Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1492675
6 M A R C H 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M S ince arriving at Penn State in 2014, James Franklin has preached his four core program values to players, recruits and anyone within general ear- shot of the head coach. He'll close every summer camp by going through his list with those on hand, including parents, to emphasize his belief in positive attitude, work ethic, competition and sacrifice. His message is consistent enough that assistants can be seen mouthing along to his well-rehearsed spiel as they observe the talk for the umpteenth time. Franklin's message on building the team is consistent, as is his greater plan for program structure. Since he was hired, Franklin has worked under three university presidents and three athlet- ics directors. Throughout that time, he has stressed a handful of philoso- phies that he believes must be met for a championship-level football program. Investment, opportunity and alignment headline his list. Given Penn State's often-inefficient bureaucracy and its scores of assistant athletics directors, it isn't always easy to put those key philosophies into action. The days of Joe Paterno making a phone call to a trusted booster or administrator to get things done are well in the past. Yet, there has been progress, visible progress even, in the past few years. The tandem of new university president Neeli Bendapudi and athletics director Pat- rick Kraft, both of whom recognize the importance of Penn State's football pro- gram to its overall economy, have the two sides on the same page these days. "That has been phenomenal," Frank- lin told reporters last fall. "I think you guys know in the past, I've always been happy with the leadership, but I did feel we needed more alignment, specifically when it comes to football. I think that's been obvious from the chair [of the board of trustees] to the president. If you spend time around our president, she just has an energy, an enthusiasm and a positivity for Penn State specifically, but for this community and for students and their experience. It's infectious. "[Kraft] is aggressive when it comes to athletics and I think is fighting for not just football, but all the sports. So, that has been really good. That has been a real positive. I feel like I can focus more of my time and energy on our players and our program right now than probably I ever have in 12 years, all the way back to Vanderbilt." College football's arms race has made its way from facilities to staffing. Pro- grams like Alabama and Georgia con- tinue to set the standard not only on the field, but also in the meeting rooms and in overall infrastructure. Efficiency at every position makes the machine run smoother and faster. Franklin's latest contract extension in 2021 came with agreements that he would have greater freedom in adding the pieces that could fulfill his vision for the future. Former Super Bowl head coach Ken Whisenhunt has been behind him as an analyst for a few years. Franklin also brought on former Nittany Lions safety Calvin Lowry as an offensive ana- lyst this offseason after an eight-year stint as wide receivers coach at Tulsa. In January, Franklin made a big splash when he was able to move Deion Barnes from a graduate assistant role to an ana- lyst position. The former Nittany Lion defensive end has been a tremendous as- set as both an instructor and a recruiter. He'll be able to do both in his newest role. "I've worked with a lot of younger coaches coming up, and I'll tell you what, Deion Barnes is really, really good," defensive line coach John Scott Jr. said. "He's just got a way with the guys that's very good." Penn State has also extended its in- vestment to its recruiting department and addressed some key battleground states with new hires. The Lions had not signed a player from New Jersey since defensive end Amin Vanover in the class of 2020, so Khalil Ahmad was brought in from Syracuse as recruiting coordinator for personnel and recruitment, with an emphasis on the Garden State. Few have better relationships throughout New Jersey. The same can be said about new addition Darrell Bryant Jr., who has a similar reputation in Maryland. In eight years, Franklin has been able to bring Penn State forward into modern college football. While on-field results will still be the measuring stick for any coach, the leaps made off of it should set the program up for more sustained suc- cess in the future. ■ Former Penn State defensive end Deion Barnes was recently hired for an analyst role after having previously served as a graduate assistant. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Recent Hires Illustrate Nittany Lions' Resolve JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N SEAN FITZ SEAN.FITZ@ON3.COM