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2021 Recruiting Class Thread

James Franklin has had them ranked in the end of year top ten 3 of the last 4 seasons, matching the best run Paterno had while coaching in the Big 10. That run occurred in Penn State’s first 4 years in the Big 10. If Joe was an elite coach in the 90s then Franklin is right now.
Franklin is doing just fine. But he has an incredible long way to go to match Joe. Joe was at the tail end of an incredible run during the start of his Big10 tenure....but has a great run - including one of tbe Greatest Football Teams in College Football history in 1994... a team brimming with NFL level talent....and won like 7 bowls out of 8 appearances... Nothing remotely like that on Franklin’s resume...yet. And remember, Joe closed the end of the dark years with 2 Big10 Championships in 4 years.

That said, CJF was handicapped by sanctions and he has done great job getting Penn State back to a very high level. But things seem to be plateauing and regressing a bit. He will have to win a few games where PSU has lesser talent perhaps to start getting the level of recruits needs to be in the upper echelon. Can he do it? The jury is out...
 
Franklin is doing just fine. But he has an incredible long way to go to match Joe. Joe was at the tail end of an incredible run during the start of his Big10 tenure....but has a great run - including one of tbe Greatest Football Teams in College Football history in 1994... a team brimming with NFL level talent....and won like 7 bowls out of 8 appearances... Nothing remotely like that on Franklin’s resume...yet. And remember, Joe closed the end of the dark years with 2 Big10 Championships in 4 years.

That said, CJF was handicapped by sanctions and he has done great job getting Penn State back to a very high level. But things seem to be plateauing and regressing a bit. He will have to win a few games where PSU has lesser talent perhaps to start getting the level of recruits needs to be in the upper echelon. Can he do it? The jury is out...
I’m not comparing Franklin to Joe’s overall resume, just his Big 10 resume. If you consider Joe to have been an elite Big 10 coach in the 90s then you have to include Franklin. Pre-Big 10 Joe is an entirely different discussion than Big 10 Joe.
 
So, out of 130 FBS coaches only 2 are elite? Really?
Yes, how many do you think are elite?

btw I didn't respond in that other thread about the Stats class, but I have a BS in Mech Eng from PSU and and MS in Eng from Purdue.
I took 10 Masters level classes from Purdue remotely - all lectures via videotape the day after the lecture was given in person (this was high tech in the 90s lol) - so I know a little about technical classes and asking questions. I may be on on end of the bell curve though - wish your daughter well
 
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Everyone sort of myopically focuses on "Franklin" being Elite, but fails to look at the other equally as important aspect of building an elite powerhouse football program. Franklin can be elite and still lose 4 games a year. Are the administrators elite? Is there elite funding, elite facilities? Do you have to pay your players? No School? PED's? Who is the last NCAA football champion that you sincerely thought did it the right way.....educated/graduating their players, recruiting high character guys, coaches that were honest and ethical? Has Franklin had ELITE coordinators and supporting cast? I always think you know how good a coordinator is if he is getting the attention from programs all over the country. You think Ricky Rahne's phone was ringing by anyone other than ODU in the offseason? Pry gets calls. Moorhead although sometimes flawed, was probably an elite offensive coordinator at PSU, everyone wanted him, that is a sign. Nobody talks about the fact that we lost many people off our recruiting staff by programs offering more money, has that had negative affect on the 2021 Recruiting efforts? Does that go back to administrators? Are we willing to pay TOP dollar for TOP talent outside of just Franklin? If not, how can we expect to be elite?

I happen to think Franklin is doing a great job maintaining the in-congruent process of pushing academics while simultaneously winning a lot of football games. We aren't alabama or clemson, and it is incredibly short-sighted to say we are not at that level merely because of our football coach.
 
Nothing hard about this, make the playoffs.just remember he is making 6 million a year for that much he needs to do a lot better
 
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I’m not comparing Franklin to Joe’s overall resume, just his Big 10 resume. If you consider Joe to have been an elite Big 10 coach in the 90s then you have to include Franklin. Pre-Big 10 Joe is an entirely different discussion than Big 10 Joe.
Well, with that qualifier..
 
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To Saban and Dabo, I'd actually add Lincoln Riley and possibly Kirby Smart. Possibly.

Sure, Riley benefits from a crap conference and has yet to win a bowl game. But you can't argue with 3 straight CFP appearances. And the way he's recruiting -- with Rattler looking the part and Caleb Williams coming in -- I see no end in sight.

Smart damn near won a natty already, and recruits about as well as anybody. Granted, their bagmen are working OT these days. But you could make a case that he's in that elite category.

As for Ryan Day........time will tell if he's the second Coker or the second Urban Meyer. It's just too early to tell. Still early, IMO, as to where Orgeron fits.

Who else is really "elite"? I'd rank CJF as high as anybody else in the country other than those four.

CJF goes ahead of Riley. You said it yourself, he plays in a crap conference and the play nobody. Think he'd have 3 CFP appearances out of the big 10? No way.
 
What is the right way anymore? Any rules are totally ignored. Those that are elite flaunt breaking the rules. The days of Joe are gone. Might as well do like everyone else and do what you need to do to win. The honesty and integrity days are never coming back. Just make it officially a minor league.
 
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What is the right way anymore? Any rules are totally ignored. Those that are elite flaunt breaking the rules. The days of Joe are gone. Might as well do like everyone else and do what you need to do to win. The honesty and integrity days are never coming back. Just make it officially a minor league.

I completely understand your point. But I respectfully disagree.

The moment we start playing by SEC rules, handing out bags of cash, making a mockery of academics, recruiting obvious head cases, etc., I'm done.

I'm under no illusions that we've never cut any corners. But there's a big difference in the way the Texas A&Ms and Alabamas and Auburns and Georgias of the world do business and the way PSU and ND and MIchigan and Wisconsin and others do it.
 
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Talley will be in Jeudy's ear until signing day, some good hope for the good guys even if PSU wasn't in his top 5
 
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At least Coach Franklin admits the faults with the 2021 recruiting class, it shows his professionalism and his accountability to the program. Getting the commitment of Derrick Davis Jr. depends on whether Terry Smith stays around next year. Elijah Jeudy is clearly shopping his services around, but it sounds like he is staying in contact with Deion Barnes and some of the 2022 commits. I am still hoping that Penn State will benefit from a late decommit or two from other schools.
 
At least Coach Franklin admits the faults with the 2021 recruiting class, it shows his professionalism and his accountability to the program. Getting the commitment of Derrick Davis Jr. depends on whether Terry Smith stays around next year. Elijah Jeudy is clearly shopping his services around, but it sounds like he is staying in contact with Deion Barnes and some of the 2022 commits. I am still hoping that Penn State will benefit from a late decommit or two from other schools.

Yeah, this class definitely isn't over.

Davis and Diego Pounds would be nice additions, for sure.

Jeudy? If A&M is pushing hard for him, then I wouldn't count on it. I don't play the "everybody else cheats!" card, but Jimbo's reputation is pretty well established. And Elijah Robinson is recruiting this area VERY well.
 
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Elijah Jeudy is clearly shopping his services around, but it sounds like he is staying in contact with Deion Barnes and some of the 2022 commits. I am still hoping that Penn State will benefit from a late decommit or two from other schools.
I’m hoping against reality here that he’ll give us another look with a season, but he did an insta live session and said 3 times he wasn’t considering Penn State, because everyone kept asking.
 
I’m hoping against reality here that he’ll give us another look with a season, but he did an insta live session and said 3 times he wasn’t considering Penn State, because everyone kept asking.

Jeudy's price tag has been established. We aren't paying to play. I like that we are recruiting Philly harder, but similarly to NYC, there is a real culture of high schools recruiting against other high schools. Some of these kids are going to the highest bidder and it is not going to be PSU. That is just the reality on the ground.
 
I'm confused. Coach Franklin must be wrong when he says this because several people in this thread say the 2021 recruiting class is fine at this point.

You are only confused if you believe anyone here can do anything about it.

Crying won't change a thing......
 
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