Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787374
EVERYTHING'S RELATIVE James Franklin cites the importance of family on a celebratory signing day n many ways, the first Wednesday of February is the height of silly season in major college football. Before ever stepping foot on campus, high school prospects are praised end- lessly for the impact they are likely to make on their future team. The teams are said to be headed for unimaginable successes thanks to the hard work and tireless efforts of coaches and their staffs. Having evolved dramatically even since my first year with Blue White Il- lustrated in 2006, the day is now a made-for-TV, made-for-message- boards, made-for-Twitter event. Com- bining earnest anticipation with light- hearted revelry, it's a mostly harmless diversion from the doldrums of winter and, much like spring football, an excuse to indulge in some premature specula- tion about the future. But for the first time in my adult life, this year's signing day was, at its core, an event and a day that was about one thing: Family. In fact, although the spectacle of this day is largely aimed at fans and media, who gobbled it up at a truly incredible rate according to website analytics showing three and even four times the traffic of the biggest and most important Penn State game days, the reality of signing day is that it's not for us at all. Instead, it's for the players and their parents, siblings, coaches and mentors. On Feb. 1, Penn State reconfigured the upstairs lobby of the Lasch Building, setting up banks of videoconference gear and filling the room with balloons and seating for boosters, administrators, special guests and media. The video links brought the faces of future Nittany Lions and their families directly into the room. Whether at their schools or homes, the prospects who make up Penn State's Class of 2017 sat next to some combination of family members: Mom or Dad or maybe both, grandparents, sisters, brothers and coaches, nearly all dressed in Penn State garb. One by one, head coach James Franklin told the players how excited he was that this day had finally arrived and how much he appreciated the families for their devotion to their Penn State- bound sons. He insisted that each player get up from the videoconference and give full-on hugs of appreciation to the relatives surrounding him. Some did so more sheepishly than others – they're still high school students, after all – but the players all complied. A few parental tears were shed. Jonathan Sutherland's parents had made the 12-hour drive from Canada to Arlington, Va., where their son attends Episcopal High, as a surprise for the special day. The opportunity to be there, they insisted, was too much to miss out on. K.J. Hamler's mother managed to own the room as she called in from the family home in Michigan. As her son, a January enrollee, sat next to Franklin, she cracked jokes, displaying an easy rapport with the coaching staff while leaving a parting message that was both hopeful and clear: She was entrusting her son's athletic career and education to the men and women in that room hundreds of miles away. The responsibilities of her son's development were now shared. Later that afternoon, Franklin, assis- tant coaches Terry Smith and Josh Gat- tis, and director of player personnel Andy Frank met with the media at Beaver Stadium to discuss the Nittany Lions' latest recruiting class and the work that went into its assembly. Franklin uttered the word "family" or some variation of it 18 times in the course of his 38-minute press confer- ence. To the head coach and his assis- tants, recruiting is a relationship- building process. Penn State doesn't just focus on the players, but also their par- ents, coaches and others with a vested interest in their success. "You have to recruit the parents, be- cause not only is that young man joining your program, but that family is joining your program," Gattis said. "At the end of the day, these parents are signing off on that [letter of intent] for you to be able to take care of their child and take care of their future. You've got to be able to gain the trust of the parents [so that they have confidence] that you're going to be able to take care of their son and make sure that when they give their son to you, that you hand him back to them in better shape. It's a very heavy responsibility, and we don't take it lightly." The staff will be looking to strengthen those relationships now that signing day is over. The coaches' goal is to create an expansive network of communication available to all. Noting how proud he was of his future players, Franklin said he was happy to have the opportunity to open up Penn State's signing day festivities to an audi- ence. "I was glad there were some other people in there to see it, for them to kind of get to know these young men and their families a little bit better like we do, because they're special people," JUDGMENT CALL I