains intact if JF is gone? If NOT, do you think it matters if they all bail if JF leaves?

 

[Got GSPs]

You can argue that they have not won a title, but neither did Franklin before he came here.

These two have won at Temple, Baylor, Toledo and Iowa State. Not exactly blue blood programs.

Independent sources have raved about their preparation and leadership.

If interested they would be worth an interview.

If we had an open HC position I would hope they get an interview… at this point it’s crazy to fire Franklin because a couple of guys who have never done it and may never do it, might be interested in the job.

 

[Midnighter]

Where is he going to go? Most, if not all of the schools have their 22 QB. Sure Ohio State is his home state school and because of the reclassification of Ewers leaves them with no true 22 QB.....but at what cost? A year behind Stroud, a few years behind a McCord or Ewers. I am sure OSU would be awesome, but the kid aint dumb. He is going to be the starter from his second year on campus pretty much with ease. Allar wouldn't find a better situation in the country for immediate playing time. He will play in at least 4 games next year and be handed the keys to the car the next year.

Top prospects aren’t scared of competition. He’ll go wherever he feels he has the best chance to get to the NFL IMO. One or two years with the right coaching and elite supporting cast is better than four year starter somewhere without the great coaching and top prospects to throw to (and more importantly, be protected by).

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

do you think that the current recruiting class remains intact if JF is gone? If NOT, do you think it matters if they all bail if JF leaves?

First of all, I don't think Franklin is going anywhere. I don't know what the admin is doing in regard to a new contract, especially after the recent losing slide- but I do think Franklin is on the sideline in 2022. If Franklin stays, the recruiting class stays in tact with a possible addition of one to two more players - there may be a player or two that decommits but not because of the Franklin situation - people are getting less confident about Kaytron Allen signing with PSU but for unrelated circumstances. Allar & Singleton for example are solid, and their families are preparing to move them in a fews weeks from now.

If Franklin bails or is canned, we'll lose Allar/Singleton/DDS and a good amount of the out of state kids. We'd likely be able to hang onto Pribula and some of the other regional kids just because of the PSU/in-state ties. I do think we'd have a solid pool of candidates if CJF is gone, but IMO we should see how Allar works out and evaluate candidates in a year or two. I think Rhule would listen, but he's still only in year 2 at Carolina. And outside of him I'm not overly thrilled with the other options, especially with LSU/USC/FL? being open. While CJF hasn't been impressive recently - the injury to Cliff at Iowa was some ****** luck. I just don't think the circumstances are ideal right now to move on and start from scratch again.

 

[PSUFTG]

I already said this - more money going into the football program does not mean higher tuition for the everyday student. It doesn't work like that.

It likely means restructuring where the income of the football program gets distributed, cutting budgets of non-football athletics, and a very aggressive fundraising/donor campaign.

Spending, at the levels you are talking about, cannot be done by "cutting back on other programs". It is simple math. Cuts wouldn't amount to anything more than rounding error relative to the spending you, and many others, are talking about. Only one sport loses a significant amount of cash flow at Penn State, that is women's basketball, and even that doesn't move the needle. So that is simply a non-starter relative to your stated desires. Anyone with even a basic understanding and awareness of the budgets knows that. Before making such claims, you should tell us all which sports you would cut back, and by how much, and show just how much additional revenue that would generate for football. Are you going to do that?

As far as fund-raising is concerned, do you think that Sandy Barbour has intentionally not tried to raise funds over the last 8 years? Do you think she has not tried hard enough, and if she did the funds would come flowing in? I don't think so, but if you do think that, the first necessary step would be to fire Sandy Barbour. If you want to advocate for that, I'm all ears. But the folks who are responsible for that type of decision, the President and the Board of Trustees, even the Trustees who have been most ardent supporters of spending more on football, have done nothing but applaud Sandy Barbour since she got here.

 

[PSUFTG]

Top prospects aren’t scared of competition. He’ll go wherever he feels he has the best chance to get to the NFL IMO. One or two years with the right coaching and elite supporting cast is better than four year starter somewhere without the great coaching and top prospects to throw to (and more importantly, be protected by).

There are always options for highly-recruited players. That doesn't mean Allar won't view Penn State as his best option, no matter what happens with Franklin. But you are spot on with regard to the competition for, and the opportunities available to, top prospects.

 

[Corner Room Breakfast]

nittany apartments, if that is what we are talking about, are terribly old and outdated.

How bad are they ?

 

[GrimReaper]

I already said this - more money going into the football program does not mean higher tuition for the everyday student. It doesn't work like that.

It likely means restructuring where the income of the football program gets distributed, cutting budgets of non-football athletics, and a very aggressive fundraising/donor campaign.

Yeah, and Nate Bauer has suggested that the money can come from the Commonwealth and local businesses.

 

[HarrisburgDave]

If we had an open HC position I would hope they get an interview… at this point it’s crazy to fire Franklin because a couple of guys who have never done it and may never do it, might be interested in the job.

I don’t agree. When you are paying 6.5 million you should be able to expect a B1G record well above .500. CJF has a dismal record against ranked teams and you would have trouble finding a quality win among his bowl victories.

I hope he announces he is leaving asap.

 

[PSUFTG]

How bad are they ?

Couple of things. The NCAA prohibited Athletic Dorms. They did that 20 years or so back, maybe sometime late 1990's.

Since then, most athletes, at Penn State and elsewhere, live off campus. Have you seen all the new high-rise buildings in State College? The "resort style" developments just outside of down town? That is where most of the non-freshmen ballplayers live.

With regard to the dorms, and the prohibition of athletic dorms, there are of course plenty of work arounds, as is always the case with NCAA regulations. The most basic work around is to have dorms that might be used as a perk for athletes - who get first choice - but have 50% non-athlete residents. For example, you might have a 100 person dorm that is more appealing than the typical dorm, and house 50 athletes in it, while allowing 50 non-athletes in as well. Many universities do this - including Penn State, who make Nittany Apartments available to athletes, but not to rank-and-file undergrads (maybe a few get in through some type of lottery system or something). They do house many graduate students there though - so it gets past the NCAA regulations. Those apartments, for those who are not familiar, are basically two-floor, 4 bedroom condos, with two bedrooms both upstairs and downstairs - private bed and baths - a kitchen, and a living room. They are not brand new, and I am sure some places have newer developments that they use as quasi-athletic dorms, but they are far more appealing than the typical student dorm available to the rank-and-file student.
Auburn just did one recently, you can see pictures here 7-31-13 South Donahue Residence Hall - Auburn (auburntigers.com)
They are newer and shinier than Nittany Apartments, for sure, but probably not up to the level of the off-campus locations that most Penn Staters are now living at.,

Aside from Nittany, Eastview Terrace are the newest on campus dorms, I think, and are far fancier than the old dorms most of us were accustomed to. I am not sure if they are giving athletes priority there for housing. Back in the day the football team liked to keep as many in Nittany as possible, so that they were closest to the football facilities, but I wouldn't be surprised if they might be giving them priority at Eastview as well. Maybe someone else knows for sure.

But, still, most of the football players are off-campus in the luxury apartment developments. They, of course, get a stipend from Penn State to pay for them, since they are not in on-campus housing, along with the relatively new additional monthly payment that was enacted a few years back.

If any recruit is turning down James Franklin using a line of "If not for lousy living options, I would commit to Penn State", they are just giving a "It's not you, It's me" type of let-her-down-easy breakup line.

.

 

[PSUFTG]

Couple of things. The NCAA prohibited Athletic Dorms. They did that 20 years or so back, maybe sometime late 1990's.



.

 

[PSUHarry]

I don't know why you're getting so angry - I simply laid out what is rumored that Franklin/Sexton & the AD dept. have identified as items that aren't up to par with the truly elite schools which make the playoff on an annual basis. I don't claim to have any idea how to implement any of this - I work in marketing. Yes, I'm simply ball-parking the amount the program truly needs to compete with OSU/Bama/Clemson YEARLY - but casual college football fans don't understand how much money some of these elite programs spend to be elite. I also want to note that I'm not even necessarily a Franklin supporter at this point in time. But regardless of coach, we're probably maxed as a program where we currently stand - a contender every 4 or so years, with 6-6 and 7-5 sprinkled in during down years. We don't have quality depth to be an annual contender/elite program.

A handful of debate on some items that others in the thread don't know what they are talking about:

There are a handful of posters in here claiming facts that are not - while yes, we have spent more money on facilities in specific projects, we were so far behind in that specific area, we still haven't caught up to the OSU/Bama/Clemson/Georgias of the world. The statement by another poster that we have recently spent more than Clemson/Georgia is not true at all. Georgia and Clemson have been chunking 75-100 million on facilities for the last 10-15 years, every 2-3 years. PSU spent $80 million two years ago (project has moved at a snail's pace btw), one time. Georgia didn't need to spend 150 million on a recent facility upgrade because they haven't been as far behind as PSU - they've been "upgrading away" going back before Mark Richt. Fact: Georgia has spent $140 million dollars since 2017 on facilities alone for the football program. Double what we're currently speaking about for PSU. Within our own conference, our facilities are typically rated behind OSU & Michigan + Northwestern and Illinois. Let alone the schools in the SEC. Top 25 facilities in the nation, Source: LINK

Penn State does not disclose it's assistants salaries, so we cannot effectively say "we have been paying top ten in staff salaries" - while I believe we are making huge strides in this area, we are not at the level up the upper tier, being OSU, Bama, Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Texas, - all of whom have a bigger salary pool than PSU. As noted above, LSU paid 3 coordinators 1.5 million each in their natty year. That's $4million on three coaches! Plus $9 million to coach O. Absolutely stupid amount of money on 4 people. Also, James Franklin is not paid as a top ten coach currently in 2021 - not sure where everyone is getting that "fact."

1. Nick Saban Alabama: $9,753,221

2. Ed Orgeron, LSU: $9,012,917

3. David Shaw, Stanford: $8,924,683

4. Dabo Swinney, Clemson: $8,370,775

5. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma: $7,672,710

6. Dan Millen, Florida: $7,570,000

7. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: $7,500,000

8. Kirby Smart, Georgia: $7,133,600

9. Ryan Day, Ohio State: $6,614,693

10. Gary Patterson, TCU: $6,103,543

SOURCE

Another item, which I noted above - our recruiting and analyst staffs are much smaller than those tier one schools. We do have one of the bigger recruiting budgets in the country, but a major portion of those costs come from the isolation of State College, extra travel costs make a big difference. As far as analysts are concerned, every fired head coach goes to Bama, Georgia, Osu, etc. and becomes an "analyst" for offense and defense - Bama has 14 of these analysts - 7 offensive, 7 defensive. I've been told we currently have 4-5.

Also, because I know this is a major point of difference our staff is pushing - the living spaces for football players are terribly dated. This feedback has some straight from parents of recruits. If you want the kid, you need to recruit the parents - so do you think questionable living standards compared to other programs hurts us in recruiting? Hell yeah. How much does that cost? No idea. But if they are so bad that we need to tear them down and start new - seems like it would cost a pretty penny, no? Especially if you include all the bells and whistles that others have?

Lastly, the "tuition" statement is a bit off-base - football upgrades rarely reflect in the costs of tuition and housing for your typical student. Where the school will take a hit will remain in the AD - clipping of budgets from other, non-football, athletics. Is that right and/or ethical? I'm not really sure - but I do know football is the cash cow for not only the school, but the entire town of State College. And for substantial increases to budgeting, the program needs big time donors to step up. They are truly the ones that call the shots.

Story: Northwestern set to renovate stadium after $480 million gift - (LINK)​

These things cost money, fellas. If you want to be "elite" then you have to pony up with the competition. I mean, Coach O won a Natty - c'mon! I think there will always be two sides to this argument no doubt, but those that complain about bad seasons typically don't have any idea what it takes to be consistently great EVERY year.

Whether you support CJF or not, any coach is going to need these things and a whole lot of $$$$ to compete at the highest level. Otherwise, we're going to need to be a bit more comfortable with where the program currently resides.

Josh Pate is great and I think worth listening/reading for everyone interested in this topic:

One of my SEC buddies put it this way to me. Awhile back, Bama decided to go all in on football. There is not a pro franchise in the state, Bama football is everything to the state so financially the model needed to match. And look what they have done. Football is the #1 priority there for EVERYBODY and it gets that kind of budget consideration. PSU has to support a ton more in the athletic department than the likes of Bama, Clemson etc. I don't think PSU wants or could do that model, but Franklin knows there is such a delta between where we are with the commitment to facilities compared to others in the next tier. This is about being able to recruit.

I'm not saying I agree with all his tactics he has deployed recently, and I'm not happy with the W/L record lately, but if he leaves on his own or because of the angry mob, the successor will be faced with the same challenge, and probably have less leverage than Franklin does right now. This ain't gonna be a super homerun hire by any means. It's not going to be anyone who is going to demand and secure the commitments during the interview process that Franklin is demanding now with the threat of leaving.

Be careful what you wish for, just sayin'.

 

[JoeBot409]

He deserves no more money from PSU. If he has a better offer from someone else… take it.

 

[PSUHarry]

As much as I think facility/program upgrades are needed, they're not costing us games this year (and last, and the year before, and the year before that, etc.). We should be 9-1 this year. Unless a player apartment is going to suit up and play right tackle or be a quality back up QB for us, we need better on field coaching (gameday decisions, time management, etc.) and to ensure our depth is capable of playing at a very basic level if called upon. No amount of upgrades will fix that. At best, it maybe causes Franklin to be a bit less distracted. We can and should win with what we have, which should be beyond frustrating to everyone since we aren't. Focus on tackling, OL improvement, getting WRs more reps, etc. As long as fans buy into the perception that we can't win without spending hundreds of millions of dollars on facility improvements, people will continue to give Franklin a pass. 'Well, you know, Franklin keeps asking for money to keep us competitive with Ohio State and Alabama and he's not getting it!,' 'But, um, lost to Illinois in 9 OTs' - 'Right! Better player lounge we probably win!.'

It lifts recruiting, that's how it pays dividends.

 

[PSUFTG]

It lifts recruiting, that's how it pays dividends.

With regard to Penn State? That would be an extremely hard case to make based on facts. In fact, I've never seen anyone even attempt to do so.


Here are the types of facts that would support your premise:
Team A was struggling, then they spent a large sum of money, and now they are quite competitive. Or, Here is Team B, they were pretty good, but couldn't get over the top and win a championship until they spent a lot of money. Now they win championships.

Here are the types of facts that would not support that premise:
Team A was struggling, they then spent a lot of money, and they are still struggling. Or, Here is Team B, they won championships, then, after that, they had a lot of money and spent it. Or Here is Team C, they were a good team, then they spent a lot of money, now they are not as good. Or Here is Team D, they were struggling, then they hired a good coach - but didn't spend a ton of money - and now they are much better.

On which side of that, either supporting or not supporting your premise, do you think the preponderance of the facts lie?

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

Interesting article. Love the video interview with Brandon Short. Brandon, if you’re still posting on the new site, please know how appreciated your voice is.

Why Penn State and James Franklin Shouldn't Break Up

Eight years is a long time. But Franklin and Penn State are better off together.

www.si.com

 

[canuckhal]

Interesting article. Love the video interview with Brandon Short. Brandon, if you’re still posting on the new site, please know how appreciated your voice is.

Why Penn State and James Franklin Shouldn't Break Up

Eight years is a long time. But Franklin and Penn State are better off together.

www.si.com

Penn State isn't going to and can't compete at the level of Alabama and OSU unless some very rich individuals decide to dump their money into PSU football. So, where does that leave things?

 

[Midnighter]

Penn State isn't going to and can't compete at the level of Alabama and OSU unless some very rich individuals decide to dump their money into PSU football. So, where does that leave things?

If that’s the case you can pay a lot less for a HC and get similar results.

 

[kentuckycb]

One of my SEC buddies put it this way to me. Awhile back, Bama decided to go all in on football. There is not a pro franchise in the state, Bama football is everything to the state so financially the model needed to match. And look what they have done. Football is the #1 priority there for EVERYBODY and it gets that kind of budget consideration. PSU has to support a ton more in the athletic department than the likes of Bama, Clemson etc. I don't think PSU wants or could do that model, but Franklin knows there is such a delta between where we are with the commitment to facilities compared to others in the next tier. This is about being able to recruit.

I'm not saying I agree with all his tactics he has deployed recently, and I'm not happy with the W/L record lately, but if he leaves on his own or because of the angry mob, the successor will be faced with the same challenge, and probably have less leverage than Franklin does right now. This ain't gonna be a super homerun hire by any means. It's not going to be anyone who is going to demand and secure the commitments during the interview process that Franklin is demanding now with the threat of leaving.

Be careful what you wish for, just sayin'.

And what are people that want Franklin gone ASAP really wishing for? Answer: the CFP and a title.

They point to individual games, records against ranked teams, etc., as if slightly different outcomes would make them happy. It wouldn’t. If he beat Iowa and Illinois this year, the talk would still be that he can’t beat the big boys.

Whether Franklin stays or not, we still need to make the off-field commitment to having a championship football program. At least Franklin is trying to make that happen.

 

[Pennstate#1]

Another poster (who claims to have spoken with major donors about this situation) says PSU “has their guy” if Franklin leaves, and it’s Rhule or Campbell

Could you elaborate on that further. If it’s Rhule, I would assume they have contacted his agent to gage interest? If I’m PSU go get Rhule

 

[GrimReaper]

One of my SEC buddies put it this way to me. Awhile back, Bama decided to go all in on football. There is not a pro franchise in the state, Bama football is everything to the state so financially the model needed to match. And look what they have done. Football is the #1 priority there for EVERYBODY and it gets that kind of budget consideration. PSU has to support a ton more in the athletic department than the likes of Bama, Clemson etc. I don't think PSU wants or could do that model, but Franklin knows there is such a delta between where we are with the commitment to facilities compared to others in the next tier. This is about being able to recruit.

I'm not saying I agree with all his tactics he has deployed recently, and I'm not happy with the W/L record lately, but if he leaves on his own or because of the angry mob, the successor will be faced with the same challenge, and probably have less leverage than Franklin does right now. This ain't gonna be a super homerun hire by any means. It's not going to be anyone who is going to demand and secure the commitments during the interview process that Franklin is demanding now with the threat of leaving.

Be careful what you wish for, just sayin'.

Did you know that the Alabama athletic department sends money to the University? Well, now you do.

 

[Pennstate#1]

I think the locker room and coaching amenities are brand new and well thought of - the weight room was renovated on a very tight budget and is still not up to par. The thought being that we have a top five strength and conditioning staff, and need to provide them with state of the art equipment/nutrition/recovery resources. Apparently there is a “QB Lab” being installed currently as well - which is something Franklin/Yurcich have pushed for based on the competition.

The major financial projects in regard to “facilities” seem to come down to the indoor practice facility + student athlete housing + more upgrades to training and recovery resources. Again, current costs and potential budgeting are way over my head so I’m not really sure of the logistics to all this. Just passing along some of what I’ve heard in regard to what many inside the program believe the program needs to properly compete.

Is the student housing improvement something you foresee getting done? I’ve been told that all the facility upgrades he has asked for has been met.

 

[Pennstate#1]

The point of my argument being - we are behind as far as facilities and resources are concerned. And from rumors, the resources being added to the mix happen regardless of who the coach is nest season.

I don't personally think we should offer Franklin top 5 money - I actually think we call his bluff, he's not getting another job - make him ride out his current contract another year or two, and see how things play out with Allar/Singletion. Make a decision after two more seasons.

I agree with this I would look at from a program and long term perspective. Ok, we will give money wanted for facilities, coaches salary’s good although I do believe we in top 10 there and top 2 in BIG. But I agree to those terms because that makes me better as a program and more attractive. As far as additional salary doe James, no.

 

[Pennstate#1]

Unless Sandy Barbour gets hit by a truck, we are not going to have a new AD next year. The next President? Highly likely that they won't really care all that much. Even more unlikely, about 100% unlikely, that He or She would consider firing Franklin.

Franklin would have to be caught night-putting with the Dean's daughter, twice, to even be close to being fired. Whether he leaves on his own accord is, of course, a different story.

How do you know there won’t be a new AD? I’ve heard from some reliable sources Sandy is out next year.

 

[Pennstate#1]

Spending, at the levels you are talking about, cannot be done by "cutting back on other programs". It is simple math. Cuts wouldn't amount to anything more than rounding error relative to the spending you, and many others, are talking about. Only one sport loses a significant amount of cash flow at Penn State, that is women's basketball, and even that doesn't move the needle. So that is simply a non-starter relative to your stated desires. Anyone with even a basic understanding and awareness of the budgets knows that. Before making such claims, you should tell us all which sports you would cut back, and by how much, and show just how much additional revenue that would generate for football. Are you going to do that?

As far as fund-raising is concerned, do you think that Sandy Barbour has intentionally not tried to raise funds over the last 8 years? Do you think she has not tried hard enough, and if she did the funds would come flowing in? I don't think so, but if you do think that, the first necessary step would be to fire Sandy Barbour. If you want to advocate for that, I'm all ears. But the folks who are responsible for that type of decision, the President and the Board of Trustees, even the Trustees who have been most ardent supporters of spending more on football, have done nothing but applaud Sandy Barbour since she got here.

No I think she’s tried extremely hard but as is the case with life sometimes some are just better than others. The same applies here because it’s obvious we do not have the major high level donors right now that others have.

 

[GrimReaper]

No I think she’s tried extremely hard but as is the case with life sometimes some are just better than others. The same applies here because it’s obvious we do not have the major high level donors right now that others have.

Neither does Alabama.

 

[PSUFTG]

How do you know there won’t be a new AD? I’ve heard from some reliable sources Sandy is out next year.

Time will tell, of course, but if they do cut Sandy Barbour loose next year they will be paying her $2 million a year, roughly, to have her not be the AD. And, of course, paying someone else to be the AD.


Come to think of it, that sounds like a fairly Penn State-y thing to do. Cal paid her to not to be the AD there, as well. Of course, that was only about $400,000 per year. So, having someone pay you a lot of money to NOT work for them wouldn't be a new experience for Sandy Barbour.
Kind of brings to mind the scene in Moneyball, where Billy Beane explains to Davis Justice that the Yankees are paying him to not play for them.

 

[PSUAlum]

Unless Sandy Barbour gets hit by a truck, we are not going to have a new AD next year. The next President? Highly likely that they won't really care all that much. Even more unlikely, about 100% unlikely, that He or She would consider firing Franklin.

Franklin would have to be caught night-putting with the Dean's daughter, twice, to even be close to being fired. Whether he leaves on his own accord is, of course, a different story.

Next President will be an All IN FOR FOOTBALL and basketball President. Barron has opened the BOT eyes that the next pres will be athletics oriented. Onion Dip wanted an EMPTY Beaver Stadium this year. I think the BOT now realize how much the school is dependent on football. Paterno pushed the BOT that it was time to improve the academics after Penn State won NC in 1982. They go hand and hand.

 

[VaDave4PSU]

You want to tell me your team is always going to be a couple points short of OSU because we were one or two players short in a recruiting class because of substandard football dorms?

I mean, sometimes, yes.

A DL like Wilkins @ PSU in '16 or '17 could have been the difference in 3-4 losses (we were not beating Michigan in '16 week 4).

A nice car doesn't hurt either. Any local PA dealerships giving our kids a truck yet?

 

[Ram20]

I mean, sometimes, yes.

A DL like Wilkins @ PSU in '16 or '17 could have been the difference in 3-4 losses (we were not beating Michigan in '16 week 4).

A nice car doesn't hurt either. Any local PA dealerships giving our kids a truck yet?

Yup, my next line was "thats fine" its the losses to Illinois, Indiana, Maryland that make 0 sense.

 

[step.eng69]

I don’t agree. When you are paying 6.5 million you should be able to expect a B1G record well above .500. CJF has a dismal record against ranked teams and you would have trouble finding a quality win among his bowl victories.

I hope he announces he is leaving asap.

Those are pretty strong words Pilgrim

 

[MaconNitt]

Personally, I believe that what ever kernels of truth there are in this story they're buried in a massive pile of manure.

 

[PSUJam]

I mean, sometimes, yes.

A DL like Wilkins @ PSU in '16 or '17 could have been the difference in 3-4 losses (we were not beating Michigan in '16 week 4).

A nice car doesn't hurt either. Any local PA dealerships giving our kids a truck yet?

There are no trucks currently on lots in PA. And the auto industry is about to collapse when there will be.

 

[VaDave4PSU]

There are no trucks currently on lots in PA. And the auto industry is about to collapse when there is.

The trick is in used vehicles.

 

[PSUForever]

Franklin's street value has eroded so much after his 5-0 start this season, he'd be dumber than I thought if he left PSU anytime over the next 3 years. No school administration worth a hoot would touch this guy for the egotistical amount he is making to deliver substandard results.

I kind of hope he stays and replicates his 2021 record in future years....that might be the only way for PSU's BOT to grow a collective brain and learn how to negotiate an equitable contract that has significant performance incentives and lower guaranteed compensation.

We want him to walk. If he goes to U$C that would be great. Good riddance and a fresh start for us with a coach who can actually instill toughness and grit that translates into winning close games. A coach who actually can manage a game properly would also be a nice change. Meanwhile I can take my disgust of U$C to a new level.

 

[NEPA Lion]

nittany apartments, if that is what we are talking about, are terribly old and outdated.

HEY nepalion, did i take your handle, if so i'll delete it and my e-mail account, and sign up new, the board is young, it came into my head because i'm
from ( get this) NEPA. Sorry for any misunderstanding, if you want it, i'll hand it over.

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

I think Penn State is as close to becoming Nebraska, USC, Florida, Texas, etc. as we are on the flip side becoming OSU/Bama.

James won’t win the natty, but I also don’t think he’d let the ship sink. Sometimes I think this fan base doesn’t realize how far the program has fallen from the elite + we don’t have the recruiting base we can consistently lean on as a crutch. I think we are at the ceiling of this program currently and without boosting the ceiling with other program commodities, any coach will hit the ceiling at some point. Or you continually turn over the wrong coaches, and you find yourself quickly becoming Nebraska. Be careful what you wish for.

 

[Psubart1]

We gave $60 million to charities for something that wasn’t our fault. This University wastes more money than you can count. Then they just screw students by jacking up tuition. We are the worst financial deal in the Big Ten now.