Penn State Nittany Lions

With Latest Honors, James Franklin Continues to Prove His Plan is Working at Penn State

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:07 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Barry Leonard Jr./FanSided via Victory Bell Rings

Penn State head coach James Franklin continues to prove his plan at Penn State is working. 

Rewind to September 24, 2016. Penn State was blown out by 39 points against the Michigan Wolverines. Head coach James Franklin appeared to be squarely on the hot seat. Sitting at 2-2 and seemingly headed for another mediocre season, many Penn State fans were restless and calling for Franklin’s job.

In fact, athletic director Sandy Barbour had to come out after that game and give her head coach a vote of confidence. 

The coach didn’t panic. Instead, he rallied his troops and won the next nine games, including the Big Ten Championship. Up next is a trip to the prestigious Rose Bowl to take on the USC Trojans.

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Thanks to the success on the field, Franklin was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award. He’s also up for several other coaching awards. Two more were added Wednesday when he was named a finalist for the AP National Coach of the Year and Paul “Bear” Bryant Award.

Franklin has uttered the phrase, “trust the process,” several times during his tenure in Happy Valley. Now, it seems that the process is starting to produce the desired results.

After back-to-back seven-win seasons, Franklin has the Nittany Lions back in national prominence. Penn State is currently fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings and had a legit argument to make the final four.

Aside from the success on the field, Franklin has carried on his reputation of being a great recruiter. No longer hindered by NCAA sanctions, he’s finally able to bring in a full class of his own recruits.

“Dominate the State” has been one of Franklin’s most famous quotes. When he was introduced as the new head man at Penn State in 2014 he made it know that he was planning on bringing in the top recruits in the area.

So far, Franklin hasn’t disappointed when it comes to recruiting. Already able to bring in some talented recruits, the future appears even brighter with success on the field.

Some of the top recruits in the 2017 class have either committed to Penn State or are leaning that way. Currently, the Nittany Lions are ranked 15th on the 247 Sports team composite rankings.

Things are certainly looking up for the Penn State program. Despite starting a bit slow, Franklin’s process is rounding into form and producing the results that were anticipated when he came to Happy Valley.

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