Giving Liam Clifford $500,000 and then losing 5 stars recruits for money is nuts.
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- Thread starter ConcealedCarry
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You totally have me confused with someone else for sure. You sound triggered. I've commented that $500,000 to Clifford and DeLuca was too much. But that's about it. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just putting 2 + 2 together and thinking why PS might have lost recruit battles in 2026, given the current talk about how Franklin wanted top spend NIL money, and Kraft didn't see eye to eye with him.
Where is this narrative coming from in this thread that PSU has not been recruiting as much talent as Michigan? Look at the data. For the majority of the last decade Penn State and Michigan have been in the same talent tier in recruiting rankings—often very close to each other in the total team talent rankings. Even this season, PSU ranks #10 while UM ranks #11 (source). Look at the year UM won the national championship: PSU ranked #13 and UM #14 (source). I've argued a number of times before on these boards that what Michigan accomplished on the field (minus cheating) is theoretically possible for PSU given that they recruit on a very similar level. Michigan was able to develop a couple of critical positions better and find a real identity on offense that they made work regardless of who they played. Can't say the same for PSU. The hope is that the new staff can find similar success.
His plan seemed to be to pay money to get guys to return to go for a championship run, even at the expense of the recruiting class. I was fine with that plan. Then, he forgot he was supposed to actually coach the team to win a championship. So instead of sacrificing a recruiting as the cost for a championship, we ended up losing recruiting by battles and could couldn’t beat a UCLA team without a coaching staff.
List what the other WR and LBs are getting and we can compare.
If you dont know what the others are getting then you really dont know if Deluca or Clifford were getting too much.
Maybe not. But we would never know if we kept Franklin. And if we can’t attract 5 stars, at least we can get a coach that won’t make in-game blunders.
I 100% guarantee he will make in game blunders as does every coach on the planet especially those that you watch every game. I don’t think Campbell is the savior you think he’s going to be.
There is no way to quantify how well or how poorly Campbell will do with the resources available to him at Penn State.
I agree, but for someone to say that we’re getting a coach that won’t make in game blunders is just ridiculous.
How many Penn State fans does it take to change a light bulb? Three…one to change it and two to talk about how great the old one was. This joke applies to Steeler fans as well.
Proof of NIL mismanagement:
1) I checked the On3 transfer portal list. Nick Marsh is a 4 star WR, the number 1 receiver in the portal and he has a value of $531,000. There's two 4 star LB who have NIL value in the mid $300K range. Clifford and DeLuca are not 4 star players. Clifford would not be the number 1 WR in the portal. Clifford and DeLuca were getting too much, if the $500K amount is correct.
2) Further proof is Kraft's displeasure at how Franklin was spending NIL.
3) Even more proof is all the recruiting battles Franklin lost in 2026, despite that we now know PS had competitive NIL to offer. They've got 34 million for Campbell, which is more than LSU. Why all the recruiting losses?
I'm pretty convinced, there was NIL mismanagement.
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He had more resources at ISU than Toledo does (and did at that time) and his winning percentage went from 68% to 57%. So, it is possible to quantify what Campy will do at Penn State with the resources available, based on his history of having more resources available to him at ISU than he did at Toledo.
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I am not a know it all.
All I did was respond to the statement about quantification of his success. There is a track record (albeit it's only one data point if you look at coaching stops as an individual data points). This track record does allow quantification of what Campy has done in the past, given a similar set of circumstances (greater resources being the circumstance in question).
I hope he goes 12-0 and wins every game and does all the things board posters, fans, media, etc want done that CJF didn't do.
But, hope is not quantifiable and the statement I responded to was about quantification.
I think you need to throw in the fact that the quality of opponents faced went up as well. No one knows the future, but I love this hire, we'll see how it plays out. I don't and won't miss James Franklin, just my opinion.
Oh yes, the quality of opponents did go up, just as they have gone up with his move to the Big Ten. In my opinion, the quality of oppnents have gone up exponentially in the Big 10 relative to the Big 12.
I think he was the best realistic option that was available. However, Kraft (and everyone else associated with PSU football) wants to win a National Championship - which Campy has not done. The coaches that have proven track records of winning a NC or have proven to be within the discussion each year.....were untouchable.
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Apples to oranges. Comparing a MAC team with a B12 team is meaningless as the resources needed in the respective conferences relative to their competitors vastly differ. Or ISU may have more resources in absolute terms than Toledo but if ISU's resources are significantly less than their competitors in the B12 having more money than Toledo is meaningless. The fact is that he had a stellar career at ISU by any realistic metric, especially if you look at the program's historical trajectory. So, his winning percentages at the two locations are incommensurate. You simply cannot quantify how his ability to create a winning tradition at Ames will translate to a program with: 1, much greater resources; 2. much better brand recognition; 3. A history of success; 4. Recruit access. 5. Massive recruiting staff, Why? Because he had none of these at Ames.
You are not pleased with the Campbell hire? Good for you. Can he win a championship? Who knows. But the two "data points" provide little value. It also depends on what you valuing as a your data set. I look at his record at Ames compared to the previous coaches and records at ISU and see a very skilled, capable coach that did a great deal with very little. It will be interesting to see what he will do with a lot.
If we are going to go down the route that uses the metric of winning percentage in light of resources, then we need to compare the level of resources Toledo possesses in relation to its peers in the MAC versus the level of resources ISU possesses in relation to its peers in the Big 12. That comparison is probably a little complex and difficult to make.
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Forget about the losses or whether or not he was a good coach. He went over his boss's head to the board for a contract extension. Such a breach of trust is a singular terminable offense to me, yet Kraft let him stay on a bit.
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Correct, and not only that. You need to compare recruiting density relative to the two programs (how many MAC level players geographically proximate to Toledo, how many D! level players proximate to Ames, what competition is there for these respective recruiting pools, brand recognition, staff and so on}. Hence, my earlier comment that how Campbell does at PSU is impossible to quantify given all these variables.
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But saying Penn State won't get 5-star recruits isn't ridiculous? Let's agree that we are both guilty of hyperbole.
The disagreement lies in how one side views the potential (or lack thereof). I believe PennState that has the potential to get over that hump of losing to Top 10 teams religiously. You are resigned to a belief that PennState will not compete against such teams.
One would also have to recognize that ISU's historical conference affiliation changed dramatically over recent years.
From the original Big 12, there was the exodus of Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Missouri - and more recently of Texas and Oklahoma - those moves dramatically dropped the level of ISU's competition from what it was previously. Most of those changes happened around 2011- 2012, and Oklahoma and Texas two years ago.
And also much less competitive than ISU's prior affiliation with the old Big 8.
ISU circa 2012 onward was playing in a much less competitive conference than at any time prior.
Another way to think about this hire is to consider alternative scenarios. Michigan is looking for a coach now. Would everyone feel better if we still had BGJ and they had hired Matt Campbell? How about if Michigan somehow poached BGJ from VT? How about if they got Daboll? If Michigan doesn't get DeBoer, it sure feels to me that they are more than likely going to hire the next Moeller, Hoke or RichRod than they are the next Harbaugh.
Meanwhile, I would have been really concerned if Campbell had somehow gotten to Michigan. Using that reframe, I think Penn State made a great hire. That is no guarantee Campbell will be a big success at Penn State, but it is a good place to start.
So true, but fans live inside their own box and tend to realize they are the genius after a play or a game. Did James have some head scratchers, for sure he did. Every coach does, but hopefully Campbell is a better organizer and adjuster in game. Time will tell but the JF hate as if you win that many games on accident of dumb luck is idiotic ex girlfriend type of stuff.
That said: Iowa won 7 out of 10 vs ISU
Many of those games were among the ugliest displays of football since they first kicked off the pigskin along the banks of the Old Raritan.
It is not easy to Out-Ugly a win vs Ferentz and Iowa - Iowa is the master of the God-Ugly win (as we have seen). So that aspect is pretty impressive for Campbell - he won three of the MOST ugly (Ferentz Special) games in that series' history.
Let's all hope CMC doesn't ice his own kicker like BGJ did once
They aren't hoping for a savior, they're hoping they were right about James Franklin.
Where do you get off counting someone else’s paychecks? Clifford and DeLucca represent exactly the type of players I want at Penn State.
Clifford was arguably one of the most versatile players on the roster this year. He sacrificed any realistic opportunity to play wide receiver and instead stepped up at quarterback because the team needed him there. He was the last option—and he embraced it. He led, he competed, and he put the program ahead of himself. That matters.
DeLucca was a team leader in the truest sense. A captain. A starter. A steady presence. Without him, Penn State likely does not reach six wins this season. His impact went beyond the stat sheet and into preparation, accountability, and consistency.
These kids were not superstars. They were not game-breakers. If Penn State could have upgraded the roster at those positions, they would have. They didn’t—and these players stepped up anyway.
Clifford and DeLucca embodied what it means to be a Penn State football player: selfless, tough, dependable, and committed to the team above all else. Those are the players programs are built on.
You have your opinion, I have mine. I'm not the only one who feels that way. There are plenty of posts to that effect on this board. I'm not the first person to say they think someone is overpaid. I'd be shocked if you were to claim you haven't said it in your lifetime about someone. It's not outrageous and doesn't deserve a personal attack of "where do I get off..."
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Clifford had 3 rec for 25 yard and 1 rush for 2 yards. $125,000 per touch in a game. That's a great gig if you can get it, kind of like being a fired football coach getting a buyout or a bench player in a pro league making bank without ever seeing the field.
And consider that “stars” aren’t from a blood test, it’s some service’s opinion. Franklin may have been chasing stars but Harbaugh may have been digging a little deeper on own. There’s a rb for Southern Lehigh who is one of only 5 players to ever rush for more than 3,000 yards (including 300+ in state title game), yet no PSU offer. CF needs Sabermetrics, whatever coach nails that will clean up.
There was a time when Saban was mediocre at MSU; Jimmy Johnson was just okay at OK State; Urban was at pre-P5 Utah; Kirby was an assistant at Alabama; Pete Carrol was a fired NFL coach. All around Campbell’s age now.