James Franklin’s Firing Turns Into Penn State Nightmare: Coaching Whiffs And Recruiting Disaster

Penn State has found itself on the losing end of high school recruiting, along with still searching for a new head coach to lead the football program, as fans in State College are finding this whole debacle hard to actually believe. 

Two months ago, athletic director Pat Kraft thought it would be best for the program if James Franklin was no longer the Nittany Lions head coach. 

Over 50 days later, the new Virginia Tech coach spent Wednesday taking recruits from the Penn State class like he was the monster gobbling up a box of Crumbl cookies. 

Who could have seen this coming? Surely not the Penn State donors who trusted Kraft to go find a new coach that could lead them into a new era, while leaving behind the ‘data point’ of the James Franklin era that saw them fall short numerous times during ‘big games’. 

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Oh, I would love to be a fly on the wall inside the athletic department right now in State College, as the Penn State recruiting class is not currently ranked by websites like Rivals. I'm sure the folks at Colgate university are also scratching their heads in amusement as they currently sit one spot above the Nittany Lions at No. 163 in the country. 

Penn State AD Pat Kraft Stuckout Twice In 48 Hours

After BYU's Kilani Sitake decided to turn down the Penn State job on Tuesday, the Nittany Lions scrambled to put an offer in front of Louisville's Jeff Brohm. Unfortunately for AD Pat Kraft, the Cardinals coach, was not going to leave his football program on National Sighing Day, especially for a job that has continued to be turned down over the past three weeks. 

What did they expect? Did they honestly think Brohm would take the job after seeing how this has all played out over the past 48 hours? Public perception is a problem, and Penn State currently has a bunch of them, probably more than the two recruits they signed on Wednesday. 

How many coaches ended up getting raises from openings around college football?

• Matt Rhule (Nebraska)
• Curt Cignetti (Indiana)
• Mike Elko (Texas A&M)
• Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)
• Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri)
• Jeff Brohm (Louisville)
• Kalani Sitake (BYU)

Not every one of these coaches was ties to Penn State, but you can bet their agents used the Nittany Lions for leverage. 

And if you think agents across the country aren't paying attention to this circus, knowing they can leverage the job to garner a few more contract extensions for their clients, you're just as delusional as Lane Kiffin thinking he could coach Ole Miss through the college football playoff. 

Sure, one of the next targets could be former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. But what Penn State fan in their right mind is going to be excited about that type of hire? Does the school think they are going to sell season tickets for a former NFL coach that has no juice in the college football world? 

The answer is no. They might as well take a run a Jon Gruden if the NFL is a route they are willing to take. At least he could drum up some excitement within the fan base. 

No, the smart move would be to go hire UNLV's Dan Mullen, but don't have it leak before he coaches in his conference championship game. Right, Kilani Sitake? 

Penn State Did This To Themselves. Back To Terry Smith?

And, while all of this was transpiring at Penn State over the past 48 hours, James Franklin put together a top-25 recruiting class at Virginia Tech, plucking former Nittany Lion commits like Jimmy Sexton on a random Tuesday, orchestrating coaching hires across the sport. 

We are past the point of embarrassment for Pat Kraft, who also watched one of his former candidates take the USF job on Wednesday, with USF hiring the Ohio State offensive coordinator. 

The only people associated with Penn State that are enjoying this current debacle are the websites that cater to Nittany Lions fans, most likely garnering thousands of clicks every time the ‘coaching hotboard’ is refreshed. 

This could potentially end with Kraft having to hire Terry Smith, who he picked as the interim head coach when James Franklin was fired in October. Smith obviously has the support of current players, along with financial donors to the program, but it will still look as though the Pen State AD had to settle. 

So, good luck selling that he was a top-choice from the start. 

Penn State did this to themselves, thinking they would be a destination job after the James Franklin fallout. The only sympathy you're going to get for the football program pertains to the players and assistant coaches who have to put on a brave face and act as though everything is fine. 

Who knows, maybe you can make another run at one of those grand-slam candidates that will move the needle. But I can promise you that Penn State will have to spend a few more million bucks in the process, because now each coach that is called will know they are desperate to find a quick solution to their perception problem. 

I don't imagine folks are very happy right now, in Happy Valley.