Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1430714
3 4 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M might offer Franklin a less arduous path to the College Football Playoff, maybe even a school in the relentlessly com- petitive SEC, can't be underestimated. INVESTING IN THE PROGRAM But there's another explanation for why Franklin, who is making $5.5 mil- lion this year, might be reluctant to shut down speculation about his future. One of his biggest objectives since taking over Penn State's program in 2014 has been to modernize its football facilities. The university already has re- vamped parts of the Lasch Building, in- cluding the locker room and front lobby. Another phase of the project, approved by the board of trustees in February at a cost of $48.3 million, will bring im- provements to the weight room, among other upgrades. Over the years, Franklin has often said that he benchmarks Penn State's pro- gram against its peers when it comes to facilities. His goal is to ensure that the school's administrative commitment is in sync with the on-field expectations he's being asked to uphold. "We've made some positive steps, there's no doubt about it," he said dur- ing an appearance on his weekly radio show in October. "I think it's a very im- portant discussion to have — on a very high level, [to determine] exactly what we need to do to have the success and consistency that everybody wants." The Lasch improvements, he added, are "a step in the right direction. We're very appreciative. We're very positive about the support we've been given. But there's still a lot of work to do." According to a report by BWI's Nate Bauer, that remaining work includes improved athletic dorms, a full-team training table in the Lasch Building, more parking, an expansion of the coaches' offices in the Lasch Build- ing's upper level and a more aggressive, forward-looking approach to the new NIL rules. If Penn State wants to retain Frank- lin — and by all accounts it very much does — his willingness to at least entertain other of- fers gives him leverage to push for the improvements that he sees as essential to PSU's efforts to compete with the likes of Ohio State and the kind of teams it would face in the College Football Playoff. Maybe that's the play. Maybe Franklin sees the speculation about his fu- ture as a way to hasten the improvements he wants to see at Penn State. The latest Lasch reno- vations were opposed by trustees Jay Paterno, An- thony Lubrano and four others, so there is some resistance on the board to the kind of spending that Franklin and others envi- sion. But those trustees weren't able to marshal enough op- position to stop the project. There is ample support for Franklin's position, notably from former Penn State football All-American Bran- don Short. Throughout his tenure on the board, Short has been an outspoken proponent of increased investment in the program. The uncertainty around Frank- lin's future has, in his view, only added to the urgency. "It's a glaring weakness on our part that lateral schools feel like they can come and poach our coach," Short tweeted on Nov. 4. "Penn State is a pre- mier football program destination, and we need to invest in our program like it's a premier program." PURSUING AMBITIONS If Penn State's bid to keep Franklin involves moving more quickly on the upgrades he wants, the football program could come out of this period of uncer- tainty in a stronger position than it was before. But the approach is not without its risks. The most obvious is that recruits might start feeling restless. The Nit- Joe Paterno was Penn State's head coach for 46 seasons. Before that, he spent 16 years with the Nittany Lions as an assistant coach on Rip Engle's staff. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS