Blue White Illustrated

T H E M O N T H I N . . . In the 33 years since he first met Conlan, Tom Bradley has driven a lot of back highways through a lot of lousy weather to see thousands of recruits. Nothing has fully replaced eyeballs on site. He has no choice but to buy in to the way re- cruiting is these days but only to a certain extent. Today, he is glad to use all the tech tools at hand that make evaluation so much easier. But when all that's done, what others say does not affect him so much. He has the experience to know better and the legacy of Shane Conlan, among others, to prove it. DAVID JONES PENNLIVE.COM Because of the NCAA sanctions and the fines, any significant changes to Penn State's football facilities would likely have to be funded by donors, which Franklin knows is an immediate referendum on his vision. If the facilities are seen as OK, people won't donate. If he is as convincing in this venture as he has been in so many others, he'll get the money he wants. That simple. Because like it or not, Franklin has thrown it out there. Want national titles in this era? This is how you help secure them. DONNIE COLLINS THE SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE He has the second-best recruiting class in the country. And that's with limited scholarships. What happens when he goes full bore? DENNY DOUDS, EAST STROUDSBURG COACH, ON HIS PROTEGE, JAMES FRANKLIN Excited for the incoming PSU students who are going to help us build this pro- gram back to the top! This is your program, need your help, who's w/me? JAMES FRANKLIN @Coachjfranklin At the Baltimore Ravens facility. A fan just mailed me a physics textbook to read in my downtime. I love it! JOHN URSCHEL @MathMeetsFball T W E E T S O P I N I O N S Q U O T E S F O O T B A L L Penn State trio chosen in draft Three hundred thirty-five former Penn State football players have been selected in the NFL Draft over the years, the latest being Allen Robinson, DaQuan Jones and John Urschel, all of whom heard their names called during the draft, which took place May 9-10 in New York. Although none were selected in the first round, the Nittany Lions' three draftees were tied for third-most among Big Ten teams. Robinson was the first Penn State se- lection, as he found a home with Jack- sonville, while DaQuan Jones and John Urschel were selected by Tennessee and Baltimore, respectively. Their selections mark the 16th time since 1993 that Penn State has produced three or more NFL draft picks. In addition to the trio of draftees, three Nittany Lion standouts signed free- agent contracts following the draft. In- side linebacker Glenn Carson signed with the Arizona Cardinals, offensive tackle Garry Gilliam with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and defensive back Malcolm Willis with the San Diego Chargers. Here's a look at what people in the league are saying about the Nittany Lions' latest draftees: WR Allen Robinson Jacksonville Jaguars Round 2, Pick 61 QUOTABLE Gus Bradley, Jaguars head coach: "He's probably truly more of an X [receiver] because of his size. So he'll go out and add competition at the spot. We'll have the ability to play three wide and open it up. ... I think it's elevated that [receiver position] and created more competition, and that's what we needed." Steve Manuel exact composition of that group could change by the time preseason practice starts, it is likely to include both walk- ons and scholarship players. Said Franklin, "Obviously there is a differ- ence between scholarship players and run-on players, but after they arrive on campus, everybody is treated the same." Franklin said he met with players indi- vidually after spring drills concluded and informed them of his decisions. "It's difficult," he said. "Some of them have been upset about it, and that's a good thing. I think they should be upset because it shows how much passion they have about it and how important it is." Franklin said that just because a player doesn't make the 105-man roster doesn't mean he won't have a chance to make an impact in the fall. "I bet there are going to be some guys who [don't make] the 105 who by the midpoint of the season are helping us and contribut- ing," he said. SPECIAL TEAMS PHILOSOPHY In answering a question about Carey Spear, a former Vanderbilt kicker who was re- cently picked up by the Philadelphia Ea- gles, Franklin discussed his approach special teams. He said he tries to down- play the differences between specialists and their fellow players. Spear, he said, "is a football player who happens to kick. And that's really our approach on special teams. A lot of times, specialists are treated differently. We want them to be football players who happen to kick, or football players who happen to snap or whatever it is. "Carey really embraced that identity and earned everybody on our team's re- spect with his approach in the weight room and everything. I think [Sam] Ficken and our guys are doing that as well right now, so I'm excited about it." HOME GAMES ARE PRIORITY Asked whether he would be interested in set- ting up home-and-home series with big-time programs in states like Florida or Texas, Franklin said he is more fo- cused on scheduling as many home games as possible during the nonconfer- ence season. His rationale is that home games help Penn State's finances while also fostering a sense of community among supporters of the program. "If we could figure out a way to get 11, I'd like 11 home games. I think that would be really cool," he said. "I think that would be great for the community, I think it'd be great for the economy. I don't know if that's necessarily going to happen, but we want to get as many home games as we possibly can. "I don't really look at home-and- homes in certain regions to help from a recruiting perspective. I don't really ap- proach it that way. Our approach is to get the best schedule we possibly can get to allow Penn State to be competitive in the Big Ten and be successful in the Big Ten so we have a chance to compete not only in this conference but at some point nationally as well." PULLING FOR PA. Franklin told an audience at Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia that he was a fan of the city's pro sports teams growing up. He was raised in nearby Lang- horne, but his father is originally from Pittsburgh, so he also has an allegiance to those teams. He admit- ted that he doesn't follow pro sports as closely as some of his assistant coaches, but his affinity for teams on both sides of the state has helped him build a sense of community during his travels. "When I'm in Pittsburgh answering questions from the Pittsburgh media, I answer it in support of Pittsburgh," Franklin said. "But I'm a big supporter of the whole state. Growing up in this part of the state, I grew up with the Sixers and the Flyers and the Eagles obviously and the Phillies, all those sports. "I remember selling programs at the stadium as a kid. My buddies grew up selling pretzels on the street and, actu- ally, three of my buddies who I grew up with who sold pretzels on the street and who I went to college with are highly, highly successful right now. [They have] one of the most prominent pretzel com- panies in the city and really have fran- chised and gone nationwide. They've really done extremely well for them- selves." ■ DT DaQuan Jones Tennessee Titans Round 4, Pick 112 QUOTABLE Ruston Webster, gener- al manager: "A lot of players left [Penn State after the Sandusky scan- dal]. It was a tough situation, and not only did he stay, he helped those guys win games and kind of persevere through a real difficult time. So he was a real impressive young man to talk to. [That's] beside the fact that he's a big man. He can help us inside and just make us better there." OG John Urschel Baltimore Ravens Round 5, Pick 175 QUOTABLE Ozzie Newsome, gener- al manager: "I [asked] a Hall of Fame offensive lineman who was a coach, I asked him the number one trait that an offensive lineman had. He thought about it and he said, 'Being smart.' The kid we just got is at the top of the charts on that one, and we're looking forward to bringing him in." ALLEN ROBINSON

• Cover