Franklin has one eye on present, other on future
CHICAGO — Restoring Penn State’s reputation and returning its star near the top of the college football galaxy once again should have earned James Franklin some long-term job security. The fourth-year coach isn’t taking any chances.
Expectations are high in Happy Valley after the Nittany Lions went 11-3, won the Big Ten title and turned up in the Rose Bowl last season. That performance, coupled with the return of Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley — one of the best returning quarterback-running back tandems in the land — has Nittany Lions fans talking about a Top-10 or even Top-5 spot in the preseason ranking.
Like the Penn State faithful, Franklin can’t wait to see what comes next. But unlike the rest, he’s already casting one eye on the future.
In perhaps the funniest moment at the Big Ten media days — no small feat anytime Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh puts in an appearance — Franklin suggested Barkley’s parents get to work right away on producing another Heisman Trophy-caliber son.
“I’m actually trying to figure out if it’s legal, NCAA-wise,” he said. “I want to send mom and dad on a romantic vacation and try to convince them to have more children.
“The Saquon thing,” Franklin added, “worked out pretty well.”
In the meantime, Franklin will have to find a way to keep one of the most lethal offenses in the game — especially after intermission — running at top speed. He’ll also have to contend with a much-tougher road schedule, the biggest bump likely to come in Columbus, where the Buckeyes will be seeking revenge after Penn State’s quirky upset win last year.
“We’re not going to spend a whole lot of time at all talking about last year. We spent all offseason talking about last year. They understand it, they get it. We appreciate it,” Franklin said.
“I think what we all have to understand is none of those points, none of those wins are going to transfer over,” he added. “We have to start from the ground up and rebuild this thing.”
It’s almost always tougher to stay on top than getting there. But the program and the school have already managed a much more daunting climb out of the ditch dug by former coach Jerry Sandusky and the child sexual-abuse scandal of 2011.
“In totality, it’s maybe the most difficult set of circumstances I’ve ever been asked to participate in and assist with,” Commissioner Jim Delany recalled a day earlier. “I can look anybody in the eye and salute Penn State for the progress they’ve made, the seriousness with which they’ve treated this issue, the education that has been absorbed and the changes that have been made.”
