Making Sure The Window Stays Open Becomes Franklin’s New Task

Window’s open. Don’t let it close. 

You’ll find that I’m more of an optimist when it comes to Penn State football. For as negative as I’ve been about Penn State men’s basketball (until recently), I’ve been the opposite about Penn State football. 

So when I say the “window’s open; don’t let it close,” you’ll need to understand that’s negative for me. 

Do I think Penn State finally has what it needs for a College Football Playoff berth and possibly a national title? Yes. 

Do I think it could all slip away if it’s not taken advantage of? Absolutely. 

Penn State football’s national title window is finally open with what James Franklin has assembled in Happy Valley. Now, it’s up to him to make sure the gust of air starting to blow through that window in 2022 continues in 2023. 

Consider that most picked Penn State to finish around the 8-win mark last year. It finished with 10 regular season wins and one Rose Bowl victory over Pac-12 champion Utah. But for a brief moment in between that 8-win prediction and Sean Clifford walking off into the rainy Pasadena night with a rose clenched between his teeth, the fan base was unhappy to say the least. A vocal few wanted the 6th year quarterback’s head in exchange for a freshman promising prospect.

Yet Franklin stuck to his guns, trusted what he had and spun an Ohio State loss into his third New Year’s Six bowl title at Penn State. 

And it didn’t just lead to a signature win over an AP Top 10 team but it also led to keeping Olu Fashanu, maybe Franklin’s best offensive lineman ever, on the roster for one more year. The coach worked with offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, who finally showed he was worth the money in 2022, to ink two key wide receivers from the transfer portal, Dante Cephas from Kent State and Malik McClain from Florida State. That was the most needed position this offseason, all in an attempt to complement that two-headed attack from Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. 

Over on the defensive side of the ball, Franklin retained Manny Diaz, who by most accounts could have had any Power 5 head coaching job he wanted. Because of that, Curtis Jacobs decided to stick around to pair with Abdul Carter at linebacker. Mix in Tony Rojas, a highly-touted recruit from Virginia, and Penn State’s defense is largely set at that position. Plus, a deep secondary should continue to flourish in 2023. 

Oh right, there’s one other thing we haven’t mentioned. By all accounts, Drew Allar, the highest rated quarterback recruit of Franklin’s career, is the real deal. He’s been spotted working consistently on his mechanics as well as bulking up in the weight room and stepping up as a leader in the locker room. 

So all of that is to say, the window is open. Do not let it close. 

It’s now Franklin’s job to nurture it into a championship, which is why Penn State is shelling out all of this cash to pay him, build the facilities he wants and explicitly state that football is the driver for the entire athletic department. 

This next stretch could be special, but if Franklin fails to capitalize on the momentum that this program has picked up, you begin to question if this ride has really been worth it.

The growth we’ve seen from Franklin as a coach over the last two years with semi-surprising firings

and hirings, consistency to stay the course and willingness to push his current assets paid off in 2022. Those lessons can lead to an even bigger pay day in 2023. 

So as Penn State’s 2023 campaign kicks off with spring practice, keep in mind that the window is open. Just make sure Franklin keeps it that way.

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