Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD M A T T L I N G E R M A N | L I N G E R M A N M A T T H E W @ G M A I L . C O M here was an era not so long ago when consistency was a hallmark of college football. Head coaches remained at programs for as long as schools would have them. Assistants stuck with head coaches for decades at a time. Players sometimes left school early for the NFL Draft, but only if they were top prospects, and the idea of a "transfer portal" would have sounded alien. Anyone who keeps his or her finger on the pulse of the NCAA knows that's not the case anymore. And to be clear, I'm not advocating for a return to the old- school era of loyalty that I just de- scribed. Player and coach fluidity adds another layer of discussion and analysis while also allowing the individuals who make the game a national pastime to do what's best for them. But on the coaching front, it's added wrinkles to the early months of every new year. Since his team's Cotton Bowl victory, James Franklin has had to replace his of- fensive coordinator, wide receivers coach, offensive line coach and defen- sive line coach – all but one of whom left Penn State to accept an offer else- where. It's impossible to compare to the days of Joe Paterno, when the coaching staff avoided major overhauls for the better part of 40 years. Is that the sign of a weakened pro- gram? Internal strife? Bad culture? Quite the opposite. "Obviously, it does create challenges," Franklin said. "But I do think it's a really good example of a healthy program. People have seen the success that we've had and want to steal bits and pieces of it." Only two of Franklin's original assis- tants at Penn State – defensive coordi- nator Brent Pry and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith – remain. The reality is that when a program trends upward as PSU has over the past four seasons, schools around the country want to at- tract the minds who helped build that success. With his new contract, the plan is for Franklin to continue to build that suc- cess until at least 2025. A side effect of that new deal is that not only should Franklin have a bit more pull when working to retain assistants, but he should also continue to attract top-of- the-line assistants from other programs when an opening becomes available in the Lasch Building. Let's take a closer look at the first part of that. As he's mentioned time and again, Franklin is more than happy for assistants to leave for promotions. When former offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead was offered a head coaching gig, or, more recently, when defensive line coach Sean Spencer headed for an NFL job in the city his wife is from, Franklin was thrilled to watch his coaching tree grow. What isn't acceptable, however, is for assistant coaches to leave for compara- ble jobs at other schools. "We can't lose guys to lateral moves," Franklin said in 2018. "That cannot happen with the type of program that we have and for the type of program we want to be. That's critical." While this hasn't been explicitly stated, one can read between the lines on why a coach might make a "lateral move" to a different school – money. Although the salaries of assistants aren't released, Franklin's past com- ments on the matter make me believe that somewhere in the language of his new contract there might be stipula- tions regarding the competitive pay- ment of assistants in hope of preventing staff loss. If not, there's likely a mutual unwritten understand- ing between Franklin and the univer- sity. It's impossible for the program to take the next step without this assurance. On the flip side, like Franklin said, los- ing coaches is a part of modern college football. There may once have been a time when success dissuaded assistants from leaving, but these days, the oppo- site is true. Now, when one of those positions opens up, Penn State should be an at- tractive option for top assistants around the country. That's because assistants know they're coming to work under a head coach who is locked in for six years and who has dismissed only three coaches over the course of his career. That stability is attractive in such a volatile profession. To call having quality assistant coaches vital to the health of a football team would be underselling their im- portance. Certainly, Franklin is central to everything the program does. But he's not solely responsible for building game plans, making depth chart decisions and – crucially – recruiting. It's no coincidence that Penn State has attracted top-shelf running backs and Floridians since the arrival of Ja'Juan Seider, just as the Nittany Lion receiv- ing corps has struggled to progress under four different coaches in as many years. The effects of Franklin's contract are farther reaching than we can imagine. But one effect that shouldn't be over- looked is that, as a result of this six-year deal, he's going to mold staffs featuring some of the brightest minds in college football, retain those minds for longer, and replace them without a drop-off in expertise. ■ Subject to change T

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