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!