Dear James,
First, belated congratulations on a heckuva season, one of the best in Penn State football history — and it’s to your credit for that.
Honestly, you rarely get the credit you deserve. Most of the numbers make your success clear. There were 13 victories this season and 34 in the past three seasons, both school records.
During your 11 seasons here at Penn State you’ve won 101 games, and this season your team reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
That’s impressive stuff. All of it.
Few coaches could do the same at this place. You’re the right man at the right time — a solid head of the program at a time when a CEO coach has more value now than ever before. As college football becomes an even bigger business with annual roster management and the pay-for-play model reshaping the sport, a leader with your organizational mindset and process-driven skillset is important.
When Bill Belichick got the job at UNC a few weeks ago, many people lauded his arrival and praised the fact that he’d bring a professional model to college football. It was a forward-thinking, necessary and strategic hire, they said.
But that’s old news in Happy Valley. That’s generally what’s been happening at Penn State since your arrival. Again, that’s to your credit.
Still, some troubling facts remain. OK, it’s one fact, and one statistic — that pesky 1-15 record against Top 5 opponents. That allows critics to mock you as Big Game James.
Again, the numbers are the numbers, and you have to own them. That’s not a bad thing. There’s certainly room for improvement, right? Keep in mind, Joe Paterno was 3-12 in such games during his first decade on the job. Things turned out well for him, though, so there’s certainly room for optimism on top of your existing success.
Your tenure has mirrored Paterno’s in many ways, even separated by all these years. Your Penn State teams, with strong defenses, a run-first offensive approach and often underwhelming quarterback and receiver play look strikingly similar to Paterno’s best teams.
Plus, where JoePa did it with an unrivaled level of consistency (an unchanging coaching staff and a same-old, same-old feel every year), you’ve accomplished your success while dealing with annual changes on the coaching staff and, these days, on the roster as well. That’s not easy and has to take a little focus away from the football side of things — no matter how well you’re prepared and how much you sweat the details.
Honestly, your real challenge seems to be self-imposed, and it’s a communications-related issue. It’s just not clear that you’re comfortable being yourself, whoever that is, or that you’re consistent and not overthinking it all.
With all the things to address, all the details to manage, determining how forthcoming to be in public and with the media — and how much of yourself to share — must be a challenge. Threading the needle with that approach and then finding a voice and being consistent with it can be difficult.
We know to expect one media-related kerfuffle from you every season, and a few bigger moments stand out.
There was the whole blowing up balloons and going to birthday parties message during your introductory news conference more than a decade ago (a little tone deaf about the power of Penn State), the “elite” comment after that Ohio State loss (honest, revealing, true and lingering) and even whatever the Marcus Freeman stuff was before the Orange Bowl (not sure it was clear that everyone heard what Freeman said he did, but still).
You’re to the point now where you really need not worry about what anyone says, thinks or writes. Plus, you’re “bigger” than anyone else, so there’s never any need to respond or punch down.
You consistently claim you know all that’s out there about your program, but you have enough to worry about. Just let that stuff go.
My last open letter to a prominent member of the football program was penned 35 years ago. It encouraged a starting quarterback to transfer. In some ways it was an idea ahead of its time (and there was some blowback from his girlfriend).
No such recommendation this time. There’s no reason for you to move. But a slight change in your communications approach might help.
It’s always more about what happens on the field than off, but messaging matters. You could probably earn a little goodwill and help yourself by not hearing some things and communicating others a little differently.
Honestly, a big game win will come. My best guess is it could be as soon as Sept. 27, 2025, when Oregon visits Beaver Stadium.
When it does, there’ll be a brief bit of relief — and then people will move the expectation goalposts again and look forward to the next big game. That’s the deal. That’s what fans do.
What you can do is just be you. Authentically. Consistently. And above the fray a bit.
Thanks for your time,
Steve
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