(11-21-2020 11:54 PM)wetsu Wrote: I'll cop to being a little over the top but Franklin himself has stated that they are not an elite program yet.
That Franklin speech of taking the program to the elite level to where Ohio State is the exact thing you want to hear as a player/recruit/fan/supporter. But when you write a check like that, you better back it up and I think that's been a giant weight around his neck that makes every loss turn that statement into a bigger and bigger joke. They went out the following week and lost Michigan State after that speech. They followed that season up with a 9-4 season after 11-3 (Big Ten champs) in 2016 and 11-2 in 2017.
Almost every offseason, Franklin (and/or his agent) goes around looking to get him a raise. I think the fan base is getting tired of the big talk and with no backing it up and constant raises. He hasn't had the same success without Joe Moorhead calling the offense. Franklin is labeled as not an "X's and O's" kind of coach so having coordinators who are less than great really limits the ceiling of the team since Franklin won't make up the slack.
Even Franklin's specialty is his recruiting but that has cratered for 2020 and 2021, though 2022 looks amazing so far but there is plenty of time for that to change (either good or bad). Franklin has missed out on so many top targets the last couple of years. And while you can't get them all, elite programs get a few, especially in-state recruits and legacy recruits. There just is no excuse for missing so many, even if each individually had a good reason not choose PSU.
I guess if I can sum it all up in a TL;DR, I would say Penn State has a B+ coach. If we throw out 2020 due to COVID-19 and breaking in so many new coaches with our best player opting out (among other injuries and conditions), PSU has reached a ceiling with Franklin. He has certainly modernized the program with Bill O'Brien's help after Joe Pa left, but coaching has been a major factor in our losses over the last several years. The recent hazing story that resurfaced this week may be someone's way to encourage him to look elsewhere. He may be exhausted with the high expectations at Happy Valley and may want to go somewhere else where he's more appreciated. I don't know who is going to pay his buyout though. Southern Cal is a popular theory but I doubt their ability to raise enough money for the buyout and a new contract for him. The west coast just doesn't care about football (or even sports) like they did even 10 years ago.
