USC recruiting and everything else

[NDPhilly]

James Franklin at USC would sign top 5 classes every year. Would rather keep him away from there.

 

[GowerND11]

Why would Franklin got to USC? For all the talk about fit, he's a Penn State coach who grew up in Pennsylvania. It's hard for me to see what benefits he will get from leaving his current job.

Very valid point

 

[Dale]

Why would Franklin got to USC? For all the talk about fit, he's a Penn State coach who grew up in Pennsylvania. It's hard for me to see what benefits he will get from leaving his current job.

I think the Franklin and USC started just because his personality would seem to play and there has been murmurs it’s a job he’d very much covet. It’s just kind of built over time from there. Unless there’s a link I’m unaware of

 

[NDMIA]

James Franklin is not leaving Penn State. $5.5M salary plus tons of bonuses, retention payments, and perks. His contract is through the 2025 season. The 247 team talent shows USC at #10 and Penn State at #16. However, Penn State is significantly stronger along the LOS and he's got that program in the right shape. He also has Drew Allar coming through who I think will be an absolute stud in 2023 and 2024 along with the #1 recruiting class in the country as of now. I don't think he has a better situation at USC outside of maybe one thing which is more access to local talent. In terms of facilities, money, school, administration and support I think Penn State can match or exceed anything USC has to offer. He's also 3 hours from where he was born and raised and spoke about how Penn State was his dream job since he probably started his coaching career. Makes no sense for him to leave State College outside of $10M a year for 7 years like Jimbo and USC's not going to do that with their buyouts and financial issues.

 

[Irishnuke]

Brady Quinn tweeted that two names that are very interested in the job are Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, but neither have been mentioned (for obvious reasons).
Can't imagine USC would even consider a HC with no prior experience, so it makes sense neither has been mentioned. I also doubt USC would consider bringing back Reggie Bush in any coaching capacity, but I'm not surprised they're both interested.

I wonder if there will be a push for him to take the job.

 

[GowerND11]

I wonder if there will be a push for him to take the job.

Might get a company car too

 

[Irish#1]

James Franklin is not leaving Penn State. $5.5M salary plus tons of bonuses, retention payments, and perks. His contract is through the 2025 season. The 247 team talent shows USC at #10 and Penn State at #16. However, Penn State is significantly stronger along the LOS and he's got that program in the right shape. He also has Drew Allar coming through who I think will be an absolute stud in 2023 and 2024 along with the #1 recruiting class in the country as of now. I don't think he has a better situation at USC outside of maybe one thing which is more access to local talent. In terms of facilities, money, school, administration and support I think Penn State can match or exceed anything USC has to offer. He's also 3 hours from where he was born and raised and spoke about how Penn State was his dream job since he probably started his coaching career. Makes no sense for him to leave State College outside of $10M a year for 7 years like Jimbo and USC's not going to do that with their buyouts and financial issues.

The money and the talent has always been there. The question is where does the new president place the value of athletics? As mentioned before, she wants to clean up the image and not have USC be known only for its athletics, particularly FB.

 

[Rogue219]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/PennStateOnBTN/status/1437825019870994432[/TWEET]

I'm not clear as to what this means.

 

[Rogue219]

I think the Franklin and USC started just because his personality would seem to play and there has been murmurs it’s a job he’d very much covet. It’s just kind of built over time from there. Unless there’s a link I’m unaware of

You're right. Who knows how it got floated at first but it has stuck. I think he'd be a recruiting asset for them like he has been with PSU. I do think his personality is a fit for Hollywood too.

That being said, I know him as a PA guy and I have a hard time seeing him leave PSU for USC unless they drop a ton of money at him, which might be tough since Helton's buyout is $10M.

If Chris Peterson has immediately removed his name from consideration, this could be fun to watch.

 

[ab2cmiller]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/PennStateOnBTN/status/1437825019870994432[/TWEET]

I'm not clear as to what this means.

Evidently the leadership council is a group of 24 players. So Franklin's statement to the press was basically a bunch of empty words to get the press to back off.

 

[ACamp1900]

If he is the next SC coach I don’t think there’s another coach in the country I can’t stand more ( at least that’s realistic for that job),… so I guess that would fit

 

[Dale]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/pff_college/status/1437882322968272897?s=21[/TWEET]

 

[Irish#1]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/pff_college/status/1437882322968272897?s=21[/TWEET]

He was one of the candidates the LA Times mentioned.

 

[EvilleIrish]

Any chance BK is a candidate?

 

[Rogue219]

Evidently the leadership council is a group of 24 players. So Franklin's statement to the press was basically a bunch of empty words to get the press to back off.

That's kind of what I figured. It was nonsense.

I think Bienemy would do well at SC and probably wind up hiring a very good staff. I also think he should be an NFL HC and this would be a step back for him in a couple of respects.

There must be something here I'm missing because apart from a couple of minor incidents off the field 20 years ago, the guy seems like he's on the level. Has to be skeletons in the closet here. He should have been hired by now.

 

[tussin]

Any chance BK is a candidate?

BK is wayyyy closer to a NC at ND than taking on a rebuild effort and trying to do it at USC. I think BK is in legacy building mode at ND at this point.

 

[GATTACA!]

I get what you're saying, but I think you may underestimate the lure of it being USC. Regardless of the PAC12 contract, USC has the money to keep the coach happy and USC almost recruits itself.

The timing of this is curious to say the least, but something has to have been percolating for a while for this to happen this early in the season.

The new president has gone on record that she isn't going to tolerate any of the crap that has plagued their athletic department, so any possible candidates probably won't have any baggage or questionable actions in their past.

Oregon has Nike money. No one is outspending them if they're motivated.

 

[BobbyMac]

Been pushing this guy since 2015. Watch him go 10-2 + win the PAC and the Rose Bowl then get the gig.

Actually a good showing and being Eric Bieniemy's DC just to keep the roster in check makes sense.

 

[Irish#1]

Oregon has Nike money. No one is outspending them if they're motivated.

I agree. I was just saying USC has the money if they want to spend it. On Out-Kick this morning Lavar Arrington said the USC job is a better job than PSU's. Primarily due to the recruiting being easier. Hey kid, you want to go to LA with all of the hot chicks, warm weather and the beaches or in the middle of Pennsylvania where you can chase Amish girls?

 

[greyhammer90]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/PennStateOnBTN/status/1437825019870994432[/TWEET]

I'm not clear as to what this means.

It means "MONEY PWEASE!"

 

[Rogue219]

I agree. I was just saying USC has the money if they want to spend it. On Out-Kick this morning Lavar Arrington said the USC job is a better job than PSU's. Primarily due to the recruiting being easier. Hey kid, you want to go to LA with all of the hot chicks, warm weather and the beaches or in the middle of Pennsylvania where you can chase Amish girls?

He's probably right, but you can get warm weather and hot chicks in the SEC and at Clemson too. You'll also be in the time zone that is relevant in the eyes of a majority of college football pundits and fans. It boils down to "what have you done lately" for these kids. I don't know if it's really easier to recruit one place or the other anymore unless you're winning.

Spencer Rattler is from Arizona and he went to Oklahoma to play for Lincoln Riley. I doubt the fracking earthquakes and tornadoes were plus factors for him. There really hasn't been anything worthy of America's attention out there since Oregon 2014 with Mariotta. I think the recruiting shift as it relates to QB1 out west going east has rendered SC and the rest of that lot stale for a while. Ohio State's recent QB1 have been from Texas, Georgia and now California. SC would have to establish immediate credibility at the position in order to get back.

So even if Franklin were to leave PSU and go to SC, he'd have to develop a sales pitch against Alabama and Clemson as opposed to Penn State. As it pertains to football rather than perks, it would have to start with blind faith from a five star QB1 to stay out there and get things moving again.

It's actually the pitch that whoever gets the job is going to have to make. This thing used to be good once and in order for it to be good again we need players.

 

[Irish#1]

He's probably right, but you can get warm weather and hot chicks in the SEC and at Clemson too. You'll also be in the time zone that is relevant in the eyes of a majority of college football pundits and fans. It boils down to "what have you done lately" for these kids. I don't know if it's really easier to recruit one place or the other anymore unless you're winning.

Spencer Rattler is from Arizona and he went to Oklahoma to play for Lincoln Riley. I doubt the fracking earthquakes and tornadoes were plus factors for him. There really hasn't been anything worthy of America's attention out there since Oregon 2014 with Mariotta. I think the recruiting shift as it relates to QB1 out west going east has rendered SC and the rest of that lot stale for a while. Ohio State's recent QB1 have been from Texas, Georgia and now California. SC would have to establish immediate credibility at the position in order to get back.

So even if Franklin were to leave PSU and go to SC, he'd have to develop a sales pitch against Alabama and Clemson as opposed to Penn State. As it pertains to football rather than perks, it would have to start with blind faith from a five star QB1 to stay out there and get things moving again.

It's actually the pitch that whoever gets the job is going to have to make. This thing used to be good once and in order for it to be good again we need players.

Many people said ND wasn't a marquee program for a long time. I had always believed it was due to a series of bad coaching hires since Lou.

Talk about timing. Read an article on The Athletic. They had coaches, AD's, etc. rate the 10 best CFB coaching jobs.

“We polled more than 100 people working in college football — athletic directors, head coaches, assistant coaches, recruiting coordinators, analysts and staffers — to get their take on this question.

It’s a loaded question, and these voters all had to weigh a wide variety of factors and personal preferences in coming up with their lists. “Guess it depends on what ‘best job’ means,” one Big Ten staffer pointed out. “Ability to win a national championship? Pay? Job security? Lifestyle?” But the list of considerations doesn’t stop there: recruiting region and history, administrative buy-in and alignment, fan support, academics, facilities, budgets, conference affiliation, past glory, present-day dominance … you can go in all sorts of directions with this one. And our voters did.”

Top 10
Alabama
OSU
Georgia
Texas
LSU
USC
Clemson
Oklahoma
Notre Dame
Florida

Then
Michigan
A&M
Oregon
Florida St
Penn St

 

[Dale]

Read an article on The Athletic. They had coaches rate the 10 best CFB coaching jobs. Interesting that PSU wasn’t in the top 10.

Penn St’s location, and how that can impact a variety of things would be why

 

[ulukinatme]

I wonder if there will be a push for him to take the job.

 

[GATTACA!]

I agree. I was just saying USC has the money if they want to spend it. On Out-Kick this morning Lavar Arrington said the USC job is a better job than PSU's. Primarily due to the recruiting being easier. Hey kid, you want to go to LA with all of the hot chicks, warm weather and the beaches or in the middle of Pennsylvania where you can chase Amish girls?

Yeah USC > PSU

Amongst the other things the conference plays a factor too. The Pac12 is soft as butter. In general OSU is tougher than Oregon and then the Big10s second tier is heads and shoulders above the Pac12s. Wisconsin, Iowa, PSU, and Michigan all finish third through sixth if you combine the two conferences.

 

[Irish#1]

Dan Patrick reported that Franklin has mutual interest.

 

[Rogue219]

Many people said ND wasn't a marquee program for a long time. I had always believed it was due to a series of bad coaching hires since Lou.

Talk about timing. Read an article on The Athletic. They had coaches, AD's, etc. rate the 10 best CFB coaching jobs.



Top 10
Alabama
OSU
Georgia
Texas
LSU
USC
Clemson
Oklahoma
Notre Dame
Florida

Then
Michigan
A&M
Oregon
Florida St
Penn St

I read the artcile. I also read the Andy Staples mailbag where he says that Poodle Carroll was able to make SC "cool" and that Franklin has the type of used car sales pitch that can do that again for them. It's the second largest market in America and they have multiple pro teams to compete with plus UCLA and all the other extra cirricular activities going on. NYC and Chicago really are not college sports towns. LA is more than those, but it really isn't.

College Football is cyclical. What goes up must come down and eventually it goes back up again. Once you lose your guy (Lou), you have to find the next guy. Miami, USC, Florida, Florida State, Texas, Nebraska, etc. haven't been able to do it. You have some schools that are still waiting on a National Championship drought to end, and many of them are on the list above. I think about the Tressel Ohio State team or Vince Young Texas team...how long it had been since those programs had won it all. Timing, luck and where you fall on the cyclical portion of the wheel plays such a huge role in this. Alabama went a pretty long time twiddling their thumbs between the George Teague Sugar Bowl and Saban.

Perception is typically reality, but I wonder how many of these coaches and ADs thought UGA was a "marquee program" under Mark Richt compared to now that it's being run by a former Saban lieutenant? I've seen Florida offenses since Meyer left that should've been in black and white television. Clemson was an afterthought before Dabo got there. What happens if he ever leaves?

NIL and expanded playoffs are going to have a major impact on the sport. I think a lot of these guys know it and maybe some of them will decide that college isn't for them, or they'll go for the path of least resistance. Maybe for Franklin that means going to SC.

 

[Irish#1]

I read the artcile. I also read the Andy Staples mailbag where he says that Poodle Carroll was able to make SC "cool" and that Franklin has the type of used car sales pitch that can do that again for them. It's the second largest market in America and they have multiple pro teams to compete with plus UCLA and all the other extra cirricular activities going on. NYC and Chicago really are not college sports towns. LA is more than those, but it really isn't.

College Football is cyclical. What goes up must come down and eventually it goes back up again. Once you lose your guy (Lou), you have to find the next guy. Miami, USC, Florida, Florida State, Texas, Nebraska, etc. haven't been able to do it. You have some schools that are still waiting on a National Championship drought to end, and many of them are on the list above. I think about the Tressel Ohio State team or Vince Young Texas team...how long it had been since those programs had won it all. Timing, luck and where you fall on the cyclical portion of the wheel plays such a huge role in this. Alabama went a pretty long time twiddling their thumbs between the George Teague Sugar Bowl and Saban.

Perception is typically reality, but I wonder how many of these coaches and ADs thought UGA was a "marquee program" under Mark Richt compared to now that it's being run by a former Saban lieutenant? I've seen Florida offenses since Meyer left that should've been in black and white television. Clemson was an afterthought before Dabo got there. What happens if he ever leaves?

NIL and expanded playoffs are going to have a major impact on the sport. I think a lot of these guys know it and maybe some of them will decide that college isn't for them, or they'll go for the path of least resistance. Maybe for Franklin that means going to SC.

Carroll did it by giving the NCAA rule book the middle finger.

I agree, it's always been cyclical. I can remember when I was a kid and checking the scores Sunday morning to see how the Irish did against Miami. Miami wasn't much and never did elevate itself until Schnellenberger took over, then Johnson had them rolling and you know the rest of the story. You look at that list and with the exception of Clemson, A&M, FSU and Oregon, it's pretty much what everyone considers the blueblood programs. IMO if you're a blueblood, resurrecting the program is much easier than at the other schools. You're right about the NIL. Those that adapt will have an edge.

I also found it interesting that the UGA boosters finally put their foot down and demanded money be spent to upgrade after Richt was canned. I suspect he would still be there if they had spent the money while he was there.

 

[ACamp1900]

Carroll did it by giving the NCAA rule book the middle finger.

^^^

 

[Rogue219]

Carroll did it by giving the NCAA rule book the middle finger.

I agree, it's always been cyclical. I can remember when I was a kid and checking the scores Sunday morning to see how the Irish did against Miami. Miami wasn't much and never did elevate itself until Schnellenberger took over, then Johnson had them rolling and you know the rest of the story. You look at that list and with the exception of Clemson, A&M, FSU and Oregon, it's pretty much what everyone considers the blueblood programs. IMO if you're a blueblood, resurrecting the program is much easier than at the other schools. You're right about the NIL. Those that adapt will have an edge.

I also found it interesting that the UGA boosters finally put their foot down and demanded money be spent to upgrade after Richt was canned. I suspect he would still be there if they had spent the money while he was there.

This is how the majority of programs have enjoyed success, though. Despite what they were doing, they were still getting recruits to come there away from other programs who were doing it too. Hell, Holtz and Vinny Cerrato were doing things that the NCAA wasn't even sure about so they had to CREATE rules. Cerrato was calling dudes from the field on his big Gordon Gekko 1980s cell phone after winning bowl games.

All of the conference realignment that goes even further back to the 1990s, the internet, the rise of recruiting information and news for consumption, the spread offense, schools spending millions on facility upgrades, etc. It is why so many programs fell off the map. They couldn't keep up. Look no further than Nebraska. They were successful as a member of the Big 8 that ran the option. They haven't had a bite of the apple since. Some bad hires after one bad fire (In my opinion anyway).

Texas A&M is trying to break through. I don't think they're a blue blood program. They claim three National Titles and the last one was during FDR's second term. Some cool traditions, solid football reptuation, but they're not upper tier. They're trying but I don't think they've ever been at the summit to fall off of. Not in my lifetime anyway.

Most of these administrations and their respective fanbases just aren't living in reality. That's coming from an ND fan, of course, and I know that we're right in there with everyone else when it comes to that.