(OT) Penn State Football - James Franklin no longer

[bigegypt0417]

Penn state will end up in the blockbuster video bowl.

Allar should have gone pro after last season.

[zambonir]

That's actually the Pop-Tarts Bowl, I'll take it!

I think this (Franklin being gone) is probably gonna happen. They could lose their next three straight, or just any three. But best possible record is probably 7-5.

Kind of reminds of '99 but they won three or four big games that year, waited to fall apart at the end.

[bigegypt0417]

Funny...well...maybe not Funny but I didn't realize Allar was done for the season when I posted.

[zambonir]

Wow. Broken foot or ankle or torn Achilles I assume? You could see he was despondent.

He probably still got more money to play for PSU than he was gonna in the NFL, especially with NFL $ not guaranteed. Assuming he hadn't gone in first two rounds which he presumably knew he wasn't.

Wonder if the RBs are obligated by their NIL deals to play all year or in a non-CFP bowl.

[phillychuck]

I think prior to the season (last year at the draft) Allar would have probably gone in round 2. Now, I’m not sure he’ll get drafted at all. What a bad year for him (and the team so far).

[zambonir]

Definitely his ceiling but the possibility of dropping had to be at least a partial factor in coming back (along with the $ and the championship aspiration and the possibility of rising).

Ewers was predicted to go 3rd or 4th round with a ceiling of 2nd round - turns out he actually should have gone into the transfer portal (or you could argue, Texas should have kept him). Allar will probably still get taken, but could be as low as Ewers or McCord.

Probably this whole crew doesn't come back if Allar doesn't, so the what-might-have-been is less could they have done better with Pribula or a transfer as, it was time to start a new era. And now it really is.

[flyers19rw]

Statement from the chair and vice chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees |...

Some concern about the move from being a Nike school to an Addidas one. How much money and where it’s going.

[zambonir]

This is the sort of thing that happens when things are bad. As if the partnership with Nike couldn't have also had the potential for self-dealing. I have not followed this at all but I'm assuming it is just another thing that has its roots in the division that continues to exist on the board, and between the Joe people and non-Joe people, with PSU probably no longer being as important to Nike without Joe as well.

Catching up on these articles now. With the Board it seems they were not consulted (nor do they have to be) and some are mad about that, while others obviously are not.

Penn State, Adidas Deny Wrongdoing Around $300M Apparel Deal

https://www.centredaily.com/sports/college/penn-state-university/psu-football/article311970547.html

[bigegypt0417]

Franklin fired...that was not expected!

47 million dollar buyout.

https://x.com/espn/status/1977435235059917055?s=19

[MichaelJackSchmidt]

Smart move! I've never been a big fan of keeping a coach or player simply because you owe them a lot of money. By the way, WIP radio is saying he's owed 49 million.

[zambonir]

He could have survived the one unacceptable loss if they'd beaten one of OSU or Indiana, but not this last one. Nor what's coming. Can't wait to read the stories about who actually made it happen though. They could have saved themselves money by waiting/trying negotiate a settlement but not in-season.

Question is is there any offset when he gets a new job or does he get it all? What's incredible is he got this deal in the first place at a time when he was not doing that great, but they still needed to keep him from being hired away.

A Penn State coach being fired for football reasons has never happened in my lifetime... or anyone's here, probably (Higgins and Engle both retired).

This could still go pretty badly for the next six to 10 years. Think Nebraska after Pelini, Florida State after Jimbo, Michigan before Harbaugh, Texas after Brown, Wisconsin right now. That would have been the reason not to do this, not the money.

[BostonRoss]

Time to rename the thread!

[zambonir]

it had a good run

[bigegypt0417]

Already the decommittment of the #1 RB in the 27 class.

[zambonir]

Saw a tweet from some WV guy saying adidas wanted Franklin out and will pay some of the buyout. I'm sure at the end of the day Kraft was always interested in doing this (he did not hire him or give him that deal) but there had to be a reason, which the losing provided finally. Kraft also was Rhule's AD at Temple. Hard to imagine them going after Cignetti (who is also quite old) or Matt Campbell is they can just get Rhule. Bruce Feldman says they would talk to Manny Diaz too but he, like Golden, had minimal success as a HC, though he's doing very well continuing what Elko started at Duke.

[bigegypt0417]

Rhule seems like a logical pick...he may like his gig currently but can he win a national championship there?

Not really.

[andyb]

Pro football can be a cruel business.

[zambonir]

I feel like the same question can be asked of Penn State, as well as Wisconsin (which is going to have to pay a similarly large buyout). PSU certainly has more $ and natural recruiting turf, but at the end of the day they are all remote, cold-weather schools, and also very white communities. What Nebraska and Penn State did in the '80s and '90s (since PSU was of course robbed in '95) was a different time.

I think even if Rhule was at Texas Tech or Oklahoma he'd probably leave for Kraft and Penn State. This really seems like one of those moves where you don't fire the guy before you know who you want next, even if there still has to be a shortlist/back-ups.

[phillychuck]

Rhule’s record in “big games” is just as bad as Franklin’s. He’s probably willing to come, but I’m not sure PSU is willing to hire him.

[zambonir]

He and Kraft still vacation together. He's won everywhere (in college). He played there. And, he played for Joe. The Joe people have been waiting forever for this, and the other options (Schiano, Golden) not as good.

Even being a failed NFL coach isn't necessarily a demerit.

He played for one Big 12 championship at Baylor, lost to the SEC runner-up in the Sugar Bowl, and then left for the NFL before he could really do anything more. Hasn't really done much in Lincoln yet, though the post-Briles Bears were probably an easier rebuild than Nebraska.