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or the first time in his head coaching career, James Franklin and his assis- tants are facing some real pressure. When they were at Vanderbilt, they received some minor criticism. But the long-suffering program went 24-15 in Franklin's three seasons and pulled in two top-30 recruiting classes, including a 2013 class that ranked 19th in the country. Prior to his departure for Penn State, you would have been hard- pressed to find many Commodore fans who were upset with the way things were going. The same could be said of Nittany Lion fans after Franklin's first year. Within weeks of his arrival, the staff had managed to secure nine verbal commitments, rallying the Lions to fin- ish 24th overall in the 2014 team rank- ings. Penn State went on to post a re- spectable 7-6 record during that first season, while the 2015 recruiting class finished 15th overall. Life was pretty good in Happy Valley. One year later, things haven't changed a whole lot on the surface, but it's be- come clear that the honeymoon is over. While Penn State's 7-6 record was no surprise to anyone who was being realis- tic about the team's strengths and weak- nesses heading into the 2015 season, the off-season has gotten off to a worrisome start. It began with the departure of as- sistant coaches Bob Shoop and Herb Hand, and following their exits, the Nit- tany Lions took a major hit in recruiting. Between the end of the regular season and signing day, six members of Penn State's class decommitted: defensive tackles Karamo Dioubate and Michael Dwumfour, defensive backs Lavert Hill and Andrew Pryts, linebacker Aaron Mathews and kicker Quinn Nordin. One of the most troubling aspects of the exodus is that aside from Pryts, the departures didn't have much to do with the coaches who left. Instead, most of those players simply saw greener pas- tures at other schools, most notably Michigan. The Wolverines poached three players who had been committed to Penn State: Dwumfour, Hill and Nordin. They also landed athlete Khaleke Hudson, who had been consid- ered a lock to end up at Pitt or Penn State before he took an official visit to Ann Arbor in January. Speaking of Pitt, Pat Narduzzi has also made a major impact during his first full year with the Panthers. Not only was he able to flip Mathews just days before signing day, but he was able to land four-star cornerback Damar Hamlin, arguably Penn State's No. 1 target in the defensive backfield in 2016. Whether fans want to admit it or not, Narduzzi has Pitt headed in the right direction. I think they've proven it both on the field and in recruiting. Of course, Franklin and his staff aren't on a tight leash just yet. Heading into this past season, there wasn't much talk about whether or not Penn State had hired the right man. While some may have asked that question in recent months, I still believe it's too early for anyone to truly judge. Moving forward, there's plenty of rea- son for fans to be excited about the hires of both offensive coordinator Joe Moor- head and offensive line coach Matt Limegrover. Also, replacing Shoop with linebackers coach Brent Pry was a wise move. Penn State's decision to immedi- ately promote Pry was a major reason why other future Nittany Lions who are projected to play on the defensive side of the ball didn't listen to offers from ri- val programs when they came calling. If anything, the departures of Shoop and Hand illustrate that Franklin has a knack for hiring solid assistants, so coming into years three and four, with a full allotment of scholarships and the bulk of the roster made up of "Frankin's guys," there's still plenty of reason for fans to believe that the best is ahead. But what also lies ahead is a major nonconference series with Pitt and the launch of the Big Ten's nine-game league schedule. Regarding the latter, the conference did Penn State zero fa- vors. In addition to their brutal Big Ten East slate, the Lions will play Iowa this coming season, and in 2017 they will face the Hawkeyes along with Nebraska and Northwestern. Looking ahead, there are plenty of reasons for fans to be optimistic. We know that this staff will always be able to recruit at a higher level than Penn State did for much of the previous decade. But if they're going to attract the kind of talent that will enable them to consistently sign top-10 classes, they will need wins. There's more pressure on Franklin than he's ever had to face as a head coach, and the on-field challenge is likely to be greater than ever, too. ■ F P L A Y E R B I O S In this business, nothing succeeds like success This staff will always be able to recruit at a higher level than Penn State did for much of the previous decade. But if they're going to attract the kind of talent that will enable them to consistently sign top-10 classes, they will need wins.

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