Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD 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 hen discussing the resources of college football programs, the chief concern for fans, alumni, coaches and personnel within the pro- gram is always one simple thing: money. The best new facilities, the most elab- orate branding and signage, and the highest-paid coaches and assistants are all used to lure the best high school football prospects to that particular school. The concept is easy enough. Use dollars to create a heightened atmos- phere of excitement and achievement, impress the best athletes, then sign them, train them to become champions, win, generate more dollars, win more. Wash, rinse, repeat. In terms of a program's resources, money and its allocation are over- whelming indicators of success – past, present and future. While the arms race of college football has taken center stage – and is one facet of the game in which Penn State is an active participant – there is a resource that is evenly distributed across the country, one that any program can use to help level the playing field. Time. At Penn State, through intense fundraising efforts for the program – not only in light of the devastating monetary sanctions leveled by the NCAA but also in pursuit of excellence by both Bill O'Brien and now James Franklin – plans for upgraded facilities are now in motion. Franklin's push to fill Beaver Stadium's metal bleachers to ca- pacity each and every Saturday, simul- taneously reaping more and more mon- ey while pushing excitement for the program, will raise the profile and bot- tom line even higher in future years. But for the program itself to get where it wants to go, the allocation of man hours has become an incredible moti- vating factor. Specifically in the arena of recruiting, Penn State Director of Player Personnel Andy Frank is the lead coor- dinator for the effort, putting the right personnel in the right places at the right times in a bid to maximize value against effort. "Obviously money is a factor, but time is the biggest factor," he said. Coming off a recruiting year in which head coach James Franklin was spotted fre- quently utilizing a helicopter, the mod- ern equivalent of a "Star Trek" trans- porter, Frank noted just how crucial the minutes and hours can become. "You only have so much time in a day, and that's why we do the helicopter, or you do the private plane because it allows you to get more done in your day. There are 24 hours, and you've got to figure out a way to make the most out of those 24 hours as possible." And in that way, Penn State's biggest and brightest resource under Franklin has presented itself distinctly. From the assistant coaches going out to recruit the athletes and then develop them, to the support personnel who put those assistants in the right places at the right time, Franklin has organized a staff of incredibly smart, incredibly hard- working people. For Terry Smith, one of the Penn State assistants directly impacted by Frank's productivity expertise, the benefits are obvious. "Bob Shoop is our mastermind as a defensive coordinator. Andy is our mas- termind for the recruiting," he said. From the moment in January when the assistants and head coach were allowed on the road following the Coaches Con- vention in Louisville, Smith said Penn State's coaches were traveling each day. It was an intricate balancing act, as coaches were continually shuttling back and forth between recruiting regions, making in-home visits while also host- ing official visits back in University Park. In fact, Penn State's assistants would arrive at a school's opening between 7 and 7:30 a.m. and then travel from School A to School B to School C and so on through the course of the day, be it the close of workouts at 4 p.m. or bas- ketball games late into the evening. Smith said that Frank "pieces it all to- gether, and we've got a team of guys in house to help coordinate the schedules, get us all the information, make sure from school to school… just make your day efficient so you're not wasting time." It's a balance that Franklin has worked hard to achieve through his first full year at Penn State – though invariably his three years at Vanderbilt and countless years climbing coaching ranks across the country have contributed. Having walked away with the Rivals.com No. 15 spot in team rankings for the Class of 2015, the group has already shown its ability to not only recruit, but also to op- erate an organization that rivals any high-level sales team. Franklin has attracted a group of tal- ented, motivated people to perform roles that in some cases are high-profile and in other cases strictly behind-the- scenes. Where this Penn State staff is concerned, the word "resources" takes on an entirely different meaning. "That's the people that we have on our staff and that's the people that Coach has surrounded himself with: people who are driven to be as successful as they possibly can be," Frank said. "You wouldn't be here, you wouldn't be doing this, and you definitely wouldn't be do- ing it for this organization if that's not who you were." ■ A matter of time W

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