James Franklin considers how Penn State builds championship habits in spring

Ahead of the 2024 season, there are once again big expectations for head coach James Franklin and the Penn State program. Now, during spring practice, is when Franklin wants his Nittany Lions to build up their championship habits.

While speaking to members of the media, Franklin explained that developing those habits is important for everyone, regardless of what position they play, and extends to the coaching staff.

“I think, more than anything, it’s a foundation of habits. It’s a foundation of offense, defense, and special teams,” James Franklin said. “Not just for the players, but for some of the coaches that are new, so that we can literally come into summer and feel really good about having a chance to compete legitimately for jobs.”

James Franklin also made a point of saying that there aren’t any guys who can’t compete for jobs because there’s a lot of time before the season starts.

“Right now, this is great, but there’s going to be no decisions made, now. I think guys are going to want to know where they’re at at the end the spring. There’s so many things that are going to change between now and the first game, and everybody’s just kind of got to understand that. It wouldn’t be right or fair for anybody for us to make decisions at this point, but a lot can change between now and West Virginia.”

Now in his 11th season with Penn State, James Franklin knows that there is an expectation to compete for a 12-team playoff. However, he also knows that if the Nittany Lions make a deep run then there’s plenty of time for things to change within the program from spring practice to then.

“I think it’s just the foundation of all those things: habits, understanding of the offense, defense, and special teams, so you truly have a chance to compete in the summer. And then there’s going to be some guys that obviously are going to get here in the summer that are going to factor in,” Franklin said.

“We don’t know who those guys are right now, because after signing, the recruiting rankings and the stars go out the window, and what shows up, we’ll have a better chance to evaluate that and see if any of those guys that haven’t been here yet if they got a chance to help us, not necessarily by game one. Maybe they’ve shown us that they got a chance. But then by game four or five, they’re ready to really contribute, especially when you talk about the possibility of 17 games. That’s a long season.”