Josh Pate interviews Franklin

G

Gitzit

Active member
Key takeaways
He was too much a CEO here, and wants to get back to coaching. Something like that
Sounds like he wants all the previous coaches stuff removed and VT football start now. Kinda what the local PSU media have said he did here.
I would have liked him to ask if he regrets the "best team and staff ever" comment before season started. I think he would be still here if he downplayed the talent on the team.
I think Penn State and VT will have success and it was a win win.

 
"at the start of the season you couldn't have guessed what would happen." - Josh Pate

I totally disagree. I think JF knew he was in over his head, that he had built a house of cards and he had reached his Peter Principle. He knew he was on the hot seat and, I think 2025 was a hail mary. He had to talk up the team to get addl millions in NIL to retain Allar, Katron, and Singleton, as well as trying(poorly) to get any receiver that would come.

@Gitzit - I don't think he could downplay the talent or that it would have helped. It was His team that he built the talent on. It had been a decade. He had a 5* QB. He was taking lots of heat for rarely being competitive with OSU and making boneheaded in-game decisions and being outcoached by almost ever peer-level coach. He had to do something. I guess he could have downplayed things and hoped that his buyout would prevent Kraft from pulling the trigger, but he chose to go the Enron route and go on the hype circuit and raise expectations to inflate the bubble in hopes of getting lucky.
 
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NittanyLion99 said:
"at the start of the season you couldn't have guessed what would happen." - Josh Pate

I totally disagree. I think JF knew he was in over his head, that he had built a house of cards and he had reached his Peter Principle. He knew he was on the hot seat and, I think 2025 was a hail mary. He had to talk up the team to get addl millions in NIL to retain Allar, Katron, and Singleton, as well as trying(poorly) to get any receiver that would come.

@Gitzit - I don't think he could downplay the talent or that it would have helped. It was His team that he built the talent on. It had been a decade. He had a 5* QB. He was taking lots of heat for rarely being competitive with OSU and making boneheaded in-game decisions and being outcoached by almost ever peer-level coach. He had to do something. I guess he could have downplayed things and hoped that his buyout would prevent Kraft from pulling the trigger, but he chose to go the Enron route and go on the hype circuit and raise expectations to inflate the bubble in hopes of getting lucky.
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I just think he was an arrogant ****** at the end of his time at PSU.

It was over, he knew it.

Then he comes out, lies about being surprised, then takes a job at a neighbor school.

He will fail at VT.

LdN
 
You can recruit 4-star players and help coach up the skills for each, but team leadership, cohesiveness, and trust can be a blind spot. I have confidence that Campbell understands this and will get it done. Solid, well-executed football without the brain farts.
 
Frank Lee said:
You can recruit 4-star players and help coach up the skills for each, but team leadership, cohesiveness, and trust can be a blind spot. I have confidence that Campbell understands this and will get it done. Solid, well-executed football without the brain farts
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My guess is that Campbell will be better at teaching fundamentals and making game day decisions. That said I'm concerned about his ability to recruit top talent that can compete with OSU, UM, USC, & Oregon.
 
Gitzit said:
Key takeaways
He was too much a CEO here, and wants to get back to coaching. Something like that
Sounds like he wants all the previous coaches stuff removed and VT football start now. Kinda what the local PSU media have said he did here.
I would have liked him to ask if he regrets the "best team and staff ever" comment before season started. I think he would be still here if he downplayed the talent on the team.
I think Penn State and VT will have success and it was a win win.

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He was right about the talent, it was legit…..it just never coalesced. — If we recover that backfield fumble from Oregon in OT, we win. We beat up Indiana more completely than any team….they were extremely fortunate to win. We had high end talent. The problem was being completely out of sync as a team ( we were in sync the last 3-4 games)
 
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bdroc said:
My guess is that Campbell will be better at teaching fundamentals and making game day decisions. That said I'm concerned about his ability to recruit top talent that can compete with OSU, UM, USC, & Oregon.
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After a few years, I'm still trying to get my head around the "top talent" concept. OSU, maybe. UM wins a natty with something closer to the Campbell approach. USC and Oregon have yet to prove themselves. It's like UT and TAMU. One natty between them since 1969, and even that '69 one was questionable. But it's Texas!
I still like the Indiana model. If PSU/Campbell can pay to ensure a proven, top QB (a constant portal acquisition IMO), one or two tough RBs, and some decent receivers, the program is big enough to fill in the rest and compete.
 
The great Jeremiah Smith. Does he run a 4.2 forty? Does he have exceptional separation moves? Does having an accurate QB with great timing help? What does Smith do that a Koby Howard, for example, can't do? IMO, routes, separation, play design, and QB execution all play a role and instruction in technique and repetition can get the PSU passing game to a higher level. BGJ failed here, at least in his last five years.
 
Frank Lee said:
After a few years, I'm still trying to get my head around the "top talent" concept. OSU, maybe. UM wins a natty with something closer to the Campbell approach. USC and Oregon have yet to prove themselves. It's like UT and TAMU. One natty between them since 1969, and even that '69 one was questionable. But it's Texas!
I still like the Indiana model. If PSU/Campbell can pay to ensure a proven, top QB (a constant portal acquisition IMO), one or two tough RBs, and some decent receivers, the program is big enough to fill in the rest and compete.
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Oregon finished 6th in 2023, 3rd in 2024, and 4th in 2025. They beat PSU twice. I'd say they've proven themselves.

Wrt recruiting... I don't think Campbell has any recruiting connections in the northeast and I don't think you can build an entire team from the portal. We've already missed out on the top 2 from PA.
 
FWIW I ran into an Iowa State fan who said we got a great coach but thought PSU/BiG/ NIL might be too much for him.

Time will tell.
 
bdroc said:
FWIW I ran into an Iowa State fan who said we got a great coach but thought PSU/BiG/ NIL might be too much for him.

Time will tell.
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With a GM, Terry Smith and other competent staff, plus both HC and recruiting experience in a conference that included both Texas and Oklahoma, I'm not seeing any naivete. Campbell's a seasoned guy. But as you say, time will tell.
 
bdroc said:
FWIW I ran into an Iowa State fan who said we got a great coach but thought PSU/BiG/ NIL might be too much for him.

Time will tell.
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Could have said the same thing about Franklin. Much shorter stint at Vandy...Saban was not good until he was. Who was Dabo before he got to Clemson? tOSU got a sweater vest from Youngstown St and their current coach was a no name until Urban bolted because of "headaches."
 
Frank Lee said:
With a GM, Terry Smith and other competent staff, plus both HC and recruiting experience in a conference that included both Texas and Oklahoma, I'm not seeing any naivete. Campbell's a seasoned guy. But as you say, time will tell.
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Terry Smith wasn't able to retain recruits after Franklin was fired.
 
NittanyLion99 said:
Could have said the same thing about Franklin. Much shorter stint at Vandy...Saban was not good until he was. Who was Dabo before he got to Clemson? tOSU got a sweater vest from Youngstown St and their current coach was a no name until Urban bolted because of "headaches."
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Agreed but Franklin had connections in the northeast.
 
2027 recruiting, so far...
BGJ: #41 with a few 3*s from DMV
CMC: #16 with PA, NJ, FL, and Midwest kids. The 6'4" WR from IA looks to be a step up from what PSU's been getting the past few years at that position.
 
Frank Lee said:
2027 recruiting, so far...
BGJ: #41 with a few 3*s from DMV
CMC: #16 with PA, NJ, FL, and Midwest kids. The 6'4" WR from IA looks to be a step up from what PSU's been getting the past few years at that position.
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I'm not impressed that our recruiting is better than VT.

None of the top 5 from PA last year or this year.
 
bdroc said:
I'm not impressed that our recruiting is better than VT.

None of the top 5 from PA last year or this year.
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What are the benefits of PA recruits in this new era? I know what you are getting at, but is the connection to hometown football something that should be kept, or something that needs to be let go? [No more than three pages. Double spacing and 1" margins, please. 🤓]
 
Frank Lee said:
What are the benefits of PA recruits in this new era? I know what you are getting at, but is the connection to hometown football something that should be kept, or something that needs to be let go? [No more than three pages. Double spacing and 1" margins, please. 🤓]
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What font? Times New Roman 12?
 
Frank Lee said:
What are the benefits of PA recruits in this new era? I know what you are getting at, but is the connection to hometown football something that should be kept, or something that needs to be let go? [No more than three pages. Double spacing and 1" margins, please. 🤓]
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Hiller #4 in the nation to FL
Spell #7 in the nation to GA
Halter #57 in the nation to ND

Of course I think it would benefit PSU to have players like that.
 
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