Take Two: Is Penn State coach James Franklin overrated?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
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THE STORYLINE
In a report over the weekend by CBS Sports, coaches were anonymously polled about who among their peers was the most overrated and Penn State’s James Franklin and Florida State’s Willie Taggart were tied at the top of the list.
When it comes to Franklin, one unnamed coach said that, “his coaching peers know he is full of it.” Another called him a “good marketer,” and it probably wasn’t meant to be a positive comment.
Penn State finished 11-2 last season, beating Washington in the Fiesta Bowl. The prior year the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten title and lost to USC in arguably one of the best Rose Bowl games in history. In his first two seasons, Penn State went 7-6 each year as the program still waded through the Jerry Sandusky scandal and dramatic depth issues stemming from NCAA sanctions.
Franklin has a reputation as a self-promoter who doesn’t apologize for being constantly positive in public about his team, Penn State’s recruiting and the program he’s trying to build in Happy Valley. That kind of attitude, fair or not, might wear thin on other coaches across the country.
Is Franklin overrated, as these anonymous coaches claim, or is there a hint of jealousy and contempt for a coach who has dealt with difficult situations at Penn State and Vanderbilt and still seems to come out on top?
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FIRST TAKE: NATE BAUER, BLUEWHITEILLUSTRATED.COM
“I have to admit, I had some amusement at seeing the report, if only because of my familiarity with anonymous message boards and the chutzpah they can engender when your name isn't attached. Would the same coaches say the same thing to Franklin's face? How many of their programs finished ahead of his teams in the past two seasons? And honestly, how many of them have programs that have had the challenges his has faced during his tenure?
“Whether or not everyone identifies or embraces his personality is irrelevant. The fact is, he is at the helm of an operation that recruits extremely well, has a proven track record of developing its players, and has largely avoided off-field problems since his arrival. Combine that with back-to-back New Year’s Six bowls and a Big Ten championship, and Penn State fans have no reason to complain and plenty to be proud about, especially given the circumstances of the program’s recent history.
"No doubt, some intrigue is naturally attached to the upcoming season and the pivot he’ll have to make given the turnover on the assistant coaching staff and on the field. But I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn in suggesting that even with the success of the past two seasons, this is actually a program still on the ascent. It’s one recruiting cycle away from having true, balanced depth with talent throughout. How that plays out on the field remains to be seen – league titles take talent, depth, timing and more than a little bit of luck – but if the goal is to put your program in a position to legitimately compete year-in and year-out, Penn State is undoubtedly heading in that direction under Franklin.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“It’s ridiculous. He had done a great job at Vanderbilt, which is an impossible place to win, and he’s doing a great job at Penn State, inheriting depth problems. He may be a little over the top when it comes to the positivity and all that stuff, but people gravitate toward that. They’d rather be around a positive coach than a negative coach. It certainly helps in recruiting.
“The guy can recruit. The guy can coach. He’s done a great job at two difficult places to win in recent years. There is absolutely no reason to consider him most overrated.”