On his radio show tonight, Franklin made a cryptic statement about his future at Penn State

[Jerry]

>>Well, I think it’s a fair question. I don’t know if it’s completely appropriate in this setting for me to get into it in detail. But I think for me, what I’ve tried to do since I’ve been here is I have tried to show through my actions over eight years of how loyal I have been and what this place means to me. For me, I want to make sure that we are competing every other day of the week, so we have the best chance to compete on Saturdays. College football has changed dramatically. And we have to be willing to change with it in every experience there is. I understand your question and I get it, but I think I’ve proven my loyalty over time. I would love to get to a point where I can come out and make a strong statement sooner rather than later. Some of those things are out of my hand.<<

Hmmm. He'd love to make a "strong statement sooner rather than later." Interesting. Not sure exactly what it means though.

 

[fkkkjm]

Means he and sandy are still at the negotiating table I think.

 

[ram2020]

I think its exactly what we thought and I didn't interpret it as cryptic. Is this university commited to winning a national championship and doing all that entails, or not?

 

[NewEra 2014]

I think its exactly what we thought and I didn't interpret it as cryptic. Is this university commited to winning a national championship and doing all that entails, or not?

That’s all fine and good. But we also could be in a situation where James gets everything he wants, yet he is still not good enough to get to the top. His window is closing rather quickly. The shine will be off him soon if he doesn’t start winning titles.

 

[Sproul]

That’s all fine and good. But we also could be in a situation where James gets everything he wants, yet he is still not good enough to get to the top. His window is closing rather quickly. The shine will be off him soon if he doesn’t start winning titles.

I think he’s gotta sign Allar, play him immediately (hopefully he’s ready) and build off that. Allar should pull recruits by himself if he’s really #1 in the country. If James can’t get it done then, the problem is James.

Putting Clifford out there against Illinois at 35% was what turned the tables for me.

 

[Cowbell Man]

$7m and out of his hands to make a strong statement seem almost at odds.

 

[CbusLion10]

I think he’s gotta sign Allar, play him immediately (hopefully he’s ready) and build off that. Allar should pull recruits by himself if he’s really #1 in the country. If James can’t get it done then, the problem is James.

Putting Clifford out there against Illinois at 35% was what turned the tables for me.

Hated seeing that as well, only possible excuse is that Roberson, despite decent experience, just doesn’t understand yurcich’s system in its first season and so would be a huge liability. Still feel that’s a poor excuse, but plausible.

 

[CbusLion10]

$7m and out of his hands to make a strong statement seem almost at odds.

You can bet it has more to do with facilities funding and staff salary than it does with his own salary. He wants commitment from administration to support the football team all the way. If/when gets that, he’d make some commitment statement/long term contract maybe without the low buyout clause.

 

[Ian]

Franklin’s teams are 12-10 since the bye week in 2019. Is it a great reset for CJF or a troubling trend? I’ll wait and see what happens over these next four weekends as there is no reason why this team can’t win out. I can forgive the Illinois debacle if they close at 9-3 with a nice bowl trip.

 

[ForesterGump]

I saw that the coach has changed agents. According to the coach, it happened this summer. He is now with Jeff Sexton who has represents Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dan Mullen and other high profile coaches.

I have to wonder if this doesn't have something to do with the situation.

 

[wilbury]

Hated seeing that as well, only possible excuse is that Roberson, despite decent experience, just doesn’t understand yurcich’s system in its first season and so would be a huge liability. Still feel that’s a poor excuse, but plausible.

Wasn't Roberson limited in practice? I know he was leading up to OSU.

 

[LaJollaLion]

PSU has made him a top 10 paid coach and are already working on a $50 million dollar project. He has one title in 8 years....watch how much leverage he has if he chokes another game away this weekend. He'd love to make a strong statement, but is loyal.......I think he's FOS personally. Loyal people don't have to hide how loyal they are, talk about how loyal they are, or can even come out with strong statements. I bought this BS the first few times, now I think it's more about him.

 

[ram2020]

That’s all fine and good. But we also could be in a situation where James gets everything he wants, yet he is still not good enough to get to the top. His window is closing rather quickly. The shine will be off him soon if he doesn’t start winning titles.

Totally agree, i didnt mean it as a defense of franklin. Here is a dirty little secret, at least as I see it, James of 8 years ago thought he could win championships by recruiting and sloganeering. Mature CJF has realized he isn't good enough, his coaches are not good enough, to simply recruit ans develop championship teams. So now be is asking for every conceivable advantage he can get from the university and I would understand if the university said "no, we still don't think you can win." But for a program that is definitely lacking in some areas, I think this process might be good for the future of the program. James is asking the university if they are willing to invest fully. If they aren't, he gone. And if they invest fully and continue to lose under Franklin, he's fired and this is an even better job for the next coach.

 

[scrivener]

PSU has made him a top 10 paid coach and are already working on a $50 million dollar project. He has one title in 8 years....watch how much leverage he has if he chokes another game away this weekend. He'd love to make a strong statement, but is loyal.......I think he's FOS personally. Loyal people don't have to hide how loyal they are, talk about how loyal they are, or can even come out with strong statements. I bought this BS the first few times, now I think it's more about him.

Very well said...and those who equate the annual stumbles against lesser quality opponents as "PSU's lack of commitment" to him is absolute BS. We have been pretenders for a handful of years now simply b/c the team choked on the field when they had a potential playoff spot in front of them. That has nothing to do with having a water slide in the practice facility. What has to come first, bigger wins or bigger commitment? It's a hard thing to quantify, but in my book, don't freaking choke to teams that can hardly field a Div-1 roster at certain positions.

 

[fkkkjm]

In franklins defense - winning is hard as hell and really only Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State are “winning” the way we want to be winning. Sure Norte Dame and MSU have snuck into a CFP, but they’ve been embarrassed. If Franklin wants sandy all-in at Alabama levels of admin support, then I don’t blame him.

thank urban Meyer for forcing the rest of the B1G to either play dirty or lose to OSU most years. The culture changed at OSU once he got there. They were very good with tressel, cooper, etc. remember cardale jones basically saying, “f school, we’re here for football”. we as fans speak out of both sides of our mouths. We want to go 12-0, but act like we can do it the “Black Shoes” way. There aren’t enough coal miners/steel workers sons around to make that a reality folks.

 

[LaJollaLion]

In franklins defense - winning is hard as hell and really only Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State are “winning” the way we want to be winning. Sure Norte Dame and MSU have snuck into a CFP, but they’ve been embarrassed. If Franklin wants sandy all-in at Alabama levels of admin support, then I don’t blame him.

thank urban Meyer for forcing the rest of the B1G to either play dirty or lose to OSU most years. The culture changed at OSU once he got there. They were very good with tressel, cooper, etc. remember cardale jones basically saying, “f school, we’re here for football”. we as fans speak out of both sides of our mouths. We want to go 12-0, but act like we can do it the “Black Shoes” way. There aren’t enough coal miners/steel workers sons around to make that a reality folks.

That is fine, but where else do you see HC's talking about how loyal they are while not shooting down other openings year after year? PSU is behind in that culture and I think most get that, but this idea he's at the little sisters of the poor and his hands are tied when he was 4-5 last year and dropped a game to a dreadful Illinois team at home is a bit much.

PSU has the largest alumni base in the country and has plenty of support. The real problem is a good deal of that fanbase still think it's 1970 and PSU is so different....it's not anymore. Players are getting paid and can sign endorsement deals now......PSU needs to get that in motion. That part I understand his frustration with, but he can cut out the loyalty talk already. He's as loyal as his best option.

 

[Jerry]

I think its exactly what we thought and I didn't interpret it as cryptic. Is this university commited to winning a national championship and doing all that entails, or not?

When you parse every sentence of his comment, which was made in response to a question on the topic, I think you and fkkkjm are right in your interpretation of it. So maybe "cryptic" isn't the right word. Maybe "indirect" or "vague" is better.

Either way, I thought the university earlier this year approved a $50 million investment to upgrade facilities. So does James want more in order to "compete every other day of the week" and to "change...in every experience" of the game as per his statement?

No matter how you cut it, this annual drill is wearing thin after games like Illinois. I think LaJolla's sentiments are shared by a lot of people...and I say that as a big fan of Franklin. The game this Saturday is suddenly pretty critical. God forbid there's another fiasco a la Illinois.

 

[cvilleelkscoach]

That is fine, but where else do you see HC's talking about how loyal they are while not shooting down other openings year after year? PSU is behind in that culture and I think most get that, but this idea he's at the little sisters of the poor and his hands are tied when he was 4-5 last year and dropped a game to a dreadful Illinois team at home is a bit much.

PSU has the largest alumni base in the country and has plenty of support. The real problem is a good deal of that fanbase still think it's 1970 and PSU is so different....it's not anymore. Players are getting paid and can sign endorsement deals now......PSU needs to get that in motion. That part I understand his frustration with, but he can cut out the loyalty talk already. He's as loyal as his best option.

You are very wrong on the NIL aspects. I sat through a briefing on the Penn Statement program a few weeks ago with several leaders at the university and came away very impressed. They have put together a great program to educate the student athletes and support them in their decisions. They have an approval process in place that reviews any NIL deals and returns a response to the S/A in 48 hours or less. Many S/A have been using the program from football to basketball to field hockey. If you want one of the S/A's to come to your child's birthday party and the S/A is agreeable, you can make that happen for an appearance fee.

 

[BBrown]

PSU has made him a top 10 paid coach and are already working on a $50 million dollar project. He has one title in 8 years....watch how much leverage he has if he chokes another game away this weekend. He'd love to make a strong statement, but is loyal.......I think he's FOS personally. Loyal people don't have to hide how loyal they are, talk about how loyal they are, or can even come out with strong statements. I bought this BS the first few times, now I think it's more about him.

If he loses, again, to MD both feet may be out the door and some Alums and former players might be behind pushing.
Fair or not I think he lost a lot of good will after the Illinois game.

 

[LaJollaLion]

You are very wrong on the NIL aspects. I sat through a briefing on the Penn Statement program a few weeks ago with several leaders at the university and came away very impressed. They have put together a great program to educate the student athletes and support them in their decisions. They have an approval process in place that reviews any NIL deals and returns a response to the S/A in 48 hours or less. Many S/A have been using the program from football to basketball to field hockey. If you want one of the S/A's to come to your child's birthday party and the S/A is agreeable, you can make that happen for an appearance fee.

I don't think I am and I think the bar is a bit higher than kids parties. At least they are making some progress. This schools leadership and unwillingness to move forward while they got passed by is a problem, has been a problem, and they aren't good at selling themselves. I get that Franklin is frustrated by them which is a part of the problem, but this is new and hopefully they can get up to speed faster than they did during Joe's last decade while the program sat idle.

 

[cvilleelkscoach]

I don't think I am and I think the bar is a bit higher than kids parties. At least they are making some progress. This schools leadership and unwillingness to move forward while they got passed by is a problem, has been a problem, and they aren't good at selling themselves.

Think what you want. The universities are not permitted to prospect for the S/A. If you think that, you are wrong. In fact, PSU, unlike many schools are letting S/A use PSU's logo's and marks when appropriate. Many schools are not permitting that.

 

[ram2020]

When you parse every sentence of his comment, which was made in response to a question on the topic, I think you and fkkkjm are right in your interpretation of it. So maybe "cryptic" isn't the right word. Maybe "indirect" or "vague" is better.

Either way, I thought the university earlier this year approved a $50 million investment to upgrade facilities. So does James want more in order to "compete every other day of the week" and to "change...in every experience" of the game as per his statement?

No matter how you cut it, this annual drill is wearing thin after games like Illinois. I think LaJolla's sentiments are shared by a lot of people...and I say that as a big fan of Franklin. The game this Saturday is suddenly pretty critical. God forbid there's another fiasco a la Illinois.

Totally agree Jerry. Its chicken or egg, can Franklin win with facilities that are outdated? The james from 8 years ago says "yes" resoundingly. This modern day Franklin says "no." But either way, regardless of who this falls on, James or the school, the university needs to decide if they want to win a championship and include all that entails(keep football money in football, pay top dollar for facilities and coaches, etc.) Or not. James is tacitly admitting he isn't good enough(which we know) so either release him or give him everything at his disposal and quickly. I dont envy the university's position, but I actually think this is a "rubber meets the road" point of inflection for tge university as it relates to the football team. I'm not sure a guy that can't beat Illinois should be authoring this, but I am actually happy someone is.

 

[LaJollaLion]

Think what you want. The universities are not permitted to prospect for the S/A. If you think that, you are wrong. In fact, PSU, unlike many schools are letting S/A use PSU's logo's and marks when appropriate. Many schools are not permitting that.

Which of the power 5 schools are not permitting this? Just curious since it's many and I don't doubt you...just find it odd they wouldn't want to sell their brand.

NIL is new, but I see kids in the south getting Smoothie King deals, dealership deals.....etc. Maybe PSU is on the forefront and just don't want to message it out that way. Sorry, I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to PSU leading the charge with NIL....but I do not have any insight in to what they are doing as compared to an LSU, Bama, UF, tOSU....maybe it's on par. I'm glad they are moving forward with some structure...that is good news. Thanks for sharing.

 

[bvillebaron]

I think its exactly what we thought and I didn't interpret it as cryptic. Is this university commited to winning a national championship and doing all that entails, or not?

Bingo. Saw somewhere that PSU’s football facilities aren’t even ranked in the Top 25.

 

[bvillebaron]

Totally agree Jerry. Its chicken or egg, can Franklin win with facilities that are outdated? The james from 8 years ago says "yes" resoundingly. This modern day Franklin says "no." But either way, regardless of who this falls on, James or the school, the university needs to decide if they want to win a championship and include all that entails(keep football money in football, pay top dollar for facilities and coaches, etc.) Or not. James is tacitly admitting he isn't good enough(which we know) so either release him or give him everything at his disposal and quickly. I dont envy the university's position, but I actually think this is a "rubber meets the road" point of inflection for tge university as it relates to the football team. I'm not sure a guy that can't beat Illinois should be authoring this, but I am actually happy someone is.

A new moronic post leader in the clubhouse. How exactly did Franklin admit he wasn’t good enough? The point is that in today’s environment Rockne ain’t winning with second rate facilities. Are you one of the fans who thinks PSU and re-hire BOB? You know the guy who couldn’t beat Miami of Ohio?

 

[TheBigUglies]

Maybe this goes higher than Sandy. Maybe the higher up don't want such a huge emphasis on football and let a coach get so ingrained in the system and society where he is in "control" and everyone answers to him instead of vice versa. Hopefully, that is not the case and they give him the resources he needs to get us over the hump and into the playoffs and a Nat Champ. Maybe there are higher ups that are okay with where the program is at, successful but no championship because it still puts butts in seats and brings in the $$$$.

 

[JWB389]

Think what you want. The universities are not permitted to prospect for the S/A. If you think that, you are wrong.

I think that's where schools where "it just means more" will eat our lunch, because I'll bet a lot of them are prospecting on behalf of athletes, whether within the rules or not. It will become the new bagman.

 

[ram2020]

A new moronic post leader in the clubhouse. How exactly did Franklin admit he wasn’t good enough? The point is that in today’s environment Rockne ain’t winning with second rate facilities. Are you one of the fans who thinks PSU and re-hire BOB? You know the guy who couldn’t beat Miami of Ohio?

I think you totally misinterpreted my post, but I wouldn't expect much more from you.

 

[cvilleelkscoach]

Which of the power 5 schools are not permitting this? Just curious since it's many and I don't doubt you...just find it odd they wouldn't want to sell their brand.

NIL is new, but I see kids in the south getting Smoothie King deals, dealership deals.....etc. Maybe PSU is on the forefront and just don't want to message it out that way. Sorry, I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to PSU leading the charge with NIL....but I do not have any insight in to what they are doing as compared to an LSU, Bama, UF, tOSU....maybe it's on par. I'm glad they are moving forward with some structure...that is good news. Thanks for sharing.

For the third quarter of this year, the average total NIL deals for Big athletes was $350.00. While there have been some large deals, most are small. This is not the panacea everyone though it would be at this point.

 

[fastlax16]

That’s all fine and good. But we also could be in a situation where James gets everything he wants, yet he is still not good enough to get to the top. His window is closing rather quickly. The shine will be off him soon if he doesn’t start winning titles.

If that happens then the university is better positioned moving forward and the next guy is likely starting off with more at his disposal. If you look at the schools that have multiple playoff appearances, which I'm assuming is what you want since you went titles, and not a title, the only one with lower revenue streams is Clemson, but they have the benefit of weak acc competition year over year. The 3 year average revenue for each ending in 2019.

-Clemson (77 mm)
-Bama (134 mm)
-Ohio State (132mm)
-OU (129 mm)
-Notre Dame (120 mm)


-PSU (104mm)

We're also behind; Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, LSU and Tennessee. And those are 3 year averages. So it adds up. Osu brought in 84mm more over those 3 years than we did. There’s a lot you can do with that.

On the flipside Michigan brought in 104mm more than we did 2017-2019. Not sure what else they can give Harbaugh at this point.

OSU is either going to need to stub its toe or we're going to need some other drastic shift to be honest. There aren't any divisions with multiple teams having multiple appearances. The way the committee operates has definitely helped certain programs consolidate resources. The Fields transfer to OSU really hurt.

 

[Jerry]

Maybe this goes higher than Sandy. Maybe the higher up don't want such a huge emphasis on football and let a coach get so ingrained in the system and society where he is in "control" and everyone answers to him instead of vice versa. Hopefully, that is not the case and they give him the resources he needs to get us over the hump and into the playoffs and a Nat Champ. Maybe there are higher ups that are okay with where the program is at, successful but no championship because it still puts butts in seats and brings in the $$$$.

I remember when Franklin arrived, he made the comment that Vandy's facilities were better than those of Penn State.

So earlier this year the administration pledged to spend another $50 million on upgrades, a commitment which I understood (maybe wrongly) to have been tied in some way to Franklin's contract extension.

So reading between the lines of last night's comment, I gather James is lobbying for something beyond that $50 million? In this environment of constant rumors, it gets hard to separate the smoke from the fire sometimes.

Problem is, you can't hang Illinois on facilities or any other factor to which Franklin indirectly alluded during the radio program. But you do have to wonder if maybe the distraction of these USC and LSU stories didn't play a part.

 

[proud2bpsufan]

Alabama - 6 of 7 playoff appearances
Clemson - 6 of 7 playoff appearances
Oho St - 4 of 7 playoff appearances
Oklahoma - 4 of 7 playoff appearances
Notre Dame - 2 of 7 playoff appearances
LSU, Georgia, Washington, Mich St, Oregon, Florida St - 1 of 7 playoff appearances

This is what PSU has been up against over the 7 years of the playoff era. 5 schools have takes up nearly 80% of the playoff spots. What are those schools doing better than every body else in the country? Great coaches, great players, great facilities...yes, yes and yes (I assume). How do you get there in the 21st century of college football? MONEY, MONEY MONEY...period! That's what JF is so desperately trying to convince the powers that be at good old PSU. I do believe JF wants to be here so he can build PSU into a playoff caliber program. He doesn't want to start from scratch somewhere else. He loves PSU but his competitiveness might lure him away if that program shows they are willing to invest in 21st century playoff level football. It's my hope to have JF stay here and keep making the changes necessary to get us to that level. It takes MONEY and TIME (especially post Sandusky scandal). There are always hiccups along the way but it's staying the course that will allow this process to happen. Just my humble opinion, of course.

 

[fastlax16]

Problem is, you can't hang Illinois on facilities or any other factor to which Franklin indirectly alluded during the radio program.

I think the Illinois loss is probably the worst loss, in terms of losing a game you should win, since I started watching the program in 2005. Others have been more heartbreaking, but all of those games were against teams with pulses.

That said, its still an aberration on Franklin's record. Its his first loss to a team that will finish the season below .500 over the course of a 12 game season since 2014. What's held him back have been blown leads against very good competition and inability to bounce back after the initial loss (which illinois also qualifies as). For the most part he really doesnt have stubbed toes against the sisters of the poor.

 

[fkkkjm]

At this point - we need Franklin to stay. This recruiting class is elite and his second best on paper after 2018. We have the best QB prospect since Hack and an all American running back and wide receiver coming in. With Yurcich in the fold, I think our offense can be nasty good if we figure the line out.

If I’m Sandy - I tell Franklin that I’ll pay for assistant salaries, but that he needs to turn over more game day planning to his assistants.

if Franklin can be a field general and yield control of the X’s and O’s to his coordinators, I think Franklin could get us there as a leader who stays out of managing the details.

 

[Woodpecker]

we are competing every other day of the week

They are taking every other day off? They should compete every day of the week!

 

[PSULionsDub]

Maybe, just maybe, the Penn State brass is seeing what most of us as Penn State Football Fans are seeing...that James Franklin is not that great of a football coach. You can drop $100 million on football facility updates and pay James Franklin $8 million a year, but you never know what Penn State Football Team is going to show up on a given Saturday. James Franklin treats Penn State Football like a Family, not like a Business (i've heard this comment from multiple former Penn State Football players). At some point, the Penn State brass may very well tell James Franklin to take his coaching skills elsewhere because it's not worth what he is asking for.

 

[psualt]

I get a little tired of hearing about lack of commitment. Do we really have to spend $50 million to win? Maybe we do but even being it is PSU I have to believe someone is running some numbers on this. We never want a coach who is content with the status quo but this gets old. At a certain point you are getting paid millions to coach with the resources on hand. Do your job and put the best product on the field week in and week out. That isn't happening the last two years.

 

[fastlax16]

Maybe, just maybe, the Penn State brass is seeing what most of us as Penn State Football Fans are seeing...that James Franklin is not that great of a football coach. You can drop $100 million on football facility updates and pay James Franklin $8 million a year, but you never know what Penn State Football Team is going to show up on a given Saturday. James Franklin treats Penn State Football like a Family, not like a Business (i've heard this comment from multiple former Penn State Football players). At some point, the Penn State brass may very well tell James Franklin to take his coaching skills elsewhere because it's not worth what he is asking for.

I mean historically that’s just not true. For the most part you know what team you’re getting. It’s a team that is competitive in most games against top competition but often has trouble finishing, almost always beats bad competition, and will absolutely lose the game following the first loss of the season.

 

[Cpeplion]

Totally agree Jerry. Its chicken or egg, can Franklin win with facilities that are outdated? The james from 8 years ago says "yes" resoundingly. This modern day Franklin says "no." But either way, regardless of who this falls on, James or the school, the university needs to decide if they want to win a championship and include all that entails(keep football money in football, pay top dollar for facilities and coaches, etc.) Or not. James is tacitly admitting he isn't good enough(which we know) so either release him or give him everything at his disposal and quickly. I dont envy the university's position, but I actually think this is a "rubber meets the road" point of inflection for tge university as it relates to the football team. I'm not sure a guy that can't beat Illinois should be authoring this, but I am actually happy someone is.

I think you say goodbye and best of luck. He’s not going to get it done and the constant “using leverage” is just another one of his games, like you said.
For the price the university is paying compared to the results on the field we are better off with a Bronco Mendenhall type coach…if you’re ok with 9-3…but that’s not even what Franklin is honestly. He’s got more .500 type seasons and if you take out the best college fb RB in the past 40 years Franklins successful years would be garbage too.

 

[fastlax16]

I get a little tired of hearing about lack of commitment. Do we really have to spend $50 million to win? Maybe we do but even being it is PSU I have to believe someone is running some numbers on this. We never want a coach who is content with the status quo but this gets old. At a certain point you are getting paid millions to coach with the resources on hand. Do your job and put the best product on the field week in and week out. That isn't happening the last two years.

If you look at the teams with multiple playoff appearances. The answer is yes, unless you play in the ACC. So the admin can either pony up, the alums can pony up or the admins can find us a home in the acc coastal.