The advent of the transfer portal has brought about a seismic shift in College Football. Dynamics around recruitment have changed forever. Even the likes of Dabo Swinney, who was averse to the portal for years, have seemingly caved in. Within the midst of this modernization of the sport, one program is embracing tradition. Penn State and James Franklin aren’t seeking to procure talent. They’re seeking to develop it.

Most programs across the CFB sphere are microwaving their way to success. The portal helps facilitate instantaneous success. Coach Prime in Colorado is the epitome of this. However, a concoction of players that learned the ropes in different systems, under different coaches is not a recipe for sustained results. James Franklin is, therefore, very conspicuously building his core roster through high school recruitment. What’s even more admirable is that he’s managing to retain this core, too, despite external temptations.

It’s been confirmed that the proverbial 3-headed snake in the backfield is returning to State College. The trifecta of star tailbacks Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, along with QB1 Drew Allar, all forgoed the possibility of entering the NFL Draft for another year in Happy Valley. This is a testament to Coach Franklin and his personnel management.

All 3 of them, inarguably the Nittany Lions’ most important offensive players now that Tyler Warren is gone, were recruited from high school. No shortcuts, no immorality. Just an old-fashioned clinic in College Football coaching. His acumen on the sidelines is often contentious, but this side of James Franklin cannot be undermined. PSU alumni and football analyst Adam Breneman echoed this sentiment.

Breneman took to IG to speak about how teams at contender and contender-adjacent status lean heavily on the transfer portal now. Trying to acquire the best players in the short term. This inadvertently becomes a cyclic process as those brought in usually have diminished eligibility remaining. Breneman said, “These [Penn State] players weren’t brought in to fill gaps. They weren’t transferred for one or two years. They were recruited, coached and developed into superstars in Happy Valley, by the coaches and the strength program in State College.”

Apart from the aforementioned offensive stars, players such as Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton are also examples of recruiting out of college and in-house development. Adam Breneman proceeded to give the program and James Franklin more plaudits. “This is a testament to Penn State’s culture, its coaching and their ability to trust the process and how they get their players to trust that process,” he remarked. “This season is proof that Penn State’s more than just a program. It is a blueprint, it is a culture. James Franklin is building [them] the right way.” Moreover, for Franklin, the recruitment process is not mechanical, rather, it comes with a personal touch.

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11 years a head coach with the proven inability to win a big game. Such a level of underperformance would...more

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In his 11th season as Penn State’s head coach, Franklin continues to recruit through his relationship-based model even in what he calls a “transactional” time for college football. Franklin accepts the NIL era of recruiting, but still wants to recruit primarily through relationships. Proof?

When James recruited offensive lineman Michal Menet nearly a decade ago, he made a point to engage with his little brother. Joey Schlaffer was about 8 years old when Franklin offered him a scholarship. Now, Schlaffer is a redshirt freshman with the Nittany Lions. “I was a little starstruck them,” Schlaffer, a Penn State tight end, said, “but I always had kind of a soft spot from that point for Penn State.”

“I’m still a big believer in transformational relationships, and college football being transformational. I’m worried that college football is becoming more and more transactional,” Franklin had said last year. So he has stuck to his strategy of striking a chord with the recruits. The experiences of the players are different, but the cornerstone is the same. Take defensive end Jameial Lyons for instance.

“It’s actually fun,” Lyons said. “Penn State made me commit not just because they wanted me as a football player, but they made me feel loved as a person. I feel like if you want to play college football, at the end of the day that’s important. Not just the football part but, do you feel loved? It’s a humbling experience.”

On the other hand, linebacker Kaveion Keys says, “He’s going to recruit you different. He’s going to send you posts, quotes every day. He’s not going to stop calling, texting you, just seeing how you’re doing and just checking in on you. And that’s all that matters. Because when you’ve got a coach like that, that cares about you not just on the field but off the field, it speaks volumes about him.” The approach has clearly served Franklin well.

You’d imagine The CFP semifinal appearance wasn’t a flash in the pan. There is more to come. However, it’s not necessarily going to be a linear journey going forward.

James Franklin and this recruitment philosophy put to the test by the departure of key pieces

There was one rather apparent issue simmering in the Penn State team this season. Unfortunately for them, it glaringly took center stage in their biggest game. The wide receiving corps for the Nittany Lions was fractured. The now-infamous stat about their receivers having a grand total of 0 receptions in the Orange Bowl was resounding. Tight end Tyler Warren papered over a lot of cracks in the pass-catching department. Now, this fractured corp. has absolutely broken clean.

James Franklin is losing both his WR1 and WR2. Harrison Wallace and Omari Evans have opted to hit the portal. The culture and trust Adam Breneman spoke about perhaps didn’t translate to all corners after all. The two players depart with about 70% of the total yardage PSU receivers had between them. The ones still remaining in Happy Valley only accounted for the remaining 30%. While these two departures could’ve transpired into a mass exodus at certain programs, coach Franklin has shown his retention prowess.

The continuity of personnel and having 2 excellent running backs is great. However, coach Franklin will need to address this void in the pass-catching department. He’ll have to lean on the portal for that. When push comes to shove, culture has to take a rear seat.  An inability to mesh some portal signees with the current crop shall make all this hard work futile. It remains to be seen if James Franklin can repeat his success from 2024, but the familiarity and experience they’ve collectively garnered will help.