Penn State Football: James Franklin’s Roster Conundrum

Penn State Football is rounding out its roster for the 2022 season. James Franklin may be limited on how he fills current needs.  

Roster construction in college football has always relied on recruiting year after year, and in Happy Valley, that’s no different for Penn State Football.

That was until the transfer portal changed college football. This sudden and dramatic change in strategy will benefit the coaches that can blend recruiting and the transfer portal the best. James Franklin and Penn State Football have adjusted but have run into a conundrum with this current roster.

In the age of the transfer portal, college rosters have become more fluid than ever.

The ability to completely revamp your roster through the transfer portal can lead to a quick rebuild and success(2021 Michigan State). If your team is not rebuilding, you can use the transfer portal to fill gaps in the roster like Penn State Football did in 2021. Here is where Penn State runs into issues.

The problem is that Penn State Football only has one scholarship available, assuming JUCO Safety Tyrece Mills signs in this cycle. The roster is very young. Penn State brought in one of the largest recruiting classes in the 2022 cycle. 40% of the current roster has freshman eligibility. There are currently more players with freshman eligibility(34) than seniors(15) and juniors(16) combined. While other teams have similar numbers, the top-tier teams don’t have as many glaring needs as the Nittany Lions.

The Nittany Lions have multiple holes to fill due to graduation, early opt-outs for the NFL, and their own transfers. They need help on the offensive line, defensive line, and linebacker. James Franklin has to be extremely picky when bringing in a transfer. The staff will have to decide which roster holes they can plug with a transfer and which will be backfilled by the development of current players.

We usually see another transition in the roster after spring practices conclude and players decide Penn State isn’t the place for them. The same decisions will happen at every program in college football. Franklin will have to be aggressive in the spring to round this roster into a Big Ten contender.