Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
2 6 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M you focusing on what the future will look like and preparing for that? FRANKLIN: I think that goes back to that urgency thing. You had better be solving problems as they come, and quickly. The programs that are most nimble, that are able to adapt and change quickly, are going to be the ones that are most successful. That's really been the case probably for the past 15 years. But I think your point is a good one. You also had better be looking down the road at what's coming and asking, how are we going to put Penn State or the Big Ten in the best position long-term to be able to handle these things that are com- ing? I think a perfect example, not to beat a dead horse, is NIL. Two years ago, ev- erybody knew this was coming if you sat down with people who have lived in the college football space for a long time. Some athletic departments, some univer- sities and football programs sat down, had really good dialogue and were prepared for it when it came. Others were not. We were talking about this as Big Ten head coaches at [college football's an- nual spring] meetings in Arizona. I think a lot of times, the ADs are talking about things that will happen down the road. But as coaches, we don't really look at it down the road because it's so urgent. You make a couple of decisions that put you in a disadvantageous position, and that can have dramatic impacts on your season. BWI: At Alabama, Nick Saban talked about having a baseline, about $50,000 per person on the team, and then for anything that you earn on top of that, that's the purpose of the collective. Do you have something in mind for what you think Penn State's approach to NIL should be? FRANKLIN: Probably the best model is to come up with a number that we're going to fundraise for every single year, so that every player in your pro- gram is getting something. Because if not, it could really throw off the dynam- ics in your locker room. Although, let's be honest, it's never really been even anyway in terms of attention, in terms of interviews. Certain positions have al- ways [been different]. It's the same way in the NFL. But I think, in theory, that's the right model. You would like to be able to have a baseline that everybody is getting. And then, earnings would be based on natural production, and really what the market says — not creating a false market. So, OK, you're the starting quarter- back or the starting middle linebacker or whatever. You're the face of the program on offense or defense or special teams. And because of that … people are go- ing to want to work with certain players more. In a true marketplace, that's how it works. I think that's probably the right model. But that's not what you're going to be competing against. BWI: Which is the big splashy num- ber, right? FRANKLIN: Correct. BWI: Is that something that you want to have happen at Penn State? FRANKLIN: I guess I'm not as con- cerned with there being this splashy number out there publicly. I'm not as concerned about that, because it's prob- ably no different than anything else. That has positives. That also has nega- tives. BWI: In the locker room? FRANKLIN: In the locker room, in the community — I think that can cre- ate some challenges. It's very similar to when the Big Ten comes out with their new media contract and it's a big num- ber. Well then, all the donors and fans think, "You don't need anything! Look at that number you just got from the Big Ten." Well, everybody got that number from the Big Ten. What we're trying to do is to differ- entiate ourselves, to separate ourselves from the group. I'm more concerned about being able to have a really solid, in- depth plan and an aggressive approach, so that players who are currently in our program, as well as future players in our Heading into his ninth season in charge of Penn State's football program, Franklin has compiled a 67-34 overall record and a 42-28 mark in Big Ten play. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL