When It Comes To James Franklin, Patience Is A Virtue
In the wake of Penn State’s week 10 loss to No. 21 Northwestern, James Franklin finds himself still without a win against a ranked opponent in four tries as head football coach at Penn State. With no wins over Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan or Michigan State in almost two seasons, Penn State’s next two games will provide the second year coach an opportunity to change that when they host Michigan and travel to Michigan State.
Many of the Penn State faithful believe that at this point a coach that is getting paid as much as Franklin should be able to show some sort of progress against Penn State’s biggest rivals, especially with a quarterback of Christian Hackenberg’s caliber.
On the flip side are the Franklin supporters, who believe in his recruiting abilities and trust the process. These people believe that once Franklin is able to have a few years under his belt and is able to get his players into his system, Penn State will be capable and qualified to compete with the Ohio States and Michigans of the world.
Both sides can make arguments for whether Franklin is the answer for Penn State football, but the reality of the situation is that James Franklin is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Let me paint this picture for you.
In order to be successful at anything in life, you need to work hard and dedicate your time to whatever your working on. The same goes for building a program in college football.
In his first year that he was able to recruit, Franklin was able to put together the 14th ranked recruiting class in the nation, including 11 four-star recruits. Franklin’s goal in his first year was to establish his roots within the region, and he did just that, as eight of his top 10 prospects coming in are from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The fact that Franklin was able to come into his first full year of recruiting and get a top-15 recruiting class and to dominate the region like he did is flat out impressive.
Many people have pointed to the coaching staff’s poor play calling and Franklin’s clock management as reasons why the James Franklin era wont last. These are legitimate concerns that Franklin has addressed throughout the season and has improved on in some regards.
While Franklin’s brutal mismanagement of the clock at the end of the Northwestern game can be attributed to why Penn State lost its third game of the season, it is not the sole reason why the Nittany Lions lost.
Some may say that John Donavon’s decision to call a direct snap to Saquon Barkley on a 3rd and one, on what ended up being Penn State’s final legitimate offensive possession, was the reason why Penn State lost.
Well both of those people would be right; Franklin’s clock management and Donavon’s play calling absolutely contributed to Penn State’s loss. But there were other factors as well, like the fact that the Lion’s offense couldn’t move the ball at the end of the game. You can also look at when the defense allowed Northwestern to convert on 3rd and 15 on their game winning drive or when a play earlier, cornerback Grant Haley dropped a would be game sealing interception.
At the end of the day, there is no one person or group that the Northwestern loss can be put on. That goes for 99 percent of losses. When a team loses, there are always numerous factors that go into the result.
There are many fans and former players that have expressed their displeasure with how the team has performed at certain points this season. This was apparent especially after the losses to Temple and Northwestern, two teams Penn State historically beats up on.
But fans and alumni must be patient as Franklin is only in his second season as head coach. People have to remember that this is still a program that is still recovering from crippling sanctions that were only lifted last winter.
With a 2016 recruiting class currently ranked fourth in the nation on its way, Franklin has this program pointed in the right direction. In order to be successful in the Big Ten, you have to be able to keep up with the big boys: Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh and Mark Dantonio. Luckily for Penn State, Franklin has been doing just that…from a recruiting standpoint.
The jury is still out on Franklin’s overall coaching ability, as we haven’t seen enough of what he can do to mold the talent that he has brought in. We know his in-game coaching ability leaves something to be desired on occasion, but that is something that he will get better at with time.
Time is also what James Franklin needs more of. Franklin needs time to prove that he can continue to bring in talent and then time to develop it. He needs time to build this program his way and if he keeps on recruiting at a top five level, I think he deserves the chance to do so. If Franklin can develop the players he brings in and the play calling even marginally improves from what its been, Penn State will be able to contend for much more than just basic bowl bowl eligibility sooner than you think.
Jesse Finver is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jdf5291@psu.edu
