Recruiting Update 1/28

The recruiting season is in full swing as coaches and teams make their final desperate push to solidify their 2014 recruiting classes before National Signing Day.  Penn State is at a unique disadvantage due to the scholarship restrictions placed on the football team by the NCAA in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal.  Penn State can only hand out 20 scholarships, instead of the 25 that other schools can give out.  Still, there are plenty of tricks and number fudging that can be done to make it all work and luckily for us, Audrey Snyder of PennLive took the time to break it down flawlessly in one of her latest columns.  Based on her math, and the commitments since her article was published, Penn State can potentially land 2 more recruits to finish out this class.  Here is where the 2014 recruiting class currently stands:

Notes:

- Kicker Jorge Powell will come to Penn State as a walk-on, meaning he will not receive a scholarship and will not count against the scholarship limit.

- 5 of the above players are early enrollees, meaning they're already on campus attending classes and their scholarships will count towards the 2013 class, not 2014.  Those 5 players are: Michael O'Connor, Chasz Wright, De'Andre Thompkins, Tarow Barney, and Antoine White.

- There are 4 major recruiting websites: ESPN, Scout, Rivals, and 247Sports.  Many times a recruit has 3 stars in one place and 4 stars in another.  Just like on the SAT, I took the highest score (star rating) that I could find for each recruit, so some of the ratings are a little inflated.  However, this was never more than a 1 star difference.

Observations:

- The immediate need of this class is at linebacker, where Penn State was already thin before the graduation of Glenn Carson.  As you can see, the coaching staff did a good job of filling this need, pulling in 2 dedicated linebackers, as well as some safeties and a defensive end who are capable of playing the position (a la Stephen Obeng-Agyapong this past season).

- The second most pressing issue was linemen on both sides of the ball.  There are more linemen on the field for each play than any other position and with their larger bodies, they're more prone to injuries.  Therefore, building quality depth along both lines is a necessity if this team hopes to compete for championships in the near future.  Again, the staff passed this test with flying colors, collecting 7 solid recruits (4 OL, 3 DL).

- Lastly, the staff needed to upgrade the skill position talent across the board (WR, TE, RB, CB, and S) to keep up with the faster speed of today's game.  12 total skill players, many with 4 star ratings, should do the trick quite nicely.

- Even with my inflated ratings, none of Penn State's recruits have less than 3 stars or a grade lower than 70 (out of 100) on any of the big 4 sites.  That's a BIG deal since it means that there are no "weak" recruits in this class whatsoever.

- Take an especially close look at the wide receiver group in this class.  3/4 are 4 star players and highly ranked nationally.  Looks like even without Allen Robinson, Christian Hackenberg will have plenty of quality targets to throw to over the next few seasons.

After the sanctions were announced in Jully 2012, if you had told most college football insiders that this is the kind of class Penn State would be pulling in within 2 years, they would have laughed you out of the building.  Thankfully, between O'Brien and Franklin, Penn State is making all those "experts" dine on an all-you-can-eat buffet of humble pie!

In related news, Coach Franklin will be having a recruiting extravaganza at the BJC on National Signing Day (Feb 5th) that will be free for students and only $5 for spectators.  Franklin and his staff will welcome the 2014 recruiting class by giving each recruit an official introduction in front of the hopefully packed arena.  ESPN's Pedro Gomez will even apparently be there to cover the event live all day long.  Speaking of ESPN, if last year was any indication, they will once again turn National Signing Day into a country-wide media circus.  If you're really into recruiting - and don't have a job, since it falls on a Wednesday - I guess it can be fun.  But generally speaking, I think it's just a pointless exercise in the inflation of 18 year old egos that are probably too big already.

Finally, in non-recruiting related news, James Franklin will apparently attend the State of the Union address tonight as the guest of a Congressional Representative and he has a very ambitious goal.  Also, with the Superbowl this Sunday, I'd like to point out that 2 former Nittany Lions, Michael Robinson and Jordan Hill, will be suiting up for the Seattle Seahawks as they take on the Denver Broncos (guess which team I'll be rooting for!).  See how they handled Media Day here.

That's all for now.  Keep checking back throughout the offseason, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for all the latest news and notes on Penn State football.  And as always, go State!

Recruiting Update 1/20

Friday was the official start of the recruiting season as coaches are now allowed to visit recruits' homes.  From here on out it's a race leading up to National Signing Day on February 5th.  So today's post is just a brief update of what new head coach, James Franklin, has been up to on the recruiting trail.

- First, Coach Franklin has now flipped 5 former Vanderbilt commits to the Nittany Lions.  Over the weekend he picked up commitments from 3-star QB Trace McSorely and 3-star CB Grant Haley.  However, he also appears to have lost the commitment of 3-star LB Donte Raymond, who will now play at Delaware.

- Out on the trail, Coach Franklin's first priority seems to be Pennsylvania as he made stops in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh this weekend.  Our friends at OnwardState have the story.

- Finally, since the coaching staff plays a big part in recruiting, here is how the new staff is shaping up.

Busy Week

The news truly never ends when you’re a big time program like Penn State, and this week is no exception.  There’s been a ton of PSU football news floating around the interwebs lately, so let’s get everybody up to speed on all things Nittany Lions.

First, after this very strange article by David Jones was released shortly following Bill O'Brien's departure to the Houston Texans, much of the country was firmly under the impression that a group of “Paterno people” had chased O'Brien out of town.  This article from our friends over at OnwardState pretty much sums up my initial thoughts on the Jones article.  Thankfully, in a surprising last act of good will, Bill O'Brien went on ESPN’s Mike &Mike to clear things up and apologize for any confusion.  According to the coach himself, he had tremendous support at Penn State and called Jones’ assertions “not accurate at all.”  He stressed that Penn State is a special place and it was actually a combination of his love for the NFL and the medical resources in Houston (for his special needs son, Jack) that were the primary catalysts for leaving.  They say “time heals all wounds” and it must be true because I’m slowly starting to come around on Bill’s decision.  Good luck in Houston, Coach!

Speaking of coaches, the last holdover from the Paterno era, defensive line coach Larry Johnson, turned down an offer from James Franklin to continue in his same position on the new staff.  Instead, Johnson will be headed to Ohio State where he will replace the departed Mike Vrabel, who ironically left OSU to join Bill O'Brien in Houston.  The move comes as a shock to most Penn State fans, especially since Johnson will be taking the exact same position on Urban Meyer’s staff.  I could understand leaving for a Defensive Coordinator promotion, but a lateral move just doesn't make sense to me personally.  Rumors have been flying that Johnson was upset at the administration after being passed over for the head coaching position twice – once in 2012 after Paterno’s firing and again this time around.  Johnson had been on the staff for 18 years and was named interim head coach after O'Brien left.  He was known as one of the best recruiters in the country and for cranking out NFL talent year after year.  Despite this latest turn of events, LJ will most likely remain as one of the most beloved assistants in PSU history, and I wish him the best over at that other school.

In related recruiting news, the first and only casualty so far of the coaching transition appears to be Thomas Holley.  The 4-star DT recruit was the highest rated prospect in the 2014 class and his decommitment is substantial.  He was recruited by Larry Johnson, and most sources cite Johnson’s departure as the main reason behind Holley’s second thoughts.  Holley, who was also recruited by James Franklin while still at Vanderbilt, has now committed to Florida.  Rumors are that he still has an official visit to Penn State on his calendar, though, and that Franklin might still have a chance, albeit slim, to convince Holley to switch his commitment back to the Lions.  However, I wouldn't hold your breath.

As for Franklin’s staff, it’s starting to take some shape.  It was announced yesterday that Ricky Rahne and Josh Gattis will be the new QB and WR coaches respectively.  Both were part of James Franklin’s staff at Vanderbilt and were expected to follow Franklin to State College, so this isn't exactly a surprise.  Gattis is well known for producing great WRs, having developed All-Americans at nearly every one of his coaching stops.  Here’s hoping he continues that trend with players like Geno Lewis, Richy Anderson, DaeSean Hamilton, and incoming recruits Chris Godwin and De’Andre Thompkins.

Finally, this Saturday at 4pm on the NFL Network will be the 89^th East/West Shrine Game played in St. Petersburg, FL.  The Shrine Game, as I mentioned in a previous post, is one of the many invitational all-star games that take place this time of year and give NFL scouts a better look at potential pro talent.  Only the Senior Bowl is considered more prestigious than the EWSG and this year’s game features 3 stand out Penn Staters: LB Glenn Carson, OG John Urschel, and S/LB Stephen Obeng-Agyapong.  All will try to impress the NFL teams in attendance in hopes of being selected in the upcoming draft.  Good luck to all three!!!

Well that will do it for now.  I'll do my best to keep posting as stories develop.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for all the latest news and notes, and as always, go State!

Welcome Coach James Franklin!

When Bill O'Brien came to Penn State in early 2012, there was understandable hesitation from the Penn State community.  Here was a guy with no head coaching experience and what appeared to be zero understanding of the history and traditions of Penn State football.  He was the kind of outsider not usually welcomed in State College, although many believed that was exactly the panacea the scandal-ridden university needed.  O'Brien was stepping into an already toxic situation that was soon to be made even worse once the NCAA handed down their sanctions that summer.  Never lacking in confidence, but sometimes lacking in charisma, O'Brien was slow to grow on most Penn State fans.  Then, just weeks before the start of the season he made his first big move, adding player names to the back of the iconic Nittany Lion uniforms.  His rationale was logical and allowed him to make the move with little more than a quiet groan from traditionalists.  Over the next two years, the coach’s relationship with the Penn State community was, well, interesting.  He was never big on press conferences or speaking engagements, and seemed exhausted by the multitude of appearances required of him.  He clearly loved coaching, but had no interest in the peripheral items it takes to be the head coach at a major institution like Penn State.  Still, on the field, he proved that he was as good as any other coach out there, maybe better.  He was fighting with both hands tied behind his back and yet, was able to deliver two winning seasons, win a number of memorable upsets, and solidify two above average recruiting classes, highlighted by his acquisition of star QB Christian Hackenberg.  For all intents and purposes, Bill O'Brien's tenure at Penn State, however short, was exactly what Penn State needed at that moment in time.  In the end, though, even the most idealistic fan knew O’Brien’s heart was in the NFL and sure enough, last month O'Brien officially moved on to the Houston Texans, leaving an uncomfortable void in the football family.

Then along came James Franklin…

Unlike O'Brien, Franklin was a highly sought after and well known commodity in the coaching world, having just turned lowly SEC doormat Vanderbilt into a respectable program.  Franklin led the Commodores to 3 straight bowl games (2 of which were victories) and back to back 9 win seasons for the first time in almost 100 years.  He also had a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the nation, and his top 25 recruiting class at Vanderbilt was proof that said reputation was well deserved.

From the moment of his arrival Saturday afternoon, Franklin was a ball of energy that captivated all who met him.  A Pennsylvania native, he claimed to have finally “come home” and appeared genuinely excited to have the opportunity to coach the premiere football team in the state.  He said all the right things as he toured the campus and his infectious smile never left his face.  But all of that wasn't what impressed me as I watched his first press conference as the 16^th head coach in the storied history of Penn State football.  It was the little things, the tiny acts that generally go unnoticed by most, where he truly shined.  In those “how to make friends and influence people” moments, most people were left in awe of Franklin’s seemingly innate ability to connect with just about anyone and instantly make a positive impression.  When he stepped off the plane, he didn't just rush inside, he went over to the fence and greeted two young girls who were standing out in the rain to see him.  During that initial press conference he repeated each reporters’ name and offered a greeting before ever hearing, let alone responding, to their question.  While meeting with recruits at the football building, he made a point to not just shake their hands, but each member of their respective families as well.  One sister of a recruit was visibly thrown off when Franklin extended his hand to her in an attempt to introduce himself.  Clearly, other coaches had never made her the center of attention before.  The rest of the family was impressed with this simplest of gestures as well.  He almost seemed too good to be true, but no one was complaining.

On top of the personality that was already winning fans over, Franklin did something almost no one expected; he spoke candidly about his tremendous respect for the legacy of Joe Paterno, and he wasn't afraid to let everyone know, including the administration.  He referred to the late coach as “the great Joe Paterno” numerous times, and mentioned “success with honor” at least twice.  My personal favorite line came when he claimed to have told his wife when they first began dating that his dream job was Penn State.  He joked that he didn't think he’d ever get the chance to coach at Penn State since he didn't believe “the coach that was there when I grew up would ever leave.”

In 48 hours, he managed to speak to his old team, fly from Tennessee to Happy Valley, give a press conference, speak to his new team, flip 2 Vanderbilt recruits over to Penn State, and all while attending and speaking at 3 different sports events.  He even took a few minutes to check out the new Pegula Ice Arena, which was not around the last time Franklin was on campus.  Even with all of that, pictures surfaced on Twitter Monday morning of the coach starting his week at 5am.  When the topic of sleep was brought up at the press conference, he admitted to needing just 5 hours (or less) per night, and that his wife finds it weird. But weird sleeping habits seem to work just fine for Franklin, who’s energy levels are only matched by his vibrant charisma.  He appears to be the perfect man for the Penn State job and I think I speak for the entire Penn State community when I say that I hope he stays true to his word and sticks around for a very long time.

Now sometimes words just can't do a man justice.  That's why I've included the following links that should give you a better idea of how awesome James Franklin apparently is.  Enjoy.

Here's the full opening press conference.

And here's the best moments in case you're in a time crunch.

Here's a recap of his first 48 hours on campus.

And here's 8 examples of JF being awesome courtesy of our friends over at OnwardState.

I'm sure Coach Franklin will keep being awesome for the foreseeable future, and the best way to keep up with his exploits is to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus.  It should be a very exciting offseason for the Nittany Lions and I personally can't wait to see what happens!

Coaching rumors

I’m still not exactly comfortable discussing this topic because everything is just rumors right now.  But too many people have been asking me for my opinion on the Penn State coaching search, and I just can’t say no to my fans.  So a little later in this post I’m going to do a run-down of the top head coaching candidates for Penn State.  In the meantime, you should check out ESPN’s article released earlier today.  Now, I’m not the biggest fan of ESPN in general, but their Penn State beat writer, Josh Moyer, is an incredible writer with lots of inside sources and a great overall feel for the program.  Check out what he has to say here.

With all of that said, let’s start with Bill O’Brien’s departure to the Houston Texans.  I’ll start by saying that I don’t necessarily have a problem with him leaving, and I get the sense that most Penn State fans don’t either.  It’s a very good job and everyone knows he’s always wanted to go back to the NFL.  I also understand that he has to do what’s best for him and his family (although the money angle is complete nonsense seeing as O’Brien was making well over $3 million at PSU).  However, 2 years is a little obnoxious.  I know what many of you are saying: “But PSUOptimus, this is the modern world of college coaching, people leave all the time.  You’re just spoiled by Joe Paterno.”  The answer to that is, you’re an idiot.  The average tenure of a modern college coach is at least 3, possibly even 4 years.  That gives enough time to make your changes, recruit, and see those recruits through a few seasons.  So, no, 2 years does not meet that standard.  In addition, no one is bringing up Joe Paterno except outsiders.  We (Penn Staters) are not stupid.  We fully understand that JoePa was special and no coach will ever lead one team for 60 years again.  But we’re not talking about 60 years, we’re talking about 2!  Still, even all that could be overlooked if it weren't for my biggest problem; it’s not the fact that O’Brien left, it’s HOW he left.  If our current recruits are to be believed, O’Brien spent his final few days of 2013 reassuring them (and possibly current players) that he was staying at Penn State.  Then, about an hour before midnight, on New Year’s Eve of all days, he up and vanished like a thief in the night.  Not exactly the classy departure most of Nittany Nation was hoping to see.  For that reason, my final verdict is that it was a dick move on his part.  Yet I must admit he did leave the football program in a much better situation than he found it.  So for that, I wish him the best of luck in his new position.

As for O’Brien’s potential replacements, here’s my breakdown in my order of preference:

Al Golden: He was originally my number 2, but the arguments I've heard for Golden lately have swayed me to make him my number 1.  Unfortunately, it appears he’s taken himself out of the race… so yeah.

James Franklin: The current head coach of Vanderbilt was originally my number 1, but a lot of things have come out recently which give me pause.  First, the rumors are that he is being pursued by multiple NFL teams almost as hard as O’Brien was.  I don’t know if he intends to eventually make a move to the pros, but if he does and he’s hired at Penn State, we’ll have to deal with these stupid NFL rumors every single year for the foreseeable future.  Franklin also has some allegations hanging over him right now of covering up a rape by some of his players.  Obviously, that’s the last thing Penn State needs as it continues to repair its reputation.  But the guy can coach, he’s an expert recruiter, and thanks to Vandy, he knows the importance of players going to class.

Mike Munchak: Here’s a very interesting prospect.  Munchak is a former Penn State player with a reputation for being loyal to a fault, something Penn State could really use right now.  My biggest concern, though, is that he has absolutely ZERO college experience.  The college and pro games are very different and we saw O’Brien struggle to adjust to the demands of college coaching in his first year.  I would anticipate Munchak having similar issues if hired.  There’s no way of knowing how good he’ll be at recruiting, or making sure his players go to class, but if he can figure that stuff out and win some games in the process, he’d be great.  I’m just not convinced he can do that right now.

Larry Johnson: Everyone loves “LJ” and no one can deny his love for Penn State.  Also, he has the players’ endorsement.  If he was made the head coach he would be around forever.  Unfortunately, I don’t think the powers that be at PSU will ever allow this.  It’s not right, it’s not fair, but I think that’s the reality of the situation.  They’ll be able to correctly cite the fact that LJ has never held any position higher than that of a position coach at the college level.  He’s never even been a coordinator.  I think the best case for everyone is to pressure the new head coach into retaining LJ and maybe even make him the new Defensive Coordinator.  Heck, bring back Vanderlinden while you’re at it!

*UPDATE
Greg Roman: I don't know much about Roman except that he's the current Offensive Coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.  That means he knows NFL offense, so Hackenberg should be pumped.  Here's a little background on him.

There, I did a post on all the coaching nonsense.  Is everybody happy now?  I’ll have a more solid post ready whenever Dave Joyner and the search committee make their decision.  Until then, enjoy the rumor mill and go State!

January News and Notes

I’d like to start today’s post by congratulating friend of the blog, Brian Bender, on completely crushing the competition in the first annual Prime Pick ‘Em Bowl Pool.  Brian correctly predicted the winners of 23/34 bowl games and currently holds a 3 game lead over 2^nd place with only tonight’s National Championship Game remaining.  Barring any major shuffling, I'll finish in the middle of the pack, going exactly .500 with 17/34 correct predictions.  I’ll have to think of some kind of reward for Brian’s dominating efforts, and to give out to future winners.  For now, he'll just have to settle for my congratulations and the knowledge that he has won the prestigious first ever Prime Pick 'Em Award!

Speaking of bowls, this was the last year of the current BCS bowl system as the college football world looks towards next year’s playoffs.  As I stated earlier, there were 34 bowl games (plus the NCG) and I managed to catch at least a little bit of every single one of them!  There were plenty of great games, and a surprising amount of incredible endings.  Some of my favorite moments included:

- Washington State literally fumbling away a victory in the first bowl game of the season

- BCS busting favorites Northern Illinois and Fresno State getting taken to school by supposedly inferior opponents
- Duke’s near upset of Texas A&M on New Year’s Eve
- Michigan State winning the Big Ten’s first Rose Bowl in what feels like forever

- UCF continuing to prove the doubters wrong as they punched Baylor in the mouth
- Oklahoma shocking the world by thumping Alabama and leading to this.

Now I've had quite a few people ask for my thoughts on the current Penn State head coaching situation.  Don’t worry folks, in due time (possibly later this week).  I want to give an informed opinion once all the dust settles.  One thing I can’t stand is reckless speculation and rumors.  What I will do, however, is briefly recap what we know for certain at this point.

First, Bill O'Brien is officially the new head coach of the NFL’s Houston Texans, in case you were living under a rock for the last week.  So far he has taken virtually the entire staff with him.  Only 3 assistant coaches remain on the staff as of the writing of this post (Larry Johnson, Mac McWhorter, and John Strollo), which brings us to our next topic.

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has been promoted to interim head coach until a new coach can be hired.  Coach Johnson has been on the staff for 18 years now and is the only holdover from the Paterno era.  Since there are no games going on right now, this new role basically means that he’s in charge of keeping the 2014 recruiting class together.  Considering that LJ is one of the best recruiters in the country and was responsible for the commitments of most of this class, I’d say he’s the right man for that job.  Good luck to Coach Johnson over the next few weeks!

Speaking of recruiting, it appears that all of the recruits in the 2014 class are either still committed, or waiting to see what happens… with one exception: QB Michael O’Connor.  O’Connor was set to enroll at Penn State this month after completing high school early, however, he has delayed his enrollment and reopened his recruitment.  Christian Hackenberg is the only scholarship QB on the roster right now, so it would be really nice if O’Connor stuck around, but apparently he’s dealing with some personal issues at the moment.  You can read more about his situation here.

Finally, on the Christian Hackenberg front, the freshman QB’s father gave some rather interesting and ominous comments recently.  Thankfully, according to our friends over at OnwardState.com, it looks like Hackenberg is set to come back to class in a few days and has “No Intention of Transferring”

Well, that’s all for now folks.  Enjoy the National Championship Game tonight at 8:30 on ESPN between the Florida State Seminoles and the Auburn Tigers.  It’s the end of an era, and the last real college football for almost 8 months, so soak it in!  Will the mighty SEC finish out the BCS with a record 7^th straight crystal football?  Or will “Famous Jameis” and the Noles end the streak?  Should be fun!