As Penn State coach James Franklin negotiated a new 10-year contract this season, there were plenty of things that likely didn’t make the press release or the publicly available terms.
For example, for as long as Franklin has been at Penn State he has pushed for change both in terms of the physical infrastructure and the philosophical approach the university and athletic department takes when thinking about football.
The speed – or the lack thereof – at which Penn State institutionally reacts to sudden change (coaching rumors, potential for assistants to take different jobs) has long been one of the bigger sticking points for Franklin both publicly and privately. By its own admission the university took seven weeks to negotiate Franklin’s newest deal, an endless amount of time in a world that can change with an announcement on New Years’ Eve. If anything was a testament to likelihood Franklin may have never truly wanted to leave in the first place for USC or LSU (albeit one might argue with relative ease that Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly are both a cut above Franklin to begin with), it’s the fact he didn’t disappear in the middle of the night on a plane headed somewhere else at any point during those seven weeks, no matter how good or bad Penn State’s season was going.
Franklin’s own slow burn contract negotiations might of be no particular relevance in this moment, but as Penn State positioned itself to retain safety’s coach Anthony Poindexter, and hire new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz – neither situation could be afforded the benefit of a slow and methodical process.
“That’s been probably one of the things that we’ve been working on since I got here – how can we be more streamlined, how can we move quickly?” Franklin said on Friday. “We’re not really in a position where it’s the weekend and people aren’t working on the weekend or things like that. Whether it’s bringing in a transfer student, whether it’s hiring staff, in college football, there’s really not a day of the week or a time of the day where you can say we’re not we’re not open for business.”
In the case of Poindexter, the Virginia alum was among the favorites to land the Cavaliers’ head coaching job, but as talks reportedly escalated, Poindexter announced his intentions to return to Penn State.
“I felt in my soul, I felt that in my heart, that it wasn’t the right time,” Poindexter said on Friday. “So I came back ready to work, I felt like I should come back to Penn State and work for coach.”
Poindexter will work in the interim defensive coordinator role for Penn State’s Outback Bowl appearance while Diaz continues to acclimate to his new surroundings. Penn State does not make assistant coach salaries or compensation public, but it seems more than coincidental that Poindexter went from a viable head coaching candidate to returning to Penn State so abruptly, especially as Penn State found itself on the brink of losing both longtime defensive coordinator Brent Pry and Poindexter in the same offseason.
“So I think we have improved in that area,” Franklin added. “I still think there’s there’s room for growth. And I think, when I talk about competing in every single area, 365 days a year, those those are the type of things I think that’s a really good example. You know, being able to move quickly being able to get a contract in place that people are comfortable with. Obviously, there’s always lawyers involved and those types of things. But I think that is one of many elements that I think we have improved on, but we still we still have we still have room for growth there.”
As for Diaz, the former Miami head coach was let go on December 6th and was Penn State’s defensive coordinator just five days later. It marks the second significant signing of a major coordinator position in as many offseason that Penn State had signed on the dotted line in less than week’s time. Heading into the 2021 season Penn State hired new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich just six days after he and the rest of Texas’ coaching staff were let go.
“After so many years of being in the business, it’s part of the process,” Yurcich said. “It really is and you had to be professional about it. So, as a family, we talked about it. My wife and I and my kids are at an age where they’re the oldest one kind of gets it. So he was involved in some conversations, but you know, we were actually on vacation – just taking a deep breath and really didn’t stress too much about it […] I wasn’t gonna spoil a vacation over it.”
Diaz’s unceremonious and abrupt firing at Miami was the latest and equally consequential hiring that Penn State has made over the past year. Diaz, respected in defensive circles, was likely to be a hot commodity on the coaching market and Penn State moved quickly to make sure he was an asset it could land.
“I just didn’t know what my timetable was and how quickly my thought process was for sort of jumping back [into coaching.] Diaz said on Friday of getting back into coaching after being fired.
“And in fact, even when James first reached out [I was think something might come up after the season ended] … I think that was Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday of last week. And really, by Thursday that was just about it. I think Friday midday was when I think we finally agreed on all the tiny details. [Then] I was here walking out of the State College airport Friday night at 11 p.m. and watching a football practice the next day. That was a whirlwind, that was quite an extraordinary turn of events.”
“What I’m really excited about is coaching defensive football at Penn State University. That’s fun to say out loud. And that’s really what we’re all my folks is that right now.”
Penn State is glad to feel the same way, and can credit increased institutional mobility for the ability to do so.
