New Penn State coach James Franklin has hit the ground running since being introduced on Saturday. He made the rounds at several Penn State athletic events over the past few days and also has reeled in three verbal commitments from players who committed to him at Vanderbilt.
He has faced some criticism for “poaching” recruits from Vandy to PSU, and during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show Tuesday morning, Franklin was asked about that and “recruiting etiquette.”
“A lot of people say kids should commit to a school, not a coach, but they reality is they do. It’s about the relationship aspect. My responsibility is to do everything in my power to make sure that I put a team together than can help Penn State be successful,” Franklin said.
Franklin admitted that the decision to leave Vanderbilt to come to Penn State was not an easy one and that he had some concerns about the Penn State job. Most notably, Franklin mentioned the depth of the roster due to the scholarship restrictions is a concern of his.
During his Saturday introductory press conference, Franklin mentioned several times that Penn State is his “dream job,” a phrase that gets thrown around too often when a coach takes a new job and as Patrick put it, can be “dangerous.”
“It’s only dangerous if you don’t mean it,” Franklin said. "A lot of coaches throw that out there and don't mean it. I think you know that I had the opportunity to interview at a bunch of different places and I canceled those interviews and turned them down. This school I think has everything that a young man is looking for."
"I’d love to be here as long as I possibly can be.”
After Bill O’Brien’s stint in Happy Valley lasted just two years, Penn State fans surely want Franklin to stick around for a long time.
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