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Dec. 16—James Franklin almost always walks into a room carrying high wattage and positivity, like he asks Penn State football players to do.
Friday was different, though. The 51-year-old Franklin looked drawn and weary when he sat down at Beaver Stadium for Peach Bowl media day.
He and his assistant coaches had been on the road the last two weeks recruiting and making in-house visits to high school seniors who had already committed to the Nittany Lions.
Several questions into the press conference, Franklin was asked to describe his recent schedule.
“Are you saying that because I look like (expletive) right now?” he asked.
Yes he did, as a matter of fact. His energy was as low as anyone in the room had seen.
Since Penn State’s 42-0 victory over Michigan State on Nov. 24 in Detroit, Franklin has had a full plate like all major college football coaches.
He’s been dealing with recruiting leading up to the early signing day on Wednesday.
He’s been trying to manage the Lions roster, whether it’s potential additions and subtractions via the transfer portal and how much NIL money players want to stay or come to Penn State.
He’s been learning which draft-eligible players are opting out of the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss and declaring for the NFL draft.
But he also has had to search for a new offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, and for a new defensive coordinator after Manny Diaz left to become head coach at Duke.
All while preparing for a New Year’s Six bowl game against the No. 11 team in the country.
It’s enough to fatigue even such a high-energy guy like Franklin.
“It’s challenging,” he said. “We’re running in a thousand different directions, and then it’s magnified when you have an offensive coordinator search.
“Then as soon as you get that done, you think you can take a deep breath and get back to focusing on my players and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-states-james-franklin-weary-045000886.html
Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.
Publish date : 2023-12-17 04:50:00
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