Blue White Illustrated

15 heading into this year's Big Ten opener at Iowa. His career record through the Nittany Lions' first three games this year stood at 52-30. In addi- tion, he is one of only 12 active coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision and one of only seven in the Power Five confer- ences to reach a bowl game in each of his first six years as a head coach. Last year was his best season on the sideline, as he led the Nittany Lions to an 11-3 record. They finished No. 5 in the final CFP rankings and No. 7 in the Associated Press poll. In the classroom, 61 Nittany Lions have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition during the past three sea- sons. And in the community, players to- taled more than 6,100 service hours during Franklin's first three years in Happy Valley. In announcing the new contract, ath- letic director Sandy Barbour praised the team's performance under Franklin's leadership, both on and off the field. "James and his staff have done an ex- ceptional job with our football student- athletes and in all aspects of the football program," Barbour said. "His values are Penn State's values, and they resonate throughout every member of the organi- zation and team he has built. James is a tremendous leader of young men, moti- vating them to extend their reach and impact far beyond what they might have thought possible on the field, in the classroom and community. We are ex- cited about continuing to work together to strive to make a lifetime of impact, win championships and celebrate many successes on and off the field along the way." Those are Franklin's stated goals as well, and he sees the new contract as a means of helping attain them. "I still believe that we have a lot of work to do in a lot of different areas," he said. "But I think we've made some tremendous progress. This allows us to continue in that direction and on that trend. I feel great. I think [people] know how I feel about this place: blessed and fortunate to be here. But we still have a lot of work to do." ■ After the Nittany Lions' 11-3 record in 2016, Franklin is, indeed, a hot com- modity. Paired with his turnaround at Vanderbilt, Penn State's success last season has cemented his reputation as a change agent. That, coupled with a bunch of top recruiting classes, was the crux of Franklin's leverage point through protracted discussions. Penn State opted not to gamble. No matter that the Nittany Lions' first-place finish in the Big Ten in 2016 was the only season in Franklin's six-year tenure as a head coach that his team placed higher than fourth in its division (albeit, we're talking the SEC and Big Ten here). It's how he's gone about it at his previous institution and Penn State. He has a proven track record of turning bad situations into good ones. And with a stellar 2018 recruiting class on deck (and ready to sign in December), Penn State's brass wanted to lock in Franklin. For now. And maybe for a long time. MIKE POORMAN STATECOLLEGE.COM The length and the money are understandable. If Penn State is going to play with the big boys in the Big Ten East, it's going to have to pay with the big boys. Further, Franklin has proven totally committed to the way Penn State wants to do business. It wants to win at the highest level with players who belong in college, have success in the classroom and don't embarass them- selves downtown. To that end, Franklin has scored as well off the field as his team has on it. Plus it's not like he took over a senior-laden team – did some- one say Harbaugh? – and is headed for a swoon following last year's break- out. To the contrary: Penn State is trending upward and recruiting at a dizzying pace. NEIL RUDEL ALTOONA MIRROR A simple reason for giving Franklin an extension is optics. Coaches who don't have contracts that run for the next four-plus seasons deal with negative re- cruiting. Another coach competing for a recruit will say, "Is he definitely going to be there?" to a prospective athlete. If an athletic director wants the coach to be there in 2017, for example, the contract needs to run through at least 2021 in most circumstances. Even coaches with uncertain futures get extensions, just for how it looks to recruits and their families. A better reason for giving Franklin an extension is he has earned it. Again, this isn't just about the wins and losses. Winning 11 games and restoring Penn State as a con- tender in the Big Ten is a huge deal. What Franklin has done for the program beyond winning 25 games in three years? Another huge deal. Franklin and his staff have brought a level of consistency to recruiting that Penn State has not had this century. Some schools take for granted three consecutive recruiting classes ranked among the top 20 in the nation. That was a first for Penn State in the 21st century. COREY MASISAK LANDOF10.COM In his Jan. 11, 2014 introductory press conference, Franklin verbally committed to Penn State long-term. "We're coming here with the mindset that we're going to build a program," Franklin said that day. "We're going to build it the right way, and we're going to build it for the long haul. We plan on being here for a very, very long time." Now that Franklin and Penn State have agreed on a contract ex- tension, it appears that will be the case. JOHN McGONIGAL CENTRE DAILY TIMES W H A T T H E Y ' R E S A Y I N G

• Cover