Most programs across the CFB sphere are trying to microwave their way to success. If one thing doesn’t work out, it’s onto the next. This process can become a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. Before you realise it, you’ve actually been on a carousel, moving in circles but staying in one spot. James Franklin and Penn State are seemingly on the cusp of climbing onto this proverbial carousel. Within the midst of this epidemic in College Football, one Penn State fan/insider is asking his coach to embrace tradition.

Patience is truly a virtue in the modern iteration of this sport. Coaches are let go of quicker than ever. Penn State has historically shown a tendency to afford coaches more time than most programs. James Franklin himself is the 2nd longest-tenured HC in the Big 10. However, there’ve been echoes out of State College suggesting one member of Franklin’s staff may be shown the exit door soon. Most fans concur with the sentiment behind it, too. But Zach Seyko is swimming upstream on this one. He’s preaching continuity and for a multitude of reasons.

Host of the Locked on Nittany Lions podcast, Seyko confronted the idea that wide receivers coach Marques Hagans’ stay in Happy Valley may be cut short prematurely. He believes it’ll be the wrong move by James Franklin and the powers that be.“I know a good amount of people are going to disagree with me here,” he prefaced it. “[But] I don’t think Marques Hagans should be fired.” Seiko delved into his rationale for the same. His case was built on 3 primary pillars.

Pillar 1: Hagans “inherited a bad setup,” Seyko said. “I think all of the circumstances here are making this an uphill battle for Hagans.” He spoke about how coach Hagans took over from Taylor Stubblefield, who was “not doing well” , evidenced by his own firing by James Franklin. Importantly, the predecessor was not adapting to the changing times on the recruitment front and struggling with portal activity. Seyko emphasized how expecting Hagans to change the course of this issue within two years is unfair. He then brought forth Pillar 2: “positive developments.” Penn State isn’t a program renowned for its wide receivers like LSU or Ohio State. “Why would any wide receiver want to go to Penn State?” asked Seyko. He also mentioned a “negative stigma” which keeps talented receivers from coming to State College.

While the Nittany Lions have a storied lineage of other skill positions like running backs, this is a blindspot since before Hagans. Despite this, he’s facilitated the development of whatever he’s worked with i.e Harrison Wallace. Pillar 3 ties into 2 pretty well, but it presents a conundrum. While there’s a lot of evidence to back it up, their activity in the transfer portal undercuts it.

James Franklin and Marques Hagans’ off-season shortcomings don’t bode well for receiving corp.

Zach Seyko’s third reason for James Franklin to keep hold of Hagans was that “he’s recruiting well despite the circumstances.” In the class of ‘24, Hagans aided in the recruitment of 3-star Tyseer Denmark, among others. This time around, he did take it up a notch. PSU have recruited Jeff Exinor Jr., Matthew Outten, Lyrick Samuel and Koby Howard for 2025. All 4-star pass catchers have the potential to breach this grade. The case that Seyko presents is pretty watertight, but there’s a crack that’s becoming bigger with each passing day.

By this point, everyone knows how Penn State receivers accounted for a grand total of 0 catches in the Orange Bowl. Not necessarily due to this lack of production, but certainly paying heed to it, both WR1 Harrison Wallace and WR2 Omari Evans have left the program. Now, it’s great that Hagans and Franklin have combined to recruit well from high school. But the portal is eating into the progress. PSU has even missed out on 2026 WR target Wydeek Collier within a week of losing Wallace and Evans. These facets combine to form a part of the case against keeping Hagans around.

Despite losing the two receivers, James Franklin has still managed to bring most of the band back together. Offensively, Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, and Kaytron Allen are all returning. Penn State is indeed largely embracing tradition and its culture of building rather than buying. However, these values take a back seat when push comes to shove. It remains to be seen whether they’ll muster the self-restraint and keep hold of their WR coach or cut ties.