James Franklin is wary. Not for the upcoming playoff semifinals against Notre Dame. But it’s more of a long-term future concern and it’s regarding the new players. For the first time in their history, Penn State is giving their recruits a virtual walkthrough of what to expect. 14 of their recruits came to campus early, “not really contributing a whole lot but just sitting in meetings, watching practice” to get a feel of the environment. Not a bad initiative. So what’s the issue?

James Franklin has been quite positive about the outcome of bringing the recruits early. He mentioned that “those guys have done a really good job being respectful of the veterans in the program and not creating a distraction.” But think about this. What happens when a Sunshine State product comes to snowy Penn State University Park? The Nittany Lions HC shared his player situation in his Orange Bowl’s presser posted by Penn State on PennLive on YouTube on January 4. He said, “The only negative is, and the reason I bring it up is we’ve got a couple guys from Florida who have never seen snow before, ever, in their life.”

It’s not an easy task to adapt to a minus-degree temperature after living your life out in a hot and sunny city. Penn State University Park experiences snowfall from November to early April with at least 1.0 inches of snow. James Franklin also added how he struggled to get to work when he never had trouble driving in the snow before. This only means that Pennsylvania is experiencing heavier snowfall this winter. And it’s not even the worst yet. 

The heaviest month is February when they get an average of 7.2 inches of snow. Even College Town residents are finding it difficult, so we can only imagine how his Sunshine State players would fare in the harsh and cold weather. Despite their commitment, this could lead to second thoughts, which could cost Franklin and Penn State great potential. But the cold isn’t an excuse to be less productive, as the Nittany Lions proved by earning a spot in the Orange Bowl.

Orange Bowl – Survival of the fittest

Both James Franklin and Marcus Freeman have a chance to go down in history with a win. Whoever wins this semifinal college football playoff will get a shot at becoming the first Black coach to win a major CFB championship. And the favor right now is on Notre Dame as they enter as a close 1.5-point favorite over Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. But Penn State is prepared for the big clash at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium after they outgained Boise State 216 to 108 in the 31-14 victory at the Fiesta Bowl. 

As Franklin said, “Running game and defense travels; that’s going to show up throughout the season. That’s going to show up in bad weather. That’s going to show up when you’re trying to (run out the clock) at the end of the game.” But their Orange Bowl opponent is also a formidable rushing team who also rushed for over 200 yards per game like Penn State in 2024. Both also allowed fewer than 16 points per game. So this is going to be a game between two teams with similar strength. That kind of game always brings the best vibes. 

Instead of worrying for the recruits’ future in Penn State, the best thing is to focus on the present. After all, the outcome of what’s happening now could become a huge determining factor in their decisions to leave or stay.