When the transfer portal opened this past college football offseason, James Franklin & Co. brought in a core group of five players to fill some holes on the Nittany Lions’ 2024 roster:
Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming, Wisconsin offensive lineman Nolan Rucci, Georgia cornerback A.J. Harris, Florida cornerback Jalen Kimber and Tulsa place-kicker Chase Meyer.
Franklin, who is a month into his 11th season as head coach at Penn State, met with the media on Tuesday in Beaver Stadium for the first time since he added that quintet and the portal subsequently closed. (The portal opens again on April 15, two days after the Blue-White Game, and then slams shut again on April 30.)
For now, Penn State’s roster is set. And in Franklin’s mind— and manifested via his words and deeds — his philosophy on how to manage the portal and still focus on the core of his team, as well as the core values of college sports, is set as well. (I like his approach, which leads to more college degrees, much more than Lane Kiffin’s.)
Over the course of his 32-minute session, Franklin talked extensively about his new players and, especially, the portal and the (often sad) state of college football. Here are 10 of his top transfer portal tenets, shared not as a straight list. But, I present them that way, after plucking bits and pieces from his myriad answers and occasional meanderings (all are direct CJF quotes, save the initial sentences in bold-face):
1. Put on the welcome mat. “Our current players — I hear it constantly from the high school recruits as well as the transfer portal guys — do a really great job of embracing those guys and putting their arms around them teaching them how we operate and we do things around here. With Nolan and Julian, and Kimber and A.J., that’s gone really well.”
2. Sign who you know. “One of the things I would prefer to do, when possible, is if we’re going to the transfer portal, more times than not I want it to be a guy we’ve recruited on the front end. It’s a short period of time for the parents, the player and our staff to get to know each other. It’s a mad dash to figure those things out.”
Exhibit J: “Julian was a really good example. There was a long and lengthy and extended recruiting process for him and family. For a while there, we felt like he was coming here, and then we ended up losing him. Now he’s back with us. There is familiarity and comfort there for him and his family. I think there is familiarity and comfort there for us.”
3. Act fast: Penn State spring semester classes start early (in 2024: Monday, Jan. 8): “Do it in a short period of time. On top of that, we have a challenge that a lot of schools don’t. We start about a week earlier for the spring semester than most schools…The schools that have a huge amount of time over their Christmas break before their spring semester starts, they have a huge advantage in the transfer portal. The earlier your school starts, the more challenging it is…If we can’t get guys accepted and here early, it’s going to be really challenging.”
4. Don’t sell used cars: “End of the day, whether it’s high school or the transfer portal, we don’t make promises. Guys are going to have to come in here and compete and earn jobs. We’re not making promises and offers to guys that they are going to come in here and start. They have to earn it.”
Exhibit J (again): “Julian has done a really good job. Like most scenarios, whether it’s a job or a team you’re joining, the first thing is keep your mouth shut, your ears open, and put your head down and go to work and earn everyone’s respect. And then gradually over time, become more vocal if that’s part of your leadership style and personality. I think he’s done a good job of that. I’ve heard good reports from the strength staff, from the coaches, and from the players, most importantly. He’s done a good job in all of those things. So far so good.”
5. More isn’t always better. “You can’t tell me that it’s good for the student-athletes to transfer three, four times. Every time you transfer, the likelihood of graduating goes down. I don’t think that’s in anyone’s best interest. The ability to overcome adversity in college athletics is really important. I think we’ve lost some of that with the path of least resistance.”
6. Don’t overindulge, but make sure you eat. “You better embrace the transfer portal in college football. There are enough examples of that. But there’s also a philosophy behind it as well. Will you go all-in on the transfer portal? It’s almost like the old days if you go heavy, heavy junior college, it was hard to get out of that because the turnover on your roster was so consistent. The same way with the transfer portal. So we have not been a big transfer portal addition team or a subtraction team. I’ve been very pleased with that.”
7. Experienced plug-ins help. “Where we do have some obvious holes or needs, we do try to fix that or maybe bring in some experience as maybe some complementary pieces. We’ll do that.”
(Another) Exhibit J: “Julian’s ability to obviously play in this league is helpful. He kind of understands what this league is all about. He also has an understanding about the playoffs as well. Those things are valuable. And he’s an older guy, which I also think helps in that (wide receiver) room.”
8. Retention, retention, retention. “I don’t think people realize that we have had a number of guys that didn’t have to come back to Penn State — but they did. That is as important as anything. Maybe it’s more important than going into the transfer portal and bringing guys in. NIL also plays a major factor in all this. And we want to make sure that No. 1 we are taking care of our current roster first. That is priority No. 1. It is a factor when it comes to the transfer portal and additions. That’s something we’ll have to continue to work really, really hard at. But so far, so good. For us, the current roster is the priority, to hold onto those guys.”
9. It’s a developing story, being told less. “Development is a word that isn’t even used any more. It’s like I tell the parents and players when they come to campus: You came because you wanted us to develop you. But if you decide to jump into the transfer portal a year from now, there is no time to develop you. Teams that are going heavily into the portal are basically saying, ‘We are not going to develop. We are just going to go out and get guys who are proven commodities to come to campus.’ There is a fine line there.”
10. The bottom line: Yes, money matters. “Obviously, when you get into NIL, that’s a factor.”
