Blue White Illustrated

t was 2:30 p.m. when James Franklin eased behind the dais for his signing day press conference. Having issued a final scholarship offer around mid- night the night before, a scramble to get one last recruit signed to his Class of 2016, he was in the midst of a long day. Although his suit was similar to the one he wore at his introductory press conference, this was a much more sub- dued version of Franklin, not the bal- loon-blowing, slogan-slinging new head coach who sat at the very same seat a little more than two years prior. The difference wasn't only that Franklin now was without a necktie, opting only for a plain white button-down shirt un- der his jacket. If anything, the open col- lar was to release some steam. Franklin had 20 reasons to be grateful, as Penn State had just signed its third top-25 class in as many years. He also had at least a half-dozen reasons to be JUDGMENT CALL BEAT THE CLOCK Would an early signing period have alleviated the Nittany Lions worries this year or compounded them? BEAT ' I disappointed, as the Nittany Lions had suffered a wave of decommitments in the final months of the cycle, capped when legacy recruit Andrew Pryts, the son of for- mer Penn State linebacker Ed Pryts and a western Pennsyl- vania native who had been committed to PSU for five months, announced that he would attend Stanford in- stead. In the end, a class that had once seemed destined for a top-10 finish limped toward signing day and fell to No. 22. While Franklin tried his best to deflect negative talk – "I'd like to focus on the progress," he said – his frustration was identifiable. Had only the recruiting calendar been short- ened, if he hadn't had to wait until the 11th hour for answers, maybe Franklin and his coaching staff could have avoid- ed the last-minute frenzy. Or at least that's how the thinking goes. Seven questions into his press confer- ence, a few of which centered around re- cruits whom PSU didn't sign, rather than the ones it did, Franklin was asked if he wanted to see college football's de- cision-makers implement an early sign- ing period, similar to the one that bas- ketball employs. "Yes!" he fired back. "Yes, I would. I'd love an early signing period." A coach whose persona is rooted in unwavering optimism, Franklin lit up with what was probably the brightest spark of energy he'd shown since run- ning back Miles Sanders' letter of intent hit the fax machine that morning. With two seasons complete and three recruit- ing classes in the fold, Franklin's honey- moon phase has faded into the distance, and now he's face-to-face with the challenges that go along with reviving a historical power that hasn't regularly tasted national success in decades. Fur- thermore, the program is still recovering from some of the most punishing sanc- tions the NCAA has ever imposed. He'll take all the help he can get. After he signed only four high school prospects from Pennsylvania, Franklin's NEW KIDS IN TOWN Coaches and support per- sonnel gath- ered in the Lasch Build- ing on signing day to wel- come the Class of 2016. Photo by Tim Owen

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