'Nobody Really Blinked'

Penn State faced plenty of stress in 2021. But that didn't bleed into the 2022 recruiting class.

On Dec. 9, Penn State coach James Franklin squeezed a trip to Tampa between recruiting visits to promote the team's Outback Bowl appearance vs. Arkansas. At the same time, he was finalizing the deal with Manny Diaz to become defensive coordinator.

But this hectic stretch led to a relatively calm Signing Day, as the Lions kept the overwhelming majority of its sixth-ranked 2022 recruiting class intact. Just one player, an offensive lineman, decommitted, and Franklin spent the day celebrating a year-long process that ended without drama.

"You know, a season that saw some unbelievable highs and some challenges as well, and nobody really blinked," Franklin said. "I love the character in this class as much as the athleticism. When you see all types of drama right now in college football and recruiting, we haven't had a whole lot of that. I'm very appreciative and thankful for that."

Penn State moves into prep week for the Outback Bowl to close a tumultuous 2021 season that also could have splintered the recruiting class. The Lions lost five of their last seven games, dealt with two months of coaching rumors and then bid farewell to their defensive coordinator.

All along, Franklin and his staff kept the 2022 recruiting class as informed as possible. The recruits knew about Frankin's new 10-year contract a week before it was announced and were kept apprised of Diaz's hiring. They also were told about a program being close and how they could push its success.

"I've tried to communicate and be as transparent as I could the whole time," Franklin said. "There was a lot of communication going on with our current team, a lot of communication going on with the recruits and parents so they, I think, felt informed and weren't shocked by anything. We were able to really able to ride that out.

"... But losing [Brent Pry to Virginia Tech], personally and professionally, was a big one. So being able to go out and hire somebody like Manny Diaz, who has a similar philosophy, we've shared ideas on the defensive side of the ball together for a number of years, so I think that helps. Obviously [he's] a proven defensive coordinator with a successful track record to back it up, and then, obviously, the head coach experience is going to be valuable as well.

"Even through that process, I've been communicating with our team as well as recruits coming in that we were going to get somebody really good but, we were also going to get somebody that had a similar philosophy, and we've been able to do that."

But the class isn't complete. Franklin will continue being aggressive in the NCAA Transfer Portal, particularly in search of offensive linemen. Expect Penn State to become more active in January as more players enter the portal following bowl season.

"Whether it's the second signing day or whether it's the transfer portal, I think we have some interest depending on how some things play out," Franklin said. "But I think we have a need on the offensive line. I think we would be interested in a wide receiver. And then if you talk about the defensive side of the ball, a defensive end, possibly a defensive tackle based on some things that could happen on our roster. And then we're losing some big-time linebackers.

"... There are a lot of things going on, a lot of moving parts right now. One of the things we want to make sure we're doing a good job, specifically in the transfer portal, is that we are doing our homework, we talk to the high school coaches, all the same process that we would do with recruiting kids out of high school.

"The challenge a little bit is, a lot of these guys entering the portal, they know where they're going before they enter the portal and that makes it challenging. A lot of times the guys that we want, it's over before it really starts, which is a whole other conversation."

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