It is past time for me to do this.
James Franklin is a helluva coach. (I will not say this again. I detest where he works.) Franklin is a helluva coach in every aspect of coaching: recruiting, preparation, motivation, play calling.
I thought Paterno-Sandusky would take a step back this year. Lost Trace McSorley; lost two good running backs; lost an alarming number of players--to transfer, to the NFL, some early, to decommitment. Before the 2018 season they lost their offensive coordinator who had stabilized and inspired that unit. And: Franklin had his head turned last season by the supposed opening of the USC job. From the time the rumors started and beyond the time when that window closed I thought Franklin continued to be distracted. I still think that and the USC rumors have started again. I got the sense that Franklin thought he had taken PSU as far as he can and that is just short of the CFP. I still think that too. Franklin has recruited extremely well--for where he is. He has, as he promised, out-recruited every other coach of a major football school in the region: Western Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland. The fact though is that Western Pennsylvania is not the womb of four and five stars as it once was. For a generation now that is Florida, Texas, southern California. That is where national championships are won. That is not where he is.
I also thought last season that Franklin had grown a bit jaded with the whole "Happy Valley experience." As his predecessor Bill O'Brien certainly did. I still think that. David Jones of the Harrisburg Patriot-News wrote this about Franklin:
“To be specific, it’s pretty clear James Franklin is full of crap."
After Franklin's introductory press conference! A body could want out of a situation where that happens.
And then there is race. Franklin is mixed black and white. Happy Valley is not mixed. This season he had to deal with the race issue. In a letter from a PSU alum from Johnstown to one of his black players who had the temerity to wear his hair in dreadlocks. Franklin handled the racist Johnstown fan rationally, passionately and decisively. His press conference on the issue was a grand slam home run. There are thousands of PSU fans who feel exactly the way that racist from Johnstown feels. Franklin knows it. Franklin does not want to do a press conference on PSU racism and the point is he does not have to. He can go elsewhere.
But look at PSU this season. This has been Franklin's opus as coach.
...Oh my goodness, I have to stop here and when I resume I'll be quick. Florida State has fired head coach Willie Taggart after less than two years on the job. The straw was yesterday's 27-10 loss at home to Miami. I had thought that would happen...Until I read a couple of weeks ago that the FSU AD said, and gave good reasons for saying it, that people didn't know what they were talking about, that the administration was all in on Taggart. So much for that.
To finish up on Franklin: PSU started the season ranked #15. I would have bet they would have one or two losses at this point in the season. And they should have. They should have lost to Pitt and to Michigan. But they didn't. They are undefeated and all the way up to #5 now, one spot short of the playoffs. I think it's Franklin's best coaching job of his time at PSU. He has, as they say, reloaded. Didn't take a step back. And I think this will be his swan song at PSU. If the right job opens. If USC opens. Florida State? Helluva coach James Franklin, helluva coach.
James Franklin is a helluva coach. (I will not say this again. I detest where he works.) Franklin is a helluva coach in every aspect of coaching: recruiting, preparation, motivation, play calling.
I thought Paterno-Sandusky would take a step back this year. Lost Trace McSorley; lost two good running backs; lost an alarming number of players--to transfer, to the NFL, some early, to decommitment. Before the 2018 season they lost their offensive coordinator who had stabilized and inspired that unit. And: Franklin had his head turned last season by the supposed opening of the USC job. From the time the rumors started and beyond the time when that window closed I thought Franklin continued to be distracted. I still think that and the USC rumors have started again. I got the sense that Franklin thought he had taken PSU as far as he can and that is just short of the CFP. I still think that too. Franklin has recruited extremely well--for where he is. He has, as he promised, out-recruited every other coach of a major football school in the region: Western Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland. The fact though is that Western Pennsylvania is not the womb of four and five stars as it once was. For a generation now that is Florida, Texas, southern California. That is where national championships are won. That is not where he is.
I also thought last season that Franklin had grown a bit jaded with the whole "Happy Valley experience." As his predecessor Bill O'Brien certainly did. I still think that. David Jones of the Harrisburg Patriot-News wrote this about Franklin:
“To be specific, it’s pretty clear James Franklin is full of crap."
After Franklin's introductory press conference! A body could want out of a situation where that happens.
And then there is race. Franklin is mixed black and white. Happy Valley is not mixed. This season he had to deal with the race issue. In a letter from a PSU alum from Johnstown to one of his black players who had the temerity to wear his hair in dreadlocks. Franklin handled the racist Johnstown fan rationally, passionately and decisively. His press conference on the issue was a grand slam home run. There are thousands of PSU fans who feel exactly the way that racist from Johnstown feels. Franklin knows it. Franklin does not want to do a press conference on PSU racism and the point is he does not have to. He can go elsewhere.
But look at PSU this season. This has been Franklin's opus as coach.
...Oh my goodness, I have to stop here and when I resume I'll be quick. Florida State has fired head coach Willie Taggart after less than two years on the job. The straw was yesterday's 27-10 loss at home to Miami. I had thought that would happen...Until I read a couple of weeks ago that the FSU AD said, and gave good reasons for saying it, that people didn't know what they were talking about, that the administration was all in on Taggart. So much for that.
To finish up on Franklin: PSU started the season ranked #15. I would have bet they would have one or two losses at this point in the season. And they should have. They should have lost to Pitt and to Michigan. But they didn't. They are undefeated and all the way up to #5 now, one spot short of the playoffs. I think it's Franklin's best coaching job of his time at PSU. He has, as they say, reloaded. Didn't take a step back. And I think this will be his swan song at PSU. If the right job opens. If USC opens. Florida State? Helluva coach James Franklin, helluva coach.
