How Penn State's James Franklin Approaches the Recruiting 'Flip'

Two 4-star prospects recently committed to the Nittany Lions after initially choosing other schools.

Penn State coach James Franklin smiles after a touchdown during the second quarter and calls for an extra point against the West Virginia Mountaineers. / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Penn State coach James Franklin recently flipped two high school prospects committed to other programs (coincidentally coached by two of his former defensive coordinators), underscoring the constantly changing landscape of college football recruiting. Franklin has said in the past that, when players commit, that merely signals to other coaches against whom they're competing. And they're always competing.

Since early August, Penn State has received commitment from 4-star receiver Matthew Outten and 4-star linebacker Cameron Smith to its 2025 recruiting class. Outten initially committed to Virginia Tech (led by former Penn State DC Brent Pry) before flipping to the Nittany Lions. And Smith was committed to Duke coach Manny Diaz (of the 2022-23 Penn State defenses) before switching to Penn State.

What goes into the recruiting flip? Franklin recently was asked about the process. And though he didn't mention the players by name (which still is against NCAA recruiting rules prior to Signing Day), the Penn State coach did paint around the strategy of continuing to recruit players who have committed elsewhere.

First, Franklin said, Penn State has to feel legitimately involved in the player's recruiting process. In both of the recent cases, Penn State was high on the players' lists. Knowing where his program stands determines how much Franklin continues recruiting the player.

"Is this a player that we felt like we were legitimately in [contention for]?" Franklin asked. "Some of these guys, they put out a top 5, and you’re not in it. That’s a top 5 that they’re just putting out for the media. There's three schools that the young man has been really focused on. If it came down to us and another school, and when you reach out or the kid tells you, 'Hey, I want you keep recruiting me,' then we’ll keep recruiting him."

The other factor is resources. While Penn State has poured more staff and capital into recruiting lately (the program's 2022-23 recruiting budget was nearly $2.9 million, according to the athletic department's financial report), those resources aren't unlimited. There's an opportunity cost to pursuing one recruit over another.

"We only have so many resources, so you’ve got to make sure that the time you’re spending is time well spent," Franklin said.

Ultimately, Franklin said, those factors determine his strategy when considering whether to continue recruiting players who don't pick Penn State the first time.

"To me it's, were we legitimately in it? Is the kid receptive? Is the kid open, and do you feel like you've got a legitimate chance to get him before Signing Day?" Franklin said. "We’re not a negative recruiting team. We’re not a team that’s going to go after other people's recruits just to go after other people’s recruits. It’s about a guy we’ve had a ton of time invested in, and they still want to be recruited, and we feel like we’ve got a shot."

Granted, recruting flips go in both directions. According to 247Sports, four players who initially committed to Penn State's 2025 class reopened their recruiting profiles. Three of those players flipped to Auburn (running back Alvin Henderson), Rutgers (linebacker DJ McClary) and Stanford (Omari Gaines).

College football's early signing period begins Dec. 4, so there's plenty of time for coaches everywhere to continue recruiting.

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.