Here’s how James Franklin gets Penn State Football back into CFP Conversation
By Andrew Adair
As we get ready to watch the College Football Playoff Semifinals, James Franklin and Penn State Football are looking to get back in the conversation.
Penn State football has yet to appear in the College Football Playoff.
Unlike most teams, Penn State Football has ranked in the top five at some point in four of the last six seasons. If you exclude Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State fans, most fans would be ecstatic with those opportunities.
In reality, only one of those seasons (2016) could you make an argument for Penn State FOotball being a top-four team. While Penn State Football a consistently good program, it’s time to get on that elite level.
The programs that consistently appear in the College Football Playoff share many of the same ideals. Recruiting, development, culture, and in-game coaching all need to be at an elite level.
James Franklin knows what has to happen to get the Nittany Lions from a great football team to an elite football team.
Yes, I am channeling James Franklins’ epic postgame press conference from 2018.
Here’s what James Franklin must to do to get Penn State FOotball back into the College Football Playoff conversation
Recruiting
From 2018-2021 Penn State Football has had recruiting classes rank 6th, 12th, 15th, and 21st nationally. That works out to an average recruiting class rank of 13th.
Franklin is a relentless recruiter and consistently signs top talent.
The 2021 recruiting class that ranked 21st is an anomaly. The pandemic changed a lot of things, including the recruiting process.
Penn State Football sells stadium atmosphere more than any other program. Without fans and on-campus visits, Penn State missed out on a ton of talent. Every school faced the same challenges with recruiting last year and, Penn State struggled to overcome those challenges.
Now that we have returned to some normalcy, James Franklin has signed one of his most talented recruiting classes. Currently, Penn State Football has the 6th best-recruiting class in 2022, according to 247 Sports.
The Lions’ 2022 class includes the No. 1 ranked Quarterback in Drew Allar and Running Back in Nicholas Singleton.
Penn State Football will bring sixteen recruits with a four-star or better ranking to Happy Valley next year. The 2023 class is also off to a fast start and sitting at #4 in the rankings.
If there is one thing that James Franklin excels at, it is recruiting and getting the buy-in from the players.
Without the challenges of 2020 hanging around, there is no reason not to expect top ten recruiting classes. The introduction to NIL rules does change the game, and Penn State Football will need a way to keep up with the top programs in this area.
Franklin has addressed NIL a few times this season and seems to have a plan to keep Penn State Football an attractive destination.
Recruiting is the one aspect that Penn State Football is the closest to being on an elite level.
The 2022 class needs to be the standard for recruiting at Penn State. Momentum on the recruiting trail is everything. The classes have to build on each other and consistently be in the top ten. One recruiting class below expectations can set the program back another couple of years. You can’t make the College Football Playoffs without elite talent coming into the program every year.