Penn State fans might not want to hear this, but you have the right guy in charge.
I’ve seen fan bases become spoiled and want change when change wasn’t necessarily needed. Nebraska fans comes to mind. To a lesser extent BYU fans come to mind. And there is a team or two in between where a coach consistently won 8 or 9 games each season and the fans wanted to “break through” and “take the next step”. And when that coach was gone, they were often left in shambles. Nebraska still hasn’t recovered from the firing of Bo Pelini who went 67-27 and never won less than 9 games. BYU fans got tired of Bronco Mendenhall and his 99-43 record although they will deny it to their dying days. He won 9 or more games six times but it became time for both sides to part ways mainly because of the want from fans, boosters and administrators to take that next step. BYU hasn’t been relevant since.
So here we have James Franklin. His record is 88-39 at Penn State and he’s had six seasons with 9 or more wins. He was also screwed out of the 2016 playoff despite winning the Big Ten. But his 4-16 record against Ohio State and Michigan has many fans tired of his act and ready to move on. And they’re simply wrong.
Penn State last won a national title in 1986 which was a lifetime ago. They were undefeated in 1994 but Nebraska beat Miami and won the natty that season. It’s obviously been a long time since Penn State, a historic power football program, has been nationally relevant. And they might never be again with the changing landscape of college football. But watching Ohio State win and play for national titles and seeing Michigan win it all last year has fans and boosters in Happy Valley as anxious as ever.
But Franklin is the guy. While he’s been adept at using his agent to garner interest from other programs to increase his own contractual value, he’s been steadfastly loyal to Penn State as a native of the state. He’s endured the critics and has handled all negativity with class. Fans who claim he never takes accountability don’t know the man well at all as nothing haunts him more than his record in those big games. Franklin recruits, keeps his kids out of trouble, prepares them for the NFL and has his team competitive in the Big Ten every season. Obviously that’s not enough in this day and age and at the salary coaches demand, but it’s also not so bad.
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So here’s the question to Penn State fans. Would you take a national title like FSU did under Jimbo Fisher or LSU did under Ed Orgeron only to have your program left bare and in shambles? Do you want a national title like Michigan landed under Jim Harbaugh only to have him leave the following season? I know your answer and it’s yes. And as a fan I’d probably agree. But be very careful what you wish for because you could very well fail to earn the national title and wish a coach out the door who had you respectable and excited about every season.
We are in an instant gratification world and no one understands that more than James Franklin. And with huge salaries come great expectations and he understands that as well. But a win-at-all-costs approach might very well have been what Joe Paterno did with Jerry Sandusky on his staff and those national titles will forever be sullied. Maybe, just maybe you have the right guy in charge.
