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Penn State coach James Franklin talks recruiting realities, what lies ahead with transfer portal

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel04/15/22GregPickel
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Penn State head football coach James Franklin watches practice on April 14, 2022. (BWI photo)

Penn State coach James Franklin talks often about the need to adapt quickly and successfully in the ever-changing world of college football.

That’s always been the case. It is even more crucial now.

For starters, players have more freedom of movement than ever before. The NCAA allows each athlete to transfer schools one time without having to sit out a year. Then, there is now the ability for them to profit off of their popularity.

Both facts have changed the game as we know it on the field and in the recruiting world. It’s why when asked to assess how his altered off-field staff is performing on the recruiting front this spring, Franklin took the conversation in a different direction.

“It’s hard for me to compare and contrast”

Franklin has been blunt about his belief that Penn State must be creative and engaging in the name, image, and likeness space. It is undoubtedly behind other college football power. The impact of that fact has and will continue to be felt in recruiting.

“It’s hard for me to compare and contrast because although last year, NIL was implemented, it was really in the infancy stages,” Franklin said Wednesday. “We saw a little bit, but not a lot. It’s such a factor now that, you could do everything right, and do everything perfect, and out recruit everybody, but you could lose a guy because of the NIL opportunities.

“So it’s hard for me to compare and contrast because that’s just such a new dynamic that we’re going to have to be aggressive and bold with as well.”

Penn State is still having success on the recruiting front, of course. The Lions have the nation’s No. 7 Class of 2023 in the On3 Consensus team rankings. It also has a four-star and top-150 Class of 2024 commit in Erie lineman Cooper Cousins. But, to continue building on both fronts, Penn State must keep moving forward in all areas. Name, image, and likeness might just lead the list.

Looking ahead to Penn State and the portal

As spring practice winds down at Penn State and across the country, the transfer portal is going to heat up.

The Lions already received good news on that front earlier this week when Demeioun Robinson joined the program after a year at Maryland. That solved Penn State’s need for an edge rusher. But, more additions are likely. So, too, are defections.

“We’re gonna have to continue to look at that,” Franklin said. “And after spring ball, I hope we don’t lose anybody, but if you look around the country, that happens after spring ball. So we’ll have to have our antennas up.”

One way the program does that is by having end-of-spring meetings with every player on the roster. Position coaches go first, and then Franklin endures a grueling process of sitting down with each member of his team. Those conversations will undoubtedly lead to stay-or-go decisions that will shape the roster, for better or worse, moving forward.

“All of our players will meet with their position coaches before they go on the road recruiting, which is something [the coaches have] not had to deal with for the last couple of years,” Franklin said. “And then I do something, which I love and hate, is meet with every single player on the team. I love it because it allows me to get great perspective on our team and listen to them and get one-on-one time with each player, which they don’t always get from me.

“But it’s also a grind. One hundred and twenty players, or whatever the number is right now. You’re talking about between 20 and 30 minutes for each one of them. So it’s a grind.”

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