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Topic subjectIs James Franklin the right fit?
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2287911, Is James Franklin the right fit?
Posted by guru0509, Sat Jan-11-14 08:04 PM
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10276518/is-james-franklin-fit-penn-state-college-football


After a relatively slow start, the college football coaching carousel began to spin wildly in the last few weeks. Many were shocked by Charlie Strong's move from Louisville to Texas and Bobby Petrino's back-to-the-future gig at Louisville.

But hardly anyone was stunned by Penn State hiring James Franklin away from Vanderbilt. Franklin had become one of the hottest coaches in the country after taking over a program that was 2-10 the season before he arrived to three consecutive bowls, while compiling an overall record of 24-15. And he did it with an engaging personality and outgoing style, generating excitement for the program and selling Vandy to anyone who would listen (including calling into radio shows as "James from Nashville"). It's no wonder he was on the short list for the jobs at Texas, Penn State, USC and a handful of NFL teams.

But the question now is no longer about whether Franklin is a good coach, or a hot coach on the rise. The real question is, "Is Franklin a good fit at Penn State?"

Sometimes the "hot" coach isn't the right fit for every school. In the case of Franklin and Penn State, I believe you have to look at two significant factors in order to evaluate whether it is a good fit -- recruiting, and Franklin's ability to get the most out of QB Christian Hackenberg – in addition to one off-the-field issue that could loom large in the coming months.


Recruiting

Clearly, recruiting is a major issue for Penn State for several reasons. The first is the scholarship restrictions placed on the school by the NCAA following the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. Even though the NCAA granted Penn State some relief from the original sanctions recently, the numbers are still tough: The Nittany Lions are limited to 75 scholarships in 2014 and 80 in 2015 before having a full allotment in 2016, and can sign no more than 20 players per year in 2014 and 2015. (Note: The norm is 85 total scholarships and 25 per season.) Additionally, PSU is banned from bowl games for the next two seasons.

Those reduced numbers mean that Penn State's scholarships are at a premium, and there is no margin for error, so the coaching staff needs to be right about the players who are signed, and also get star players to come aboard to make up for the lack of depth the program is facing. The head coach must be able to recruit great classes, even though they may be small classes. We saw how former USC coach Lane Kiffin was able to bring in top classes even while the Trojans were under sanctions (hey, the classes were great, even though the on-field performance was not).

Can Franklin recruit under these restrictions? Absolutely. He recruited consecutive top-25 classes at Vandy the last two years. Now, Vandy wasn't under NCAA sanctions, but Vandy's academic requirements might as well be sanctions because of the limited number of athletes who can qualify for admission to the school. Franklin has already dealt with a smaller pond of talent in which to fish. Moreover, he had to sell a vision, a dream about winning and bowl games at a place that essentially had no successful football tradition.

Granted, it won't be easy to get players from the Southeast, where he was recruiting for Vandy, to go to Happy Valley in droves. Penn State is in the middle of nowhere, in a really cold climate, and it won't be able to participate in a bowl game for the next two years. So he'll have to battle Ohio State's Urban Meyer and Michigan's Brady Hoke for the top recruits in the Northeast and Midwest.

But that's OK, because Franklin can hold his own in recruits' living rooms with Meyer and Hoke. He is a tremendous salesman and cheerleader, and he will be as passionate about Penn State as he was Vandy. If anyone can recruit for Penn State, it's Franklin. It's also worth noting that Franklin is Penn State's first African-American head coach, which can only help with recruiting. It shows a commitment to diversity and might help more recruits of color feel comfortable choosing Penn State.

HACKENBURG

Don't underestimate Hackenberg's importance to Penn State both now and in the future. He was the No. 1 QB recruit in the country when he took a leap of faith to stick with his Penn State commitment and learn how to become the next Tom Brady under Bill O'Brien. With O'Brien now moving on to the NFL after Hackenberg's true freshman season, that doesn't seem to be what Hackenberg envisioned when he came to Happy Valley – and if he ends up having a bad experience at Penn State, it will hurt the Nittany Lions' recruiting (good luck trying to get another elite QB recruit to go there) and morale since Hackenberg is the star of the football program.

At first glance, it does not appear that Franklin is a good fit with Hackenberg, since Hackenberg operated in a drop-back system at Penn State under O'Brien while Franklin ran a spread system at Vandy that relied on a mobile quarterback to be a big part of the rushing attack. Also, Franklin hasn't had an elite quarterback like Hackenberg as the focal point of his offense. Yes, Franklin coached Josh Freeman at Kansas State, but Freeman was not the focal point of K-State's offense, even though he went on to become a first-round pick.

But while it is fair to be concerned about Franklin's fit with Hackenberg, it may not be much of an issue after all. First, Franklin has shown the ability to adapt offensively. He has run different systems at Kansas State, Maryland and in the NFL with Green Bay. He's not a stranger to the pro-style offense and should not have a problem implementing a system similar to the one he used at Maryland with Danny O'Brien at quarterback. And even though Franklin isn't considered an offensive visionary on the level of, say, Bobby Petrino or even Bill O'Brien (Franklin's strengths are more as a leader of the program), it's important to remember that he does have an offensive background.

Perhaps the most compelling point, however, is that Franklin and Bill O'Brien have a connection, having worked together for two years at Maryland, and they remained friends, which should help Franklin with Hackenberg. And, despite his move to the NFL, O'Brien remains close to Hackenberg. O'Brien may very well be the glue that binds Franklin and Hackenberg together so that this transition works out very well.

Bottom line

In summary, Franklin has what it takes to continue to turn the Penn State program around and establish it as a future challenger to the top teams in the Big Ten. That is, at least with what he brings to the sideline and on the recruiting trail.

But there is a bigger off-the-field issue looming, which is the ongoing rape allegation involving four former Vanderbilt players. The four were accused of raping an unconscious 21-year old woman (a fifth player pleaded guilty to participating in a cover-up). Some believe that, in light of the Sandusky child molestation scandal at Penn State, the university should have avoided Franklin completely.

From a purely football perspective, Franklin is a good fit. If it turns out that Franklin is not in any way involved in the case, I think it's clear he has what it takes to be successful at Penn State. But if Franklin is connected to the case at all, then the "good football fit" will take a back seat. The focus will shift to Franklin's role in the case, and he'll face the same allegations Joe Paterno faced of being a coach who looks the other way and is willing to win at all costs. (And until the case is resolved, it figures to be an issue Franklin will have to deal with on the recruiting trail.)

That would be an awful outcome for Penn State, but it apparently is a risk that the school is willing to take.

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Rod Gilmore
College Football analyst
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Rod Gilmore serves as an ESPN studio analyst on SportsCenter and College Football Live, and provides commentary on ESPN's Friday night game telecasts. He writes regularly for ESPN Insider.
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