James Franklin’s extension great news for Penn State Football recruiting

James Franklin and Penn State Football reaffirmed their commitment to one another, agreeing to terms on a massive extension that will keep Franklin in Happy Valley for another decade

Penn State Football head coach James Franklin’s monster 10-year extension was officially announced on Tuesday afternoon, putting to bed the speculation that he was on the move this offseason.

Franklin’s long-term commitment to the program is good news for the Nittany Lions on the recruiting front.

Penn State Football currently has the No. 5 recruiting class in the 2022 cycle, and any concern about that class falling apart should now be quelled.

Highly coveted commits like quarterback Drew Allar, running back Nick Singleton and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton can now sign their letter of intent on Dec. 15 with the peace of mind that Franklin will be there for the duration of their careers in Happy Valley.

Considering how important this recruiting class is to the future of Penn State, especially Allar, this extension is a big deal.

Not only is this news significant to the current recruiting class, but to the ones that will follow as well. Franklin is also working on a strong class in 2023. Headlined by 4-star offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier, Penn State’s 2023 class currently ranks fourth nationally. Franklin has never had back-to-back top 10 recruiting classes, he has the opportunity to accomplish that with these two classes.

Recruiting should become even easier than it already has been for Franklin now.

With a massive extension in hand, Franklin’s pitch to recruits comes off as more sincere, with them knowing he’s committed to the program, and wants to build something special at Penn State. Trust and buy-in are two critical elements of recruiting, and if Franklin didn’t have those two things from recruits before, he does now.

It’s not easy to walk into a recruit’s living room, or jump on a zoom call with them, and tell them that you want them to come play for you at Penn State while rumors about you taking the job at LSU, USC, or anywhere else swirl. That is a burden Franklin won’t have to face again, for the foreseeable future.

With a great 2022 class already in hand and an abundance of talent in the region in 2023 and 2024, this was the ideal time for this type of extension, from a recruiting standpoint.