Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State Football: Grading James Franklin’s offseason

By Alec Whitaker

Sep 25, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field during a warm up prior to the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field during a warm up prior to the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
MADISON, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 04: PJ Mustipher #97 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a defensive stop during a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 04, 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 04: PJ Mustipher #97 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a defensive stop during a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 04, 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

1. Returning Players

Last year, Franklin was able to get Jahan Doston, Rasheed Walker, Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields to return for another season. This was impressive considering all four could have easily gone pro and all would have likely been drafted.

This year, it was a bit of a different situation.

There was really only one player who could have returned or could have gone pro, and that was linebacker Brandon Smith. PJ Mustipher could also be in this category, but most assumed he would be back after his season-ending injury in the Iowa game.

Smith ended up being drafted in the fourth round, so it worked out for him. Another season in college may have helped Smith, but he definitely would’ve helped Penn State by returning.

Linebacker depth is thin this year, to the point where safety Jonathan Sutherland had to move down to the SAM linebacker spot.

Regardless of what you may think about Smith living up to his 5-star recruit status, everyone on the staff would’ve loved to have him for another season.

In terms of guys transferring out, Noah Cain was the only notable loss. His loss also doesn’t hurt that much with the addition of two very talented freshmen running backs in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

In all, most the guys who could’ve came back to Penn State in 2022 did come back, most notably a team captain in Mustipher.

Grade: A

Home/Penn State Football