James Franklin has reportedly been fired

[topseed]

It’s merely based in reality. In what world are top recruits going to keep a commitment to a team without a coach and they aren’t even sure who their OC, DC or position coach will be?

I’m just pointing out that people are freaking out online over something that is bound to happen. It’s also not a done deal. As I said, hire a good coach and most of them may end up at PSU anyway.

In no world. That's why saying "the loss of recruits is nothing" makes no sense. You have no idea who the new head coach will be or how many (if any) of the position coaches will be retained, so saying that most of the decommits will end up there anyway is also nonsense.

Another thing to consider. Does the new coach want all these guys? Spell is a great player but Nick Singleton was just as highly rated and he has been mediocre. The new coach may not want to spend that much on a RB and instead get some DTs that weigh more than 290.

The players on the current team will get a portal window now. People are really going to freak when some of their own guys enter the portal.

This is just what happens now when you fire a coach. The new guy just has to get them back. One of the first things Franklin did was flip Saquon from a Rutgers commit to come to Penn State. Saquon was not a high star player. The new coach just needs to hit the ground running like Franklin did.

Yeah, all of that is true. And none of it helps your argument.

 

[topseed]

Not going to read the whole thread, but who is the temporary coach at Penn State (a little run down on him/her)

Thank you in advance.

Terry Smith.
Played WR at Penn State from 1987-91.
Brought back to PSU by Franklin in 2014, assuming the roles of defensive recruiting coordinator and CB coach.
Held those jobs for over ten years as well as holding the title of Associate Head Coach since 2016

By all accounts, he's a well-respected figure at Penn State, and his interim hire was a surprise to no one in the program.

 

[Badcat]

It's hilarious how last week, most of the media was crushing Franklin because he can't win the big game. Today they are saying Penn State was stupid for firing such a great coach and they'll be lucky to get anybody as good.

The firing was inevitable and most PSU fans, including myself, wanted a change at the helm. However, the timing was just plain stupid. If you're the AD at Penn State you need to have a spine and push back against the alumni with facts. As you pointed out, there is no real way to pull in a top talent as the timing is WAY off.

I wonder how much Cael Sanderson knows about Foosball?

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

I have no problem with the timing. Penn State’s defense is too small. That won’t go away. Iowa should run the ball 40 times up the middle. The UCLA and NW OLines manhandled Penn states DTs. Iowa’s OL is elite. They might run for 300 yards and hold the ball for 40 minutes.

In other words, they are likely to lose more games. If Franklin’s at the helm for these losses, it will just get more toxic. They were going to lose the recruits whether they fired Franklin now or at the end of the season. They just need to be right on the new coach to get them back.

What I’m looking forward to against Iowa is if some of the young WRs get playing time. It will also be interesting to see if the offense is more wide open. Was Franklin the one making the offense stay so conservative?

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

Indiana blinked in record time. So many coaches are going to cash in due to Penn State. Every agent of a coach will get his client’s name out there to try to get a new deal.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Indiana blinked in record time. So many coaches are going to cash in due to Penn State. Every agent of a coach will get his client’s name out there to try to get a new deal.

This is his second contract extension since Indiana hired him last year.

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

ESPN reporting Franklin to Virginia Tech. Funny since they just fired his former DC Brent Pry.

Penn State just saved a bunch of money.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I thought Franklin would've landed somewhere a bit more prestigious. Still, a good landing spot with huge upside in a very winnable conference and minimal risk of having to play (and lose) to elite teams.

 

[Sarge]

Hoping Penn State can land Bob Chesney. If not him, Drinkwitz or Hartline. Got a bad feeling it’s gonna be Brian Daboll. Guy can coach offense, but his NFL rep could limit the s ability to recruit.

 

[Sarge]

I didn’t and don’t dislike James Franklin. He’s a good coach. He just couldn’t push Penn State over the top of the mountain. State and its boosters and fans are tired of being bridesmaids. It’s time to build a true title contender.

All of that said, it’s amazing how spectacularly this season fell apart. It’s unbelievable. I thought they were primed for a run. You can point to the Rojas injury. That was big. But even with him healthy, they are still 8-2 or 7-3 at best. Deluca is small and slow and it’s certainly made a difference. But they have some excellent young players that can’t seem to get on the field for some reason.

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

I thought Franklin would've landed somewhere a bit more prestigious. Still, a good landing spot with huge upside in a very winnable conference and minimal risk of having to play (and lose) to elite teams.

I read that Franklin was holing out for Florida State but they haven't cooperated by firing their coach yet. In the meantime, VA Tech ramped up the pressure. Maybe they gave him a take it or leave it.

Va Tech is a good job for Franklin because Penn State heavily recruits that DC Maryland Va area so he has contacts already.

 

[FAB802]

Penn State saved money, and they will still suck. Congratulations.

 

[WindyCitySteel]

I didn’t and don’t dislike James Franklin. He’s a good coach. He just couldn’t push Penn State over the top of the mountain. State and its boosters and fans are tired of being bridesmaids. It’s time to build a true title contender.

All of that said, it’s amazing how spectacularly this season fell apart. It’s unbelievable. I thought they were primed for a run. You can point to the Rojas injury. That was big. But even with him healthy, they are still 8-2 or 7-3 at best. Deluca is small and slow and it’s certainly made a difference. But they have some excellent young players that can’t seem to get on the field for some reason.

I don’t know why anyone thought this was their year when literally their two best players left for the NFL. Allar has all the tools, but 90% of QB play is above the neck and in the chest and he ain’t got it.

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

I didn’t and don’t dislike James Franklin. He’s a good coach. He just couldn’t push Penn State over the top of the mountain. State and its boosters and fans are tired of being bridesmaids. It’s time to build a true title contender.

All of that said, it’s amazing how spectacularly this season fell apart. It’s unbelievable. I thought they were primed for a run. You can point to the Rojas injury. That was big. But even with him healthy, they are still 8-2 or 7-3 at best. Deluca is small and slow and it’s certainly made a difference. But they have some excellent young players that can’t seem to get on the field for some reason.

I don't dislike him either but it was time to go. He was the only fired coach not to send out some sort of thank you message to fans or his former team. Even d-bag Brian Kelly faked it to send a message to LSU fans.

This collapse is all on Franklin. It was years in the making. Kotalniki was a disaster hire as OC. Franklin keeps hiring OCs that require a running QB, not just a mobile one, but one who is a run threat. Allar is not perfect but he's absolutely better than what most teams trot out there each week. This offense was destined to fail with a pocket passer. Franklin did not learn his lesson with Hackenberg.

The defense is his fault too. He didn't recruit any size at DT, then hired Knowles who wants to control gaps rather than shoot them. Franklin could have told Knowles to hold off on installing his defense until next year when they have the guys to run it.

Also, this team looked unprepared physically early in the season. Really soft. Tons of missed tackles. One thing that stood out against Mich State was the tackling, especially by the DBs, was excellent.

Terry Smith is coach for a month and he immediately had AK and Knowles modify their schemes, plus he benched some DBs and demanded more physicality. Franklin was checked out.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I read that Franklin was holing out for Florida State but they haven't cooperated by firing their coach yet. In the meantime, VA Tech ramped up the pressure. Maybe they gave him a take it or leave it.

Va Tech is a good job for Franklin because Penn State heavily recruits that DC Maryland Va area so he has contacts already.

I thought Florida State was the ideal fit. Blue blood in the ACC was primed to become a power. The recruiting grounds are good for Franklin and VT gets the artificial rankings boost for what Beamer did years ago and an Enter Sandman.

 

[str8liner]

I didn’t and don’t dislike James Franklin. He’s a good coach. He just couldn’t push Penn State over the top of the mountain. State and its boosters and fans are tired of being bridesmaids. It’s time to build a true title contender.

All of that said, it’s amazing how spectacularly this season fell apart. It’s unbelievable. I thought they were primed for a run. You can point to the Rojas injury. That was big. But even with him healthy, they are still 8-2 or 7-3 at best. Deluca is small and slow and it’s certainly made a difference. But they have some excellent young players that can’t seem to get on the field for some reason.

I thought they were way over rated to start the year. If they wouldn't have been rated so high, and everyone been talking them up, the Oregon loss wouldn't have been so devastating. I never thought they were a top 3 team. Was never a huge Drew Allar fan. Good but not great. And they lost Warren who was 90 percent of the passing offense last year, and still have no true deep threat WRs. And the Rojas injury and defense as a whole this year not as good.

It was time to move on from Franklin, but I think they should have left him finish out the year.