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by the new guy. The coach's first com- plete recruiting class isn't signed until after the first season. In many cases, a coach is given only four years to right the ship – and that's after the pressure is turned up in year three. But by canning its coach after year four, the school is sweeping the rug from under his feet, before his first full re- cruiting class has even finished its third year. Stability is the long lost key, and Franklin is building toward it at Penn State. But he's not there yet. It's a steep climb, and there's often some backslid- ing on the way up. This is not an airlift. Franklin's recent slide began with the dismissal of John Donovan, followed by the news that Bob Shoop and Herb Hand were making lateral moves to other schools. In the midst of the coaching changes came the player departures. There were seven as of mid-January, nearly as many as when the NCAA sanc- tioned PSU in 2012. Individually, all those players had reasonable rationales for leaving. But collectively, it looked like an exodus, and that created a per- ception that Franklin was losing his grip. Maybe that's what happens when the starting quarterback leaves the head coach out of his thank you note. Or maybe it's just Franklin finally grabbing hold. On the surface, the transfers cause questions, but a deeper look shows them to be the byproducts of Franklin's re- cruiting prowess. Aside from a few four- star prospects and a five-star headliner in Hackenberg, Bill O'Brien's classes of 2012 and '13 were middle-of-the-road, ranking No. 51 and No. 43 in the country. It's only natural that Franklin's signees should start cutting into the playing time that the players in those earlier classes had been receiving. And it's only natural that those older players would consider leaving, especially given that the new coaching staff has a different personality than the one that recruited them. This is neither a defense nor a con- demnation of Franklin's coaching ability, style and strategy. What is it, then? Simply a plea for more patience, not just at Penn State but across the college football landscape. Because really, coaches like Franklin are just getting started. Let's look at Michigan and Florida as examples. Both traditional powers, they hired Brady Hoke and Will Muschamp, respectively, in 2011 to reverse their de- clining fortunes. The new coaches ex- celled at recruiting, bringing in multiple top-10 classes, and the teams seemed to be on the way back up. But due to mixed results on the field in their third and fourth seasons, they both got the ax. The following year, Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh and Florida hired Jim McIl- wain and they immediately found suc- cess with the players they had inherited from the previous coaches. Now, what if Hoke and Muschamp had been given just one more year? Would they have found similar success? "The previous staff was [made up of] excellent recruiters, and there are very good players up there," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said this year as his team prepared for the 10th-ranked Wolverines. "When someone asks, Are you surprised they have very good play- ers up there? Not at all." For Franklin, the on-field results have been modest thus far, but what can't be denied is that he continues to bring in those good players. He and his assistants just need time to work with them. The 2016 season isn't going to be much easier, if at all, with two new coordina- tors, an inexperienced quarterback be- hind the same old offensive line, along with a defense that has lost four or five NFL-caliber starters. There are no guar- antees. Year three was pivotal for Hoke and Muschamp, but for Franklin, as he continues to restock the cupboards, it shouldn't matter. Year four – 2017 – is where it all lies for Franklin, and even then, he should be granted a fifth year, if for no other reason than to afford his re- cruits a chance to fully develop under the staff that recruited them. Let this thing play out. The pieces are falling into place; sometimes it just re- quires some other pieces to fall out in or- der to make room. Now that's the con- versation that needs to be had and the column that needs to be written. ■ 111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S

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