James Franklin being undone at Penn State Football by his own doing

If Franklin leaves, the first and last concern should be Drew Allar

With five games remaining this season, and three of those against top-ten opponents, there remains a real chance this season can spiral out of control for Penn State Football.

However, the glimmer of hope for this fan base rests within the 2022 recruiting class, which has now fallen to third in the nation behind only Alabama and Georgia.

This recruiting class is anchored by now five-star and top overall ranked quarterback commit Drew Allar out of Ohio.

Penn State Football was the first power five school to offer Allar this winter, when offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich saw his tape and extended a scholarship, starting a flurry of offers to the Medina High quarterback.

Allar committed to Franklin and the Nittany Lions, but has gone out of his way to reference his relationship and excitement to work with Yurcich.

Whether Franklin is the coach in 2022, even more importantly Penn State needs to make sure Allar is on this roster. As it may very well be likely he can be a day one starter for Penn State Football with his upside, and the lack of depth in the quarterback room currently in Happy Valley.

The coach that keeps Allar committed and this class together as best as possible is right under the nose, it is Mike Yurcich.

Yurcich’s game plan Saturday was far from perfect, and he deserves his fair share of the blame for the pitiful performance by the offense against Illinois, but to this point in the season, he has clearly done wonders for the development of Sean Clifford as a quarterback and brought more explosiveness to the offense.

Yurcich has been a journeyman coach of sorts, with his third school in as many years after quick stints with Texas and Ohio State after a number of years with Oklahoma State. He has never been a head coach, but it is fair to assume that if Franklin does leave for LSU or USC, he is going to want to take Yurcich with him.

Franklin admitted this offseason Yurcich has long been the apple of his eye and he has kept tabs on him and was finally able to get him to State College this offseason. A school like LSU will have no problems making him the highest paid coordinator in the country if that is what Franklin desires, and Penn State Football cannot compound a mistake of letting Franklin walk, by letting him take Yurcich with him.