Why Was James Franklin So Critical of Penn State's Recruiting Efforts?

James Franklin said Penn State "hasn't gotten it done" in recruiting the 2021 class. Why? We asked John Garcia Jr., SI's director of football recruiting.

Penn State's James Franklin recently delivered a frank assessment of his staff's 2021 recruiting efforts, saying his team "hasn't gotten it done" with the class.

It was an unusual moment for Franklin, or any college coach for that matter, and one that required further context. So AllPennState asked John Garcia Jr., Sports Illustrated's director of football recruiting, for his thoughts on Franklin's statement. Check out the video above.

For context, here's the video and transcription of Franklin's comments. He was asked how the COVID-19 shutdown affected his staff's recruiting efforts this spring and summer. Like every other college program, Penn State was not able to host prospects for campus visits or make off-campus recruiting trips. The NCAA extended the so-called recruiting "dead period" until Jan. 1, 2021.

"This class is not done, but up to this point, we haven’t gotten it done," Franklin said. "We have not recruited up to the standard that we normally have. And I can make excuses, I can come up with a lot of reasons for that, but we haven’t gotten it done the way we normally have gotten it done, and there’s a lot of factors that go into that. That’s just the reality of it

"Moving forward, it’s complicated. It’s different. Obviously, you don't have official visits, you don’t have unofficial visits, you didn’t have the spring game, you didn’t have spring practices. And obviously, where we’re located, it’s not like we have a bunch of recruits who live within an hour of campus. This is a place that you’ve got to come and see.

"I’m a huge believer that we are, in my mind, what you think of when you think of the true college town on a postcard. But it’s one of those things that you’ve got to come and see and appreciate first hand. People can explain it to you all they want, but you’ve got to see it. And part of seeing it, a big part of our experience, is the fans and the support that we get. And not just from football.

"You go to a volleyball game on a Tuesday, you go to a wrestling match on a Wednesday or whatever it may be. Those are things that make Penn State so special. So it’s been different, no doubt about it. But we’ve got to be able to adjust and we’ve got to be able to make some strategic changes and find a way to get it done and be successful. But up to this point we have not lived up to our normal standards in those things. I can point out a lot of reasons but at the end of the day, it’s, did you get the job done or not."

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