Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530530
6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F orgive James Franklin if he doesn't have time to decorate the house and go Christmas caroling with the family this December. Penn State's 11th-year head coach and his staff are always multitasking, but recent changes to the college football calendar have made the last month of the year a true time crunch for coaches all over the country. The Nittany Lions thought they had a plan. Then Michigan took down Ohio State, and Penn State slid into the Big Ten Championship Game. It was an awesome outcome for an 11-1 team, but far from expected. The day after play- ing Maryland to close out the regular season, the Nittany Lions were to enter offseason mode. That meant stay-or-go conversations with upperclassmen and preparation for the impending opening of the transfer portal on Dec. 9. Oh, and don't forget recruiting. The NCAA also moved the early signing pe- riod up three weeks this year to Dec. 4. On the surface, it made some sense. Typically, the season would end the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and coaches would then hit the road for a few weeks and visit prospects in their homes, only returning to campus on weekends to host late official visitors. Truthfully, it was a lot of time spent for little return. Franklin himself called the old December "unsustainable" only a year ago. But as is the case with most NCAA changes, there are always unintended consequences. The thought process was to get signing day out of the way so coaches could focus on the portal and potential playoff prep. But if a team is playing in a conference title game, it muddies the water a bit. Add in the last-minute recruiting twists that hap- pen in the NIL era and it's … a lot. Penn State's off-field staff altered its plan to give the Nittany Lions' on-field coaches more of a chance to prepare for Oregon. That meant the pomp and circumstance of welcoming the class of 2025 would be left to Franklin and the recruiting staff. Most of the group was locked up before the season started. Four-star defensive end commit Jayden Woods flipped to Florida the week before, and the Nittany Lions held out hope that they could flip a few of their own. Penn State did so the day before the signing period be- gan, landing four-star tight end Brian Kortovich, a former Purdue commit. But two of the big fish that the team coveted — Oregon cornerback commit Brandon Finney and Duke linebacker pledge Bradley Gompers — stuck with their previous commitments. Signing day came and went with only a few names still unaccounted for. Four-star quarterback Bryce Baker visited for the Lions' final home game following North Carolina's firing of Mack Brown. Baker had been commit- ted to the Tar Heels for months, but PSU stayed in the mix. He ended up not signing with anyone in December and will simply enroll at the school of his choice in January. Closer to home, the Lions remained quietly in the mix for Pennsylvania's top prospect, Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh. Olesh had been committed to Michigan since the sum- mer, but he took a game-day visit to Penn State in November, as well as an official visit to Oregon. The Nittany Lions were able to pull off a late shocker and land Olesh be- fore the end of the signing period. His addition brought some much-needed star power to a class that ranks No. 14 nationally by On3. "I think it makes sense for both par- ties. It's a win-win," Franklin said of the final December signee. "That was a battle. [Tight ends coach] Ty Howle did a phenomenal job, and [Olesh] is an impressive young man. … He has a chance to be a weapon for us here in the near future." By the time his signature was in, Franklin and staff were already in Indy prepping for the Ducks. After falling short in what still may be Penn State's most encouraging offensive perfor- mance of the year, the Nittany Lions had to move on to SMU and the College Football Playoff. But first, more recruiting. Waiting for them on the other side of the trip home was the transfer portal, which opened to the masses on Dec. 9. Penn State wasn't hit hard by early en- tries, but the Nittany Lions will spend the next few weeks trying to figure out what lies ahead on the 2025 roster. The team likely faces a rebuilding job on the defensive line and could use a marquee receiver, in addition to other key spots. December used to be a time to un- wind after a grueling regular season. Now, it's vaulted to the top of the list in terms of busy periods. The good news? Franklin's 1-0 mentality is something his staff can lean into on a daily basis. With the chaos of December, they'll need it. ■ December Has Turned Into A Juggling Act JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N SEAN FITZ SEAN.FITZ@ON3.COM In addition to leading Penn State into the Big Ten Championship Game and College Football Playoff, James Franklin has had to oversee signing day and the transfer portal. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL