Per – i- pa – tet – ic
perēpəˈtedik/
adjective: 1. traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods. ‘the peripatetic nature of college coaching life’ synonyms: nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant, migratory, unsettled. 2. Aristoelian.
noun: 1. a person who travels from place to place. 2. An Aristotelian philosopher. 3. An American football coach. See also: Franklin, James Geoffrey (b. 2/2/1972).
THE FREQUENT FLYER CARD
James Franklin used to get around.
He’s not the only one. It’s part and parcel of the profession.
From the time he graduated from East Stroudsburg in the spring of 1995 to the day he set foot in the Beaver Stadium media room on Jan. 11, 2014, Franklin worked from coast to coast, in programs kinda big and small — and even smaller.
At age 45, he has made 12 stops in a definitively-peripatetic career that has covered 18 job titles, 12 coaching positions, 11 towns and cities, 10 leagues and conferences, eight states and two countries.That would the PSAC, the Danish American Football Federation, the CAA, the Pac-10, the Big Sky, the ACC, the NFL, the Big 12, the SEC and the Big Ten.
Part of Franklin’s spiel at summer camps, when he addresses parents, guardians, high school coaches and other such elders, incorporates that journey:
“I also like the fact that I played Division II, coached Division II, coached I-AA, coached I-A, coached NFL, coached West Coast, South, Midwest, East Coast…” Franklin said at a 2014 Penn State’s senior elite high school football camp, “so I’m able to answer a lot of questions, because today’s not just about Penn State.”
From 1994 to 1999, Franklin made five stops in five years, from Kutztown to East Stroudsburg (as a GA) to James Madison to Washington State to Idaho State. Since Franklin left Idaho State for Maryland in 2000, he’s been a bit more settled. A bit. Here’s a breakdown of his days at each stop over the past 18 years:
Maryland, 2000-2005 — 1,790 days
Green Bay Packers, 2005 — 314 days
Kansas State, 2006-2007 — 718 days
Maryland (again), 2008-2010 — 1,088 days
Vanderbilt, 2011-2013 — 1,119 days
Penn State, 2014-2017 — 1,329 days and counting
THE STABILITY CARD
We were reminded of this journey the past two Wednesdays, when Franklin meets with an ever-growing media scrum of 40-plus reporters and video jockeys for a half-dozen questions. Reminded twice, in fact.
The first question came two weeks ago, when I asked Franklin about his newly-inked contract.
‘Do you feel comfortable,’ I asked from my spot in the back, ‘that this is where you will be the next six years?’
For the record, Franklin did not answer yes or no to the yes-or-no question. But he did hit upon the important theme of stability in his reply. Not a surprise, when you look at his journey criss-crossing the country in a 20-year sprint that landed him back in his home state. And not a surprise, given the turbulent times in Penn State football since late 2011.
‘I think, for me, it’s about stability,’ Franklin said. ‘We have started to build something here that I think can really be special. It provides stability for my family, but it also provides stability for my assistant coaches, it provides stability for their families, it provides stability for our players, it provides stability in recruiting — all of those types of things.
‘I still believe we have a lot of work to do in a lot of different areas. But I think we’ve made tremendous progress. And this allows us to continue in that direction and on that trend. I feel great about it. I think (the media) knows how I feel about this place. I’m blessed and fortunate to be here. But we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
THE CONFIDENCE CARD
The second question came this past Wednesday night, when I asked Franklin if he felt as confident as he’s ever been heading into a season, in part because of the best set of summer practices he’s ever been around during his career.
His answer was fairly boilerplate. Then, near the end, as he was talking, a light bulb went on over his very smooth head.
Call it Stability Redux.
‘I would say I feel confident about this season.’ Franklin replied. ‘I feel confident about our team and our coaching staff and where we’re at — for a number of reasons. We have a lot of guys who’ve played a lot of football for us and because of their approach in meetings and their approach in practice and their approach off the field.
‘I don’t think it’s one factor that gives a coach confidence, like practice. It’s so many other things. It’s how our kids do academically. It’s all those things. So, yeah, I’m confident.’
Then he paused. And really thought.
‘I think the other thing too is that this is my first time really…(he paused)… probably the second time in my total career,’ he said, ‘and first in my head coaching career where I’ve been around somewhere for three years.
‘My last head coaching position (at Vanderbilt, which was also his first head coaching job) I was there for three years and besides Maryland (for the 2000-2004 seasons), I’ve never really been anywhere more than what I am here.
‘So I think that’s the other reason why you kind of have confidence, because we have almost been through a full cycle (of recruiting players and seeing them graduate). One more year and we’ve been full cycle. So now, everyone understands — the coaches, the players, the staff,’ he said, starting to count off each group on his left hand — ‘understands the expectations, how we work, how we compete. All those things.’
THE RELATIONSHIP CARD
Just because Franklin is only entering his fourth season at Penn State doesn’t mean he has a fairly novice staff. It’s just that most are fairly new to PSU. Just not CJF.
Dating back to his playing days at East Stroudsburg and his assistant coaching days in Pocatello, Franklin has been building relationships. Then, when he’s had the chance at first Vanderbilt and now Penn State, he’s brought along many of the people he’s met — and, fair to say, somewhat indoctrinated — along the way.
Franklin is no longer new to Penn State. And he’s definitely not new to a big chunk of the group that shows up early every morning for staff meetings in the conference room on the second floor of Lasch Building.
At least 14 of Franklin’s current coaches and administrative staffers worked with and/or for him prior to his arrival at Penn State. While none of that group — listed below — has been at Penn State for longer than four years, many have known Franklin for a decade and more. For instance, Brent Pry was an assistant coach at East Stroudsburg when Franklin was the team’s starting quarterback. Larry Lewis, a consultant on the PSU staff this season, was the head coach at Idaho State in 1999, when Franklin was the wide receivers coach.
Those ties and tie-ins create a familiarity that helps Franklin streamline his operations, philosophies and staff meetings. They also create great loyalty.
Here’s a chronological listing of that group, with their current Penn State positions, plus where they first worked with Franklin. Football administrator Kevin Threlkel has been with Franklin through four stops.
In addition to the core 14, I’ve also included on that list two staffers who worked with offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead when he was head coach at Fordham, both of whom concentrate on the Penn State offense. They fit the Franklin mold of bringing along key personnel from previous spots who understand the coach and the system.
East Stroudsburg: defensive coordinator Brent Pry
Idaho State: special teams/defense consultant Larry Lewis
Kansas State: tight ends coach Ricky Rahne, director of football administration Kevin Threlkel
Maryland: assistant A.D./performance enhancement Dwight Galt, chief of staff Jemal Griffin, safeties coach Tim Banks
Vanderbilt: wide receivers coach Josh Gattis, defensive line coach Sean Spencer, running backs coach/special teams coordinator Charles Huff, director of football operations Michael Hazel, director of player personnel, Andy Frank, special teams/recruiting assistant for quality control Sam Williams, asst. director of performance enhancement Chuck Losey
Fordham (via Moorhead): offensive grad assistant Mark Dupuis, offensive analyst Will Reinman
THE TIME CARD
It was early April in 2014, and Franklin was talking with a pair of folks in his Lasch Building office. One was from the World Wide Leader. The other was me.
The huge office was mostly bare, as Franklin had spent the first three months on the job hiring staff (mostly from Vanderbilt), recruiting players (including a couple verbal commits from Vanderbilt, most notably Trace McSorley and Grant Haley) and prepping and then holding his first set of spring drills.
“It will take at least three years to figure things out here,’ he said, almost prophetically. ‘How to get things done, who the right people here are, what what we need to get things in place.’
It would be many more months before Franklin and his family would move into their new home and unpack their belongings. But they — and the coach — are now settled.
Penn State football is too.
