Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
1 0 A U G U S T 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 P e n n S ta te h ea d coa c h Ja m e s Franklin has largely followed a straightforward playbook since the NCAA transfer portal became a prominent part of college football. With a handful of exceptions, he tends to keep the conversation focused on players who are still in the program, offering neither praise nor criticism for those who leave. When quarterback Beau Pribula's sta- tus became a topic of conversation prior to the start of the College Football Play- off, Franklin spoke for more than five minutes about the signal-caller, who ultimately headed to Missouri. When offensive lineman JB Nelson abruptly left the program in April, eventually landing at Kansas State, Franklin's com- ments lasted just five seconds. Wide receivers Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans entered the transfer portal on Jan. 14. Franklin's next sched- uled news conference didn't take place until nearly a month later, by which point the news cycle had rolled on. Franklin wasn't asked about the veteran receivers at that presser, and he didn't bring them up on his own. It was only after spring practice had wrapped up that Franklin addressed the challenge of moving forward without two of the Nittany Lions' top four pass catchers last year. "The hard part is that when you're a developmental program … and you've watched these guys grow and have suc- cess from the time they're freshmen to juniors or whatever they were, to not be able to finish that journey with them is hard," Franklin said. "And also, some- times I think players don't always ap- preciate or recognize that a big reason why you're in the position you are is because of the staff and the develop- ment and all of the hours we've poured into you — overcoming adversity, the good and the bad and all of it." Wallace ended up at Ole Miss, while Evans landed at Washington. Franklin called their departures "less of a shock" than some others due to extended con- versations at the end of the season. He said he wished them the best moving forward, and he was not alone in that sentiment. Senior quarterback Drew Allar similarly expressed his hopes for their continued success, this season and beyond. Saying he still talks with both players after spending his first three seasons with them at Penn State, Allar echoed Franklin's assertion that every loss stings. "I can't blame them. They made their decision based on what they felt was best for them, and I can never judge that," Allar said. "If they felt it was best for them to stay, then stay. That would have been great. But they felt like it was best for them to leave. "I wish them nothing but the best. I hope they go out and have a big year, just because I've seen the work they've put in. They're all really good guys, too. It's not like they were bad teammates or anything like that. They were great teammates. I had great relationships with all of them." Last season, Wallace recorded 46 catches for 720 yards and 4 touch- downs, while Evans added 21 catches for 415 yards and 5 scores. Those per- formances helped elevate Wallace to No. 99 in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings, while Evans landed at No. 392. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotel- nicki has reflected on every aspect of last year's offensive performance, includ- ing whether the Nittany Lions were so focused on targeting All-America tight Staff Foresees Offensive Growth, Despite Transfers N A T E B A U E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M NEWS & NOTES James Franklin has frequently described Penn State as a developmental program that excels at helping players reach their full potential. He said it's disappointing "to not be able to finish that journey with them." PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL