After Signing Day, Penn State Turns to the Transfer Portal
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | “There's a lot to be said for a drama-free signing day,” Penn State coach James Franklin noted on Wednesday within the first few seconds of his National Signing Day opening statement.
Franklin walked into the Beaver Stadium media room wearing a suit and a clean shave, a fair bit different from the 5 o’clock shadow and jumpsuit he had just a few days ago. On Dec. 15 for his Peach Bowl media day availability, Franklin was asked about his schedule the past few weeks amid two coordinator searches, putting the finishing touches on the 2024 recruiting class and navigating the transfer portal. He responded, “Are you asking that because I look like s—?”
Well, Franklin even received a compliment from reporters Wednesday about his appearance. Signing a 25-player 2024 class, which ranks 14th in the nation, with no day-of flips or decommitments and introducing his second high-profile coordinator hire of the offseason, Franklin was in a pretty good mood.
“That's what I probably have the most comfort in and why you said I look better," Franklin said. "Well, wonder why? Because I have got Coach [Andy Kotelnicki], and I have got Tom Allen, and everybody signed. No drama. So, I slept more than five hours last night, which was awesome.”
As Name, Image and Likeness seeps further into recruiting and the transfer portal continues to make college football a system Franklin called unsustainable, a “drama-free” Signing Day really is a big feat. Franklin’s main recruiting pitch while navigating the coaching searches was simple: You’re committing to me and Penn State, not coordinators or position coaches.
“I literally say to them, ‘Hey, are you going to be committed if, say, for example, [safeties coach] Anthony Poindexter has a chance to go to be the head coach at School X, Y or Z, are you going to stay committed to Penn State?’” Franklin said. “We kind of go through those things and I think that is helpful.”
Another factor, Franklin said, is seeking out low-maintenance players and coaches. He specifically gave low-maintenance praise to two top in-state recruits who signed Wednesday, and offensive lineman Cooper Cousins and running back Quinton Martin Jr. Cousins was a particularly unique player, as Franklin told the story of offering the 4-star prospect and receiving a commitment four minutes later.
“And that was the end of it. You know, a high-profile guy that knew this is where he wanted to be. The family was comfortable, and they never wavered. They never wavered,” Franklin said. “They were awesome the whole time. He became a leader within the class in helping us get other guys. He's coming in early. Is going to have a chance to compete. So I love him.”
Franklin’s mantra for the past few weeks has labeled Penn State as an “underpromise, overdeliver” program. He said they won’t promise a player a starting job, a certain jersey number or an NIL package. It’s part of why Franklin said Penn State is not a “big transfer portal team” two different times.
The Lions have brought in kicker Chase Meyer from Tulane but lost offensive lineman Alan Herron, a verbal commitment, on a flip to Maryland. They’re still in play elsewhere, especially with former Ohio State wide receiver and former No. 1 Pennsylvania prospect Julian Fleming, though Penn State has missed on a couple of other targets at its biggest position of need.
Wide receivers coach/offensive recruiting coordinator Marques Hagans, in his first full offseason at Penn State, might have put it best, as the recruiting process that takes 2-3 in high school is now fit into two weeks. “It’s such a crunch and a small period of time to try to navigate through so many talented players,” Hagans said. “And there's so many guys in the portal.”
“Now you gotta get to know him, you got to go see him, you gotta bring him out here,” he added. “And you gotta ask yourself, within that two weeks, have we established enough rapport with this young man? Do we have enough credibility? Do we have enough people we trust that know him, that not only is he going to help us win, but he's gonna be the right fit for our program?
“It's almost like, in essence, can you marry someone in two weeks?”
And remember, Penn State did such speed dating without an offensive or defensive coordinator for a good chunk of time. There was a brief “Oh, s—” moment for some of the staff, as director of player personnel Kenny Sanders said Wednesday, and they called each recruit before the changes were made public. With Kotelnicki and Allen both on staff, Penn State can get back to the work Franklin vaguely said it still has to get done with belief in the drama-free foundation it’s building.
“I think we do a really good job of not just selling the individual coach but the whole program. So, yes, we did lose both of our coordinators, but the foundation of this program and Coach Franklin is always gonna be here while we're here,” Sanders said. “And the thing about it is we have proven over time that once one coach goes down, we're gonna bring in someone that's also gonna be really good as well.“
"But when you build trust in the process, and you've proven over time that everything I'm telling you is what it is,” he continued, “I think there's a different level of confidence in what we're gonna be able to do going forward.”
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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.
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