Yesterday, during Nate Bauer's chat session, somebody asked if there was any chance that Franklin's job could be at risk if next season's results weren't great. I am paraphrasing. And Nate responded like this:
"So here's the thing. I would have said that the very notion is insane - and personally, I do think it's kind of insane, but I'm not the one making the decisions - and apparently it's not out of the realm of possibility. I think that four or fewer wins is pack your desk, five is a serious conversation, six is serious consideration that could go either way, and seven buys another year."
To his credit, he began by indicating that he thought the idea of Franklin getting canned after three years was bonkers, but then provided the chances of that happening based on the number of wins in 2016. Basically, anything less than seven wins meant he would perhaps or definitely be fired. He presented this in an authoritative way, suggesting that he'd had conversations with people inside the athletic department, and that is what he'd been told. At any rate, it sounded like he knew what he was talking about.
Perhaps you might recall that a couple of weeks ago, 5* RB recruit Miles Sanders indicated that he was keeping an open mind about visiting MSU and elsewhere because of rumors he'd heard that Franklin's position at Penn State might be shaky. Who knows if other recruits had heard the same thing--and this negative recruiting from unknown sources could have an effect on their final signing situation? Well, guess what? Our own Nate Bauer just gave some apparent confirmation of the validity of those rumors. Perfect! What a gift to coaches from Pitt or Michigan State or wherever that Penn State's own sportswriters are questioning whether Coach Franklin will be around for 2017. Brilliant! As a long-time supporter of the Penn State program, I've got a real problem with comments like this. They can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and do serious damage to the program.
Look, I understand that some of you are already willing to throw Franklin under the bus. First, he's not Joe--doesn't look like him, doesn't sound like him. Second, Joe had some really great seasons, so fans were able to forgive some of the problems and the bad seasons. They had what I call a "reservoir of good will" for Joe. That doesn't exist for Coach Franklin. Third, some of you are just tired of mediocre football, and if Franklin doesn't change that quickly, fire him. Fourth, some of you truly don't understand the mess that the roster was in when Franklin arrived. The sanctions are over! Let's get to the 10-12 win seasons! Fifth, the program loses a recruit--like most programs do--and suddenly "Franklin can't do anything except recruit, and now he can't do even that." Or finally, a few coaches leave--as they do elsewhere--and suddenly the program is in disarray.
I hope that the fair and reasonable supporters here and elsewhere are able to retain their sanity, and let Coach Franklin do his job. Notice, he's been here two seasons, and he's not going anywhere! He wants to be at Penn State, and if enough fans will stuck with him and the program, the good times will come again. And for those of you who really think that dumping Franklin and hiring somebody else will fix the program's problems and bring back the glory days--I can't help you. You will be undermining a program that is deserving of our support.
"So here's the thing. I would have said that the very notion is insane - and personally, I do think it's kind of insane, but I'm not the one making the decisions - and apparently it's not out of the realm of possibility. I think that four or fewer wins is pack your desk, five is a serious conversation, six is serious consideration that could go either way, and seven buys another year."
To his credit, he began by indicating that he thought the idea of Franklin getting canned after three years was bonkers, but then provided the chances of that happening based on the number of wins in 2016. Basically, anything less than seven wins meant he would perhaps or definitely be fired. He presented this in an authoritative way, suggesting that he'd had conversations with people inside the athletic department, and that is what he'd been told. At any rate, it sounded like he knew what he was talking about.
Perhaps you might recall that a couple of weeks ago, 5* RB recruit Miles Sanders indicated that he was keeping an open mind about visiting MSU and elsewhere because of rumors he'd heard that Franklin's position at Penn State might be shaky. Who knows if other recruits had heard the same thing--and this negative recruiting from unknown sources could have an effect on their final signing situation? Well, guess what? Our own Nate Bauer just gave some apparent confirmation of the validity of those rumors. Perfect! What a gift to coaches from Pitt or Michigan State or wherever that Penn State's own sportswriters are questioning whether Coach Franklin will be around for 2017. Brilliant! As a long-time supporter of the Penn State program, I've got a real problem with comments like this. They can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and do serious damage to the program.
Look, I understand that some of you are already willing to throw Franklin under the bus. First, he's not Joe--doesn't look like him, doesn't sound like him. Second, Joe had some really great seasons, so fans were able to forgive some of the problems and the bad seasons. They had what I call a "reservoir of good will" for Joe. That doesn't exist for Coach Franklin. Third, some of you are just tired of mediocre football, and if Franklin doesn't change that quickly, fire him. Fourth, some of you truly don't understand the mess that the roster was in when Franklin arrived. The sanctions are over! Let's get to the 10-12 win seasons! Fifth, the program loses a recruit--like most programs do--and suddenly "Franklin can't do anything except recruit, and now he can't do even that." Or finally, a few coaches leave--as they do elsewhere--and suddenly the program is in disarray.
I hope that the fair and reasonable supporters here and elsewhere are able to retain their sanity, and let Coach Franklin do his job. Notice, he's been here two seasons, and he's not going anywhere! He wants to be at Penn State, and if enough fans will stuck with him and the program, the good times will come again. And for those of you who really think that dumping Franklin and hiring somebody else will fix the program's problems and bring back the glory days--I can't help you. You will be undermining a program that is deserving of our support.
