This is gonna be somewhat long but just wanted to type out some thoughts because it has been a wild couple days and I am sure it isn't over. I don't post a ton but I read a lot and love a lot of the things I find in here. It has been very frustrating over the past couple weeks for all of us and also for our coaches, players, commits and recruits. A lot of negativity out there, a lot of BS flying around.
Lets start with negative recruiting. We can guess it flows a lot from Pitt, Maryland, Rutgers, Temple, and I assume Michigan State mostly. Why negatively recruit? Because you don't have a product that can compete at full strength. You don't have the facilities, the history, the alumni, the support or atmosphere that exists in happy valley. Lucky for them that Penn State is down because of the NCAA….down but not out. The sanctions weakened Penn State for sure, our reputation in the media, our roster, our depth, our talent level but it hasn't effected our will which is only stronger now then ever. So negative recruit all you want because your time is coming.
Michigan, lets just say they are worried about 2 thing and that is catching Ohio State and playing at a level nationally they want as soon as possible. Harbaugh doesn't care about who he burns, who he hurts in the meantime. It is sad but it is his calling card even at Stanford. I feel bad for the kids in his path because this is everything opposite of what NCAA student athletics should be about. We have questioned Urban Meyer when he got to Ohio State, how he handled recruiting….he looks like a saint compared to what is happening up north.
Here goes my topic to discuss…I read a really inspiring post by Mr. Sorrell last night about his son calling Coach Franklin and telling him he was injured and will miss his final season in high school and that he understood if he pulled his offer. Franklin stuck by Chance with his offer, even if he never played a down of football. Franklin this summer wouldn't take a commitment from Hudson because he didn't want to be in a position to have to pull a scholarship later in the game or not be able to fill a spot of need. Up north Hudson would have been taken in a minute and the least needed commitment would have just been crossed off the commitment list to make room down the road. So I give you this for a topic to discuss, can Franklin and Penn State compete when one fighter is fighting with brass knuckles and the other is wearing boxing gloves? Up until this point the guy wearing the boxing gloves also had 1 hand tied behind his back. Is Franklin too nice, too loyal, too honest? Will those qualities end up what sets him apart in a good way? Is he put in this position by our administration, board, compliance department because of the media view of Penn State following the scandal (don't bring any negative perception to the program during recruiting)?
My 2 cents, this is who Franklin really is. From people I know, from stories such as Mr. Sorrell's, from interviews with recruits and their families….Franklin is the guy we think he is. We have lost a couple recruits but last years class and this years class are still really solid and even though we haven't filled it up yet, we also still have room for some grad transfers, JUCO players that could help immediately. Can Franklin being the nice guy compete against Harbaugh? Absolutely but he has to start winning on the field and winning big games. Recruiting will take a whole new look going forward if we start playing an exciting winning style of football. The honest, loyal guy can certainly recruit at the highest level in this case. He has a lot to sell without negatively recruiting. Harbaugh is also burning some bridges, at this pace there will be some trust issues that will develop over time. One other thing I think is important, the kids we have….man these kids are Penn Staters. They had to listen to negative BS every step of the way, they stay steadfast. Think about the negativity they receive from not only their social media but also at every call, text, visit from a competing college coach. Somehow they believe in the man at Penn State, they believe in the coaches at Penn State and they believe in Penn State. When these kids are juniors and seniors, big games are on the line…I want the kid who made the hard decision, blocked out the devil on his shoulder, I want that kids mental toughness when it matters most.
Back to the subject, "We not normal, we are legends" from Deon Butler. How true. I like the direction Penn State is going in, from where we started it was never going to be fast or easy. Our academics for football are as good as ever, we see kids helping in the community all the time, they work hard in practice, weight room and the class room. They are high character kids, they had to be to make the decisions to come here with so many whispers in their ears. We used to have off seasons with a couple run ins or more with the law, sure that sucks but with 100+ kids on the team someone is bound to get out of line somewhere or sometime. When is the last time we have heard of something happening with this team where someone was in trouble? Been a while!! The product on the field will come, we are getting deeper and more talented every year, we started in a bad place but it is turning around finally. I can't wait to hear about the kids that sign on the dotted line next week, I can't wait for spring practice reports, how our new coaches are molding our offense. We should be excited where we are headed. I think Joe would be really happy with the hands this program is in right now, I sure am. Success with honor is stronger then ever and these kids are not normal, they will be legends when it is all said and done!
Lets start with negative recruiting. We can guess it flows a lot from Pitt, Maryland, Rutgers, Temple, and I assume Michigan State mostly. Why negatively recruit? Because you don't have a product that can compete at full strength. You don't have the facilities, the history, the alumni, the support or atmosphere that exists in happy valley. Lucky for them that Penn State is down because of the NCAA….down but not out. The sanctions weakened Penn State for sure, our reputation in the media, our roster, our depth, our talent level but it hasn't effected our will which is only stronger now then ever. So negative recruit all you want because your time is coming.
Michigan, lets just say they are worried about 2 thing and that is catching Ohio State and playing at a level nationally they want as soon as possible. Harbaugh doesn't care about who he burns, who he hurts in the meantime. It is sad but it is his calling card even at Stanford. I feel bad for the kids in his path because this is everything opposite of what NCAA student athletics should be about. We have questioned Urban Meyer when he got to Ohio State, how he handled recruiting….he looks like a saint compared to what is happening up north.
Here goes my topic to discuss…I read a really inspiring post by Mr. Sorrell last night about his son calling Coach Franklin and telling him he was injured and will miss his final season in high school and that he understood if he pulled his offer. Franklin stuck by Chance with his offer, even if he never played a down of football. Franklin this summer wouldn't take a commitment from Hudson because he didn't want to be in a position to have to pull a scholarship later in the game or not be able to fill a spot of need. Up north Hudson would have been taken in a minute and the least needed commitment would have just been crossed off the commitment list to make room down the road. So I give you this for a topic to discuss, can Franklin and Penn State compete when one fighter is fighting with brass knuckles and the other is wearing boxing gloves? Up until this point the guy wearing the boxing gloves also had 1 hand tied behind his back. Is Franklin too nice, too loyal, too honest? Will those qualities end up what sets him apart in a good way? Is he put in this position by our administration, board, compliance department because of the media view of Penn State following the scandal (don't bring any negative perception to the program during recruiting)?
My 2 cents, this is who Franklin really is. From people I know, from stories such as Mr. Sorrell's, from interviews with recruits and their families….Franklin is the guy we think he is. We have lost a couple recruits but last years class and this years class are still really solid and even though we haven't filled it up yet, we also still have room for some grad transfers, JUCO players that could help immediately. Can Franklin being the nice guy compete against Harbaugh? Absolutely but he has to start winning on the field and winning big games. Recruiting will take a whole new look going forward if we start playing an exciting winning style of football. The honest, loyal guy can certainly recruit at the highest level in this case. He has a lot to sell without negatively recruiting. Harbaugh is also burning some bridges, at this pace there will be some trust issues that will develop over time. One other thing I think is important, the kids we have….man these kids are Penn Staters. They had to listen to negative BS every step of the way, they stay steadfast. Think about the negativity they receive from not only their social media but also at every call, text, visit from a competing college coach. Somehow they believe in the man at Penn State, they believe in the coaches at Penn State and they believe in Penn State. When these kids are juniors and seniors, big games are on the line…I want the kid who made the hard decision, blocked out the devil on his shoulder, I want that kids mental toughness when it matters most.
Back to the subject, "We not normal, we are legends" from Deon Butler. How true. I like the direction Penn State is going in, from where we started it was never going to be fast or easy. Our academics for football are as good as ever, we see kids helping in the community all the time, they work hard in practice, weight room and the class room. They are high character kids, they had to be to make the decisions to come here with so many whispers in their ears. We used to have off seasons with a couple run ins or more with the law, sure that sucks but with 100+ kids on the team someone is bound to get out of line somewhere or sometime. When is the last time we have heard of something happening with this team where someone was in trouble? Been a while!! The product on the field will come, we are getting deeper and more talented every year, we started in a bad place but it is turning around finally. I can't wait to hear about the kids that sign on the dotted line next week, I can't wait for spring practice reports, how our new coaches are molding our offense. We should be excited where we are headed. I think Joe would be really happy with the hands this program is in right now, I sure am. Success with honor is stronger then ever and these kids are not normal, they will be legends when it is all said and done!
