For Penn State Football, Private Negotiations Mean Little Public Drama

The Nittany Lions aren't immune from NIL conversations and concerns. But coach James Franklin doesn't allow them into the public domain.

Penn State football coach James Franklin reacts in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Penn State football turns toward the finish of spring practice with most of the conversation centering on depth charts instead of holdouts. That's a huge positive. While waiting for college football to combust, here's a notebook cleanse regarding the Nittany Lions.

Could a Nico Iamaleava situation happen at Penn State?

Iamaleava, the soon-to-be-former Tennessee quarterback, and the Volunteers turbocharged the national conversation about how college football no longer is college football. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel reportedly told his team that Iamaleava won't return after ostensibly holding out for a larger NIL deal.

Who knows where the truth lies between a reported $4 million demand and an agent saying nothing of the sort took place. But those details don't matter to the larger story — that college football players, agents, coaches and programs don't have a baseline framework from which to negotiate. Until a governing body sits down with a players' union, these fractures will continue.

Which prompts this question: Could they happen at Penn State? Of course, and most likely they have, although to far lesser degrees and without public negotiations. Penn State coach James Franklin and his staff, notably general manager Andy Frank, have kept details of player deals and renegotiations largely quiet, insulating themselves from public drama.

That's good not only for program perception but also for the team's culture. College football players might understand that business drives the NFL but they're still new to navigating the business of college football. Public demands, either by players or teams, impact college athletes much more acutely than NFL players.

Clearly, Penn State is paying competitive rates, particularly to its veteran players. You don't return the amount of talent Penn State did without spending capital. However, Franklin hasn't allowed the negotiations to leak or relationships to become publicly stressed. In doing so, he has preserved the view of a calm, collaborative culture. For a team chasing a national championship, every advantage helps.

What Nicholas Singleton said about returning for money

That Singleton and Kaytron Allen both returned to Penn State for their fourth seasons remains one of the team's biggest offseason stories. One leaving after the Orange Bowl would have been wholly unsurprising. Singleton and Allen both were offseason targets of other teams and received big offers.

Penn State certainly had to find more NIL funding to return both running backs. And neither Singleton nor Allen has made a big deal publicly about their NIL opportunities, which of course matter. But Singleton had an interesting response when asked recently about the financial side.

“It really wasn't about the money," Singleton told reporters in State College, according to The Daily Collegian. "The money would have been there. I'm not coming back for the money. I’m coming back to find stuff, do stuff to get better at before I enter the draft. So the money wasn't an issue.”

Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton carries the ball in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

A sea change for Penn State's offensive line

Not long ago, Penn State would have been mortified to lose a player like JB Nelson. The sixth-year senior, who spent two seasons at Lackawanna College, is a veteran offensive lineman who has made eight career starts and can play multiple positions. Five years ago, Penn State wouldn't have lost a player like Nelson because he would be a starter.

But the Nittany Lions have turned their offensive line into such a program asset that a player like Nelson isn't guaranteed a starting spot and likely will enter the transfer portal. That's a significant reshape.

Consider that, in his first seven seasons, Franklin had just five offensive linemen drafted and didn't recruit the first: second-round pick Donovan Smith in 2015. But in the past three seasons, Penn State has had five linemen drafted, including three last year. Olu Fashanu was a first-round pick.

If Sal Wormley is drafted this month, four starters from Penn State's 2023 offensive line will have been selected in the NFL Draft. Nelson, who started eight games that season, could be the fifth next year, as long as he earns a starting spot elsewhere and continues to play well. And Penn State's Vega Ioane, who started five games at left guard with Nelson, could be the sixth.

"I'm a big believer that you have to develop and recruit up front on the O-line and D-line, and you really don't ever want to come short in recruiting of those positions," Franklin said. "The other thing is, a lot of times, those positions take time. We’ve talked about it. The closer you are to the ball, it's a man's game in there. Age, strength and size is a major factor. We worked very hard at building those numbers, and [offensive line coach Phil Trautwein] has done a phenomenal job."

Penn State has some exceptional young talent up front, notably sophomore Cooper Cousins, who likely will start at right guard to replace Wormley. But it's also an experienced line, with four returning starters, including center Nick Dawkins. Nelson's departure would have been shocking in 2021. That it isn't represents the position group's enormous growth.