Blue White Illustrated

T H E M O N T H I N . . . The challenge for Franklin and athletic director Sandy Barbour, both outsiders to Happy Valley, is modernizing a program with championship standards – and a pro- gram that had been rocked by scandal – but a reluctance to change. Barbour has tried to emphasize the why – why facility upgrades are needed, why coaching salaries and resources must increase to keep pace – and be transparent about "a rel- atively modest pace of change," she said. Barbour also is candid about the program's position 5½ years after the NCAA penalties. "After two double-digit win seasons, particularly our fans want to put the probation and the scholarship limitations and all of that completely in the rear-view mirror," she said. "But I would say depth is certainly something that we're not there yet. You see it probably in our offensive and defensive lines mostly, and that's just a matter of time. Nobody was going to wave a magic wand and that was going to disappear." ADAM RITTENBERG ESPN.COM For his =rst few years at Penn State, Franklin's roster was a mish-mash of yours (originally signed by Joe Paterno), mine (CJF) and ours (with OB). It wasn't an easy task for players or coaches, Franklin has admitted, getting all the players to buy into his program and balancing hurt feelings and lingering loyalties. Franklin was announced as Penn State's head coach on Jan. 11, 2014. Now, a?er four seasons on the =eld (36-17, .679) and nearly four full calendar years (1,454 days) later, the team is comprised entirely of his "own" players. It will be the =rst Penn State season in seven years that the entire roster came in under the same head coach. That's new. And, given Penn State's past, a return to the old way of doing things. MIKE POORMAN STATECOLLEGE.COM A plaque in [Jim] Tarman's honor hangs at the media entry to the Beaver Stadium press box. Said [Budd] Thalman, his colleague and friend: "Jim Tarman was an out- standing adminstrator, exceptional publicist and one of the more important =gures in the annals of Penn State sports." No question. NEIL RUDEL ALTOONA MIRROR With Saquon Barkley... headed to the NFL – and possibly getting picked in the top three – McSorley will have to carry more of the load in Penn State's o>ense. That should be =ne for a guy who plays in a similar fashion to the quarterback who just won the Heisman. The promotion of quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne to o>ensive coordinator following Joe Moorhead's departure for Mississippi State should allow for continuity that should only help McSorley. ANDY STAPLES SI.COM We were determined to build a winning environment around here. Seeing how it's transformed, the chemistry with the Penn State community, it's become a way, way more fun place to be. I think I'm leaving the program at one of the highest possible places, compared to a couple years ago. Anyone that's on the outside looking in is really jealous of what we have here. DaeSEAN HAMILTON to ESPN.COM I'm not happy. After our first touchdown, Trace McSorley punched me in the ribs, and they're killing me right now. JAMES FRANKLIN at halftime of the Fiesta Bowl O P I N I O N S Q U O T E S "I am saddened to hear of the loss of former Penn State athletic director Jim Tarman," Big Ten commissioner Jim De- lany said. "Jim was a good friend and re- spected colleague who made a lasting impact on the Penn State community during his 36-year tenure in the athlet- ics department, including the integral role he played in leading Penn State's transition into the Big Ten Conference." A?er arriving at Penn State, Tarman served 12 years as sports publicity direc- tor, earning induction into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 1970. He was appointed assistant to the athletic director in 1970, and in 1973 was promoted to associate athletic director with primary responsi- bilities in public a>airs, development, fundraising and alumni and public rela- tions. When Paterno was named athletic director in 1980, Tarman's responsibili- ties were expanded to cover the entire administrative range of Penn State's athletic program. Tarman succeeded Paterno as AD on March 1, 1982. Tarman was co-host of the popular "TV Quarterbacks," the university's statewide football TV program from 1967-82, and from 1971-79 he served as the analyst on the Penn State Football Radio Network. Tarman matriculated to Penn State from Princeton, where he served as sports information director and assistant public information director. He had pre- viously been public relations director at his alma mater, Gettysburg College, for four years. He also was on the sta> of the Harrisburg Patriot-News for one year. A native of York, Pa., Tarman gradu- ated from Gettysburg College in 1952, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was a member of the Gettysburg board of trustees for 12 years and in 1992 he was named a Gettysburg College Dis- tinguished Alumnus. Tarman was a member of the U.S. Army from 1946-48 and was a Civil War history bu>. Tarman was an honorary alumnus of Penn State. He is survived by his wife, Louise, sons Jim and Je>, both of whom are Penn State graduates, Jim's wife, Elizabeth Vastine, and one grandchild, Emilie. ■

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