Blue White Illustrated

STAYING POWER As new transfer rules bring upheaval, James Franklin touts the value of perseverance ames Franklin wanted to choose his words carefully. Joining Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell for a 20-minute podcast appearance in early February, the Penn State head coach was asked to address the new nor- mal of constantly needing to "re-re- cruit" players already in the program. Given the ever-expanding influence of the NCAA transfer portal and what it means for college football, the question was built on the presumption that the Nittany Lions would have to perform an increasingly familiar juggling act, con- tinuing with their normal high school recruiting process and welcoming in transfers while simultaneously working to keep enrolled players happy. First describing a constant state of "fear" over players searching for greener pastures elsewhere, Franklin laid out the Nittany Lions' evolving approach to the challenges represented by the portal. "I changed this past year, and I think this was probably [the case] for a lot of programs," he said. "I don't know if 'fear' is the right word, or 'concern,' about the transfer portal, but I think it changed the way people coach. It changed the way people handled tough conversations that I think are important. And I'm not doing it. If guys want to be here, we want them here." And if they don't? Franklin didn't need to spell it out. As a coaching staff, Penn State has soured completely on the notion of having to make a convincing argument, con- stantly, that it's worthwhile to stick around in the Nittany Lions' program. Describing Penn State as "a special place" that has "done some great things" throughout its football history, Franklin rejected the suggestion that uncertainty should cloud every relation- ship between coaches and players. While the Nittany Lions' off-season of personnel movement hasn't matched previous highs, the team has been active in both directions in the portal since the end of the 2020 campaign. As of mid-February, Penn State had welcomed five incoming transfers: run- ning back John Lovett, cornerback Johnny Dixon, defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo, defensive end Arnold Ebiketie and offensive lineman Eric Wilson. The Nittany Lions also lost seven players, with quarterbacks Will Levis and Micah Bowens, defensive tackles Antonio Shel- ton and Judge Culpepper, linebacker Lance Dixon, receiver T.J. Jones and lineman C.J. Thorpe all seeking to con- tinue their collegiate careers elsewhere. The details of those conversations be- tween Penn State and its departing play- ers haven't been publicized and probably never will be, but Franklin made clear through his comments what the Nittany Lions' approach is going to be when transfer circumstances arise. "If guys feel like there's another option out there for them and it's better… if you're a guy who, when times get tough, you're going to look for the easier path or the path of least resistance, then this probably isn't the right place for you," he said. "Let's be honest, that's when the most growth occurs, when you're fight- ing through adversity and have to over- come it." While Franklin indicated that a pro- gram-wide shift toward that perspective has occurred this off-season, many of Penn State's assistant coaches had been working with that understanding since the inception of the transfer portal. Safeties coach Tim Banks, for instance, has long insisted that he won't allow such considerations to influence the way he deals with players. "It doesn't change how I coach one bit. I'm honest with my kids from day one. JUDGMENT CALL J OPEN DOOR POLICY Franklin said he's not interested in "re- recruiting" players who may be thinking about leaving. "If guys want to go to the transfer portal, we're not going to be in the business of talking them out of it," he said. Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics

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