Donovan Smith: Penn State Football’s 2011 ‘forced a lot of adult decisions’
By Evan Smith
Former Nittany Lion Donovan Smith’s recruitment to Penn State Football was one of the more unique in recent college football history, as three different coaching staffs needed to convince him that Happy Valley was the place for him.
During an appearance on FanSided’s The Matt Lombardo Show podcast, Smith spoke at length about his time at Penn State.
Fresh off his new contact (2 year, $31.8 million) and a Super Bowl ring, Smith opened up about being recruited initially by Joe Paterno, then re-recruited by Bill O’Brien and then again finally by current coach James Franklin:
“They were different. JoePa had his way,” Smith said. “Bill O’Brein had his way, and James Franklin had his way. The recruiting process, I feel like was different for me, because I went through it with JoePa and his staff.
“It was fun. Penn Stat’s old school tradition was how it went. It was great four years there at Penn State, a great University, and they have some great product coming out of there. Shout out to them, We Are.”
PENN STATE!
We love you, Donovan Smith.
It’s interesting how he brought up the strong traditions and “old school” nature of the Paterno recruitng process. But, Smith went further into those dark times after Paterno’s firing and the dubious attempt by former Illinois Head Coach Tim Beckman to pry away Penn State Football players in the aftermath of sanctions being handed down against the program, opening up transfers to play immediately.
“That’s a whole story,” Smith said. “It boiled down to a lot. It forced a lot of guys to really grow up. We had a lot of adult decisions to make at a young age, because it determined our future. A lot of guys sat down, thought about, and figured it out.
“I had my group of guys, and we sat down and said ‘okay, we’re going to stay and get through this.’ It definitely built some character and stuff into some people going through that.”
Huge credit for not “taking the bait” and trashing Beckman like he probably wanted to.
We all know what the former Illini coach did was at best annoying, and at worst inappropriate, but Smith is a pro’s pro. It’s clear, however, he and his friends haven’t forgotten that experience.
Finally, he was asked about why James Franklin has had so much success, Smith couldn’t help but beam over what the program has become under his former head coach.
“You have a great school, with great recruiting, you’re going to get great players,” Smith said. “The atmosphere is great there. A lot of credit to the staff and everyone there. It feels good to have the program back up top in the ranks each year.”