Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
V S . W A S H I N G T O N ney. Franklin, meanwhile, openly ac- knowledges how heavily he leans on his assistants, administrators and support staff to help balance the tasks of a college football program. More, though, it's the players he has recruited to compete under him who have generated the steam in his engine. The ones who ignited this locomotive were part of a 25-member recruiting class that Franklin signed in February 2014. "They are the culture-drivers," Franklin said, "and we will be forever indebted to them." Peeling the layers back further, there was a select group within that Class of 2014 who wanted to play for Franklin whether he was in Nashville or University Park, Pa. They hold a unique distinction among their peers. Some will be wrapping up their college eligibility in the Fiesta Bowl, while others have one season left after redshirting as freshmen. Franklin cites their influence as being "signifi- cant" to Penn State's turnaround, which encompasses two consecutive 10-win regular seasons and New Year's Six bowl appearances. If Franklin is one day to reach the pinnacle of his profession, these are the protégés who first believed in his ambitions and set his ship in the right di- rection. They're the Commodores, in a very nearly literal sense. When Franklin took the Penn State job in 2014, he inherited 16 recruits from for- mer head coach Bill O'Brien. In order to maximize his 25 available scholarships, Franklin had to hustle so he could fill out the remaining nine spots and bolster a roster that had been diminished by NCAA sanctions. He had fewer than 30 days. "It was a scramble," he recalled. "We were locked up in the Penn Stater [Hotel]. We lived in the Penn Stater [while] going through HR. Half of our staff wasn't even allowed to come to Lasch until they cleared all the background checks. Legit- imately, we were sequestered in the Penn ESCAPE ARTIST McSorley sprints away from a Mary- land defender in the Nittany Lions' regular-season finale. The redshirt junior QB has made 26 consecutive starts. Photo by Steve Manuel