BILLY
So why am I doing this?
PETER
You're not doing it for the money.
BILLY
I'm not?
PETER
You're doing it for what the money says.
It says what it says to any player who
gets big money: that they're worth it.
BILLY
The offer says that. The money itself is
redundant.
I made one personal decision based on
money in my life and I swore to never do
that again.
Gets me every time.
So, look. I know there's a big long thread about the reports today. Franklin met with Florida State reps. Or maybe he didn't. And maybe that meeting ended with Florida State feeling like it wasn't in a good position to hire Franklin away from Penn State. I genuinely have absolutely no insight or news to share on any of those topics.
And frankly, there are going to be a lot of things that happen between now and whenever Penn State announces James' contract extension, or he leaves to take an offer with another program, that I don't know about.
But, I'm pretty confident in a few things. The first is that one of those two things are going to happen. He'll either be extended with a big pay raise (which is what I expect to happen, and is what I reported as Penn State's intention to make happen) or he will leave with a big pay raise somewhere else.
Either way, James Franklin is going to get paid, but it only applies in the context I provided above.
It's about what the money says. That he's worth it. That his effort and the efforts of his entire staff are worth it. That the direction the program is moving in is worth it. Penn State football - whether you agree with it, understand it, or believe in it or not - is one of the most unbelievable success stories that I can think of in modern sports. From 2011, everything that transpired in 2012 and 2013, to James picking up the torch and running with it through two trying seasons in 2014 and 2015, to what they have done as a program the past four seasons, is nothing short of remarkable. If Penn State is committed to seeing that success continue, and believes that success is most ably steered by James Franklin and the direction he provides, then it is going to have to pony up.
Again, as I reported a couple of weeks ago, my understanding is that Penn State is fully intent and in agreement on making those commitments.
I'm not going to be the guy to provide a play-by-play on how this all shakes out, but I have enough insight to tell you that it's about the money, and not at all about the money, simultaneously. And that's just the third piece of the puzzle that I laid out for the national folks at Rivals, which I'm going to do a cut-and-paste of below, when they asked me if James might leave for Florida State or Southern Cal.
My answer (which most of you know by now):
"I think that the terms of the conversation are flawed when it comes to the now-yearly James Franklin couching carousel speculation. It's not about whether he wants to leave Penn State or stay at Penn State, or if he wants to go to Southern Cal or Florida State or anywhere else. It's simply a matter of meeting a two- or three-fold equation, wherever he is:
"1) Can a national championship be won there? That covers everything under the umbrella of being able to recruit there at a juggernaut level with juggernaut consistency. It covers fan support, history, tradition, and infrastructure (with the intent to constantly make improvements in every phase). If all of those elements are in place, then it meets that bottom-line requirement to even be considered as a place that he would want to coach.
"And 2) Can Franklin do it his way? Are all of the various arms of the bureaucracy of a major university on board with his vision for how to reach that level of success? What's the buy-in for football - and the way he envisions the program fitting into the health of the larger community and university? If everyone is on board with that blueprint for success, as he envisions it, that satisfies the second major requirement
"The third is to be paid in accordance with his market value. Given that Penn State's nearly 80 percent wins mark since the start of the 2016 season is top 10 nationally and seventh among Power Five programs behind Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Wisconsin, Franklin likely has an argument to make that his compensation should reflect those accomplishments.
"Whether or not Penn State satisfies those elements is going to be a yearly conversation, though I do think it's an instructive way to contextualize the options that are out there for him and, in some cases, easily dismiss speculation for certain programs that wouldn't meet the criteria. But there's a second element to also keep in mind, which is that every time his name circulates as a coveted candidate nationally, it encourages an even stronger commitment and buy-in from Penn State's administration to continue to build the program and create an environment for sustained success."
I don't want to be on the sidelines for this and have you guys wondering what's going on. But, I'm not sure what is to be gained by stressing over every meeting or non meeting or negotiation or non negotiation that happens between now and when something is actually solidified in either direction.
The reality is, this is the process. The process is playing out. And, from everything I've gathered, these are the primary pillars of how and why this will or won't get done.
So why am I doing this?
PETER
You're not doing it for the money.
BILLY
I'm not?
PETER
You're doing it for what the money says.
It says what it says to any player who
gets big money: that they're worth it.
BILLY
The offer says that. The money itself is
redundant.
I made one personal decision based on
money in my life and I swore to never do
that again.
Gets me every time.
So, look. I know there's a big long thread about the reports today. Franklin met with Florida State reps. Or maybe he didn't. And maybe that meeting ended with Florida State feeling like it wasn't in a good position to hire Franklin away from Penn State. I genuinely have absolutely no insight or news to share on any of those topics.
And frankly, there are going to be a lot of things that happen between now and whenever Penn State announces James' contract extension, or he leaves to take an offer with another program, that I don't know about.
But, I'm pretty confident in a few things. The first is that one of those two things are going to happen. He'll either be extended with a big pay raise (which is what I expect to happen, and is what I reported as Penn State's intention to make happen) or he will leave with a big pay raise somewhere else.
Either way, James Franklin is going to get paid, but it only applies in the context I provided above.
It's about what the money says. That he's worth it. That his effort and the efforts of his entire staff are worth it. That the direction the program is moving in is worth it. Penn State football - whether you agree with it, understand it, or believe in it or not - is one of the most unbelievable success stories that I can think of in modern sports. From 2011, everything that transpired in 2012 and 2013, to James picking up the torch and running with it through two trying seasons in 2014 and 2015, to what they have done as a program the past four seasons, is nothing short of remarkable. If Penn State is committed to seeing that success continue, and believes that success is most ably steered by James Franklin and the direction he provides, then it is going to have to pony up.
Again, as I reported a couple of weeks ago, my understanding is that Penn State is fully intent and in agreement on making those commitments.
I'm not going to be the guy to provide a play-by-play on how this all shakes out, but I have enough insight to tell you that it's about the money, and not at all about the money, simultaneously. And that's just the third piece of the puzzle that I laid out for the national folks at Rivals, which I'm going to do a cut-and-paste of below, when they asked me if James might leave for Florida State or Southern Cal.
My answer (which most of you know by now):
"I think that the terms of the conversation are flawed when it comes to the now-yearly James Franklin couching carousel speculation. It's not about whether he wants to leave Penn State or stay at Penn State, or if he wants to go to Southern Cal or Florida State or anywhere else. It's simply a matter of meeting a two- or three-fold equation, wherever he is:
"1) Can a national championship be won there? That covers everything under the umbrella of being able to recruit there at a juggernaut level with juggernaut consistency. It covers fan support, history, tradition, and infrastructure (with the intent to constantly make improvements in every phase). If all of those elements are in place, then it meets that bottom-line requirement to even be considered as a place that he would want to coach.
"And 2) Can Franklin do it his way? Are all of the various arms of the bureaucracy of a major university on board with his vision for how to reach that level of success? What's the buy-in for football - and the way he envisions the program fitting into the health of the larger community and university? If everyone is on board with that blueprint for success, as he envisions it, that satisfies the second major requirement
"The third is to be paid in accordance with his market value. Given that Penn State's nearly 80 percent wins mark since the start of the 2016 season is top 10 nationally and seventh among Power Five programs behind Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Wisconsin, Franklin likely has an argument to make that his compensation should reflect those accomplishments.
"Whether or not Penn State satisfies those elements is going to be a yearly conversation, though I do think it's an instructive way to contextualize the options that are out there for him and, in some cases, easily dismiss speculation for certain programs that wouldn't meet the criteria. But there's a second element to also keep in mind, which is that every time his name circulates as a coveted candidate nationally, it encourages an even stronger commitment and buy-in from Penn State's administration to continue to build the program and create an environment for sustained success."
I don't want to be on the sidelines for this and have you guys wondering what's going on. But, I'm not sure what is to be gained by stressing over every meeting or non meeting or negotiation or non negotiation that happens between now and when something is actually solidified in either direction.
The reality is, this is the process. The process is playing out. And, from everything I've gathered, these are the primary pillars of how and why this will or won't get done.
