Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
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 n the first two years of head coach James Franklin's tenure at Penn State, the May ritual of the Coaches Cara- van whisked him and many other coaches and athletic department offi- cials around the region. Speaking at brunches, luncheons and dinners to crowds of passionate Nittany Lion fans, Franklin was able to use the opportunity to engage directly with the diverse group of people who support the program. As with our nation's current political campaign sea- son, the baby kissing, hand-shaking and countless photo ops were at once a daily grind and a chance to generate en- thusiasm, especially fi- nancially, well before the start of the season. In addition, there were 20-minute media ses- sions before each event that provided unparal- leled insight into the cur- rent status of the Nittany Lion football program and the people directing its progress. With the previous season receding in the rearview mirror, spring practice in the books and the pressure of preseason practice more than two months away, it was as relaxed an atmosphere as can ex- ist in the world of high-stakes athletics. For me personally, the event served as a fun road trip to see friends and family in all of my favorite places, like New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washing- ton, D.C. They called it off this year, though. Citing Pennsylvania's budget concerns, athletic director Sandy Barbour an- nounced the caravan would take a "hia- tus" for 2016. So when I sat down with Franklin this summer in his office to conduct our in- terview for the preseason magazine, the quarterback battle between Trace Mc- Sorley and Tommy Stevens was not my primary interest. Although we would quickly get to the topic that is likely to dominate the conversa- tion in the coming weeks, an overall evalu- ation of the program's status seemed prudent, especially given that it has now been four years since the NCAA insti- tuted its sanctions. By his own admission, there were issues that Franklin didn't fully un- derstand when he took the job more than two years ago. One of those issues was the cold, hard reality of having to compete against elite Big Ten opponents while having only 65 scholarship players at his disposal. Another issue was an NCAA rule that counted players against the schol- arship cap if they quit the program but finished out their academic career. And then there were the effects of the scan- dal and resulting lawsuits, which con- tinued to linger, creating challenges in recruiting. Even this spring and summer, news reports regarding the scandal and its corollaries – specifically the ongoing lawsuit between the university and its insurer – have caused more havoc, forc- ing Franklin and his staff to spend their time performing damage control rather than simply selling Penn State and all of its positives. "Everybody is ready to move on, but the problem is, we can't completely move on from it until it's over," he said. "And even when it's over, there's still going to be some time it takes. But it needs to get resolved." Having become more patient with the process – a true challenge given his hy- per-speed persona – Franklin said he feels as though he has a better under- standing than he did two years ago of the ingredients that will bring success. And while the Nittany Lions are unlikely to have a full complement of 85 scholar- ship players this fall, their numbers are improving and there are no longer any caps in place that force them to compete shorthanded. Nor will the coaching staff be quite so reliant on freshmen and position-switchers to plug holes in the depth chart. Even having three scholarship quar- terbacks available is a sign of progress. Two years ago, Christian Hackenberg had no real backup, as the player listed behind him on the two-deep – McSor- ley – was in the midst of a redshirt year. But even as the outlook continues to brighten, there are still reminders that Penn State's circumstances aren't yet ideal. "You would still like to get to the point where, at the least, you have four [quarterbacks]," Franklin said. "You would like to be at five. But we're head- ed there." Penn State's fan base is just as impa- tient as Franklin. It is fatigued and fed up with the entire saga of the past half- decade, and the progress never seems to come quickly enough. But Franklin is optimistic that the team's hard work will yield positive results this season. He likes the direction things are headed, so he and his football program will con- tinue to grind. ■ Rise and grind I Having become more patient with the process – a true challenge given his hyper-speed persona – Franklin said he feels as though he has a better understanding than he did two years ago of the ingredients that will bring success.