Blue White Illustrated

Process-oriented, not goal-oriented. At his news conference Monday after- noon prior to the start of spring practice, Penn State head coach James Franklin was careful to make that distinction – one that he believes will play an impor- tant role in his team's development. "We're going to focus on doing the little things extremely well, and by doing that, the big things will take care of them- selves, so every detail is important," he said. "Every detail is significant in what we're trying to do." Franklin invited the media to observe and film the first 45 minutes of the open- ing of practice at Holuba Hall, but there were no big revelations. It will take a while for the Nittany Lions to answer the many questions that linger after two sea- sons under Bill O'Brien, during which the team went 8-4 and 7-5. Depth on the offensive line – it's less than two-deep at some spots, Franklin said – prompted the moves of defensive linemen Derek Dowrey and Brian Gaia to guard. Improvement on special teams – a key area that Franklin intends to bolster by deploying some of his better position players on the four kicking units – won't be immediately evident, as Penn State won't do much kicking in the Blue-White Game. And injury reports are going to be hard to come by from now on, a fact that Franklin emphasized on Monday by de- clining to discuss the recoveries of Ben Kline, DaeSean Hamilton, Brad Bars and Brent Wilkerson. Even the format of this year's Blue- White Game remains uncertain. O'Brien had wanted to make changes aimed at re- ducing the risk of injury to a team that was already shorthanded due to the NCAA sanctions. Franklin said he wants to make the game more fan-friendly, but he didn't commit to any particular for- mat, choosing instead to leave his op- tions open. With spring practice under way, Franklin's emphasis is on maximizing the potential of all the players on Penn State's roster. "What I'm worried about is them waking up every single morning and being the best they can possibly can be – academically, athletically, socially and spiritually. The rest of the stuff will take care of itself," he said. "So I don't have any goals for how much offense, de- fense or special teams we want to put in, how many points we want to score in the spring game, any of those types of things. I just want to get the most we possibly can out of every single day." Focusing on chemistry – not just be- tween the coaching staff and players, but also between his program and its exten- sive support system of parents, family members and fans – Franklin made it clear how important relationships will be to the Nittany Lions' success. With great chemistry, he said, "you can maximize [players'] experience here and maximize their potential. It starts with that. It starts with trust. It starts with the rela- tionships." Franklin said he is planning to open practices to players' parents for the first time in the program's history. He joked, however, that fathers who played at rival schools might not be granted admit- tance. Because nearly all of the players on Penn State's current roster were re- cruited by his predecessors, Franklin said it will be important for him to build and sustain support beyond the team itself. "It gives me an opportunity to get to know these parents, because I haven't been to their homes and broke bread and made home visits, and school visits and things like that, and we want to do this together," he said. "We're going to need their support, the parents' support as well, so that's going to be a big part of it. "Like I said, we're not a goal-oriented team, but if I had to say one goal, it's about the relationships and the chem- istry, and the trust with the kids." M A R C H 1 9 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 7 Getting down to business James Franklin puts emphasis on process as spring drills get under way F O O T B A L L N A T E   B A U E R   | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M INDOOR LIVING The Nittany Lions opened spring prac- tice in Holuba Hall on March 17. Patrick Mansell

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