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Penn State Football: Five Questions for James Franklin Ahead of Big Ten Media Days

James Franklin is set to take the podium at noon on Wednesday for Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, where he’ll be flanked by player representatives safety Ji’Ayir Brown, quarterback Sean Clifford and defensive tackle PJ Mustipher.

While conference media days often can become a rehash of old news retold to new people, occasionally it is chance to get new information, insight and opinions from Franklin a week or so ahead of the program’s own media day. With that in mind, here are five questions or storylines for Franklin that could offer some new insight as the Nittany Lions quickly race toward the start of fall camp.

Clifford’s talk with Big Ten:

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford recently met with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren to discuss player medical care, revenue sharing and other student-athlete-related topics in an effort to open a dialogue with the conference about improved representation and benefits. It’s hard to tell how much the meeting was an exercise in futility or a genuine moment between players and conference. In any case, what does Franklin think of the meeting? It’s hard to argue that Clifford’s topics of interest aren’t important, and it’s hard to imagine that Franklin is ever going to vocalize any negative thoughts about the meeting. All the same it’s hard to deny that Clifford has been doing a million things as of late and there are probably mixed emotions that come along with that ahead of a big season for Penn State. As an aside, it’s interesting to wonder what Clifford sees his future as. Is it playing football, or simply being in the business of football? He’s laying the groundwork for both at this point.

NIL plans:

Penn State is not terribly public about money that it receives for various projects and improvements until those projects are announced, but it still would be interesting to hear more about where the program is with name, image and likeness heading into the fall. The program likely is still behind some of the national leaders in the marketplace of NIL, but big donor funding could help jumpstart improved strides in that area. Penn State only has so many willing donors with meaningful money to spare — how has Franklin done cultivating relationships with them so deep into his tenure but so early in a new financial landscape? The sooner he can get the money on board with the plan, Penn State could start to win some of the recruiting battles it has lost in the name of NIL. You won’t win them all, but Penn State won’t win at the level it wants to without success in the NIL realm. That starts with money.

Patrick Kraft:

New Athletic Director Patrick Kraft has been on the job long enough to have a much better lay of the land than he did on Day 1, so how does Franklin think it’s going so far? It’s unlikely that Franklin will offer much up other than general praise for his new boss, but any insight into their vision for the future and how they might go about attacking that vision would be interesting. Kraft is paired with Franklin to help Penn State improve in the NIL market and how that plan is coming together on a unified front will be a big part of its success. Time will tell if Kraft can get the department’s big plans and ideas off the ground, but the first step is making sure everyone is on the same page. As Franklin used to say, is everyone pulling the rope in the same direction? He may not say much to the contrary, but Franklin’s comments about his boss – previously Sandy Barbour – were often best read between the lines. The same could eventually be true for his relationship with Kraft, too.

Oh yes, the team:

For all the things that are going on this summer, it seems like it has been a good while since anyone has asked Franklin about the actual team. This is usually an area where reading between the lines can bring the most value, and really listening to the words he chooses can bring out a true answer. Franklin probably thinks the defense is solid, the offense has the pieces but that the offensive line will need to stay healthy and play well for Penn State to really have a chance this season. This is the time of year when Franklin starts to manage expectations and how he begins that process will tell everyone a lot about what sort of year he’s excepting the Nittany Lions to have — even if he doesn’t say it outright.

USC/UCLA:

It’s impossible to really know what college football ls going to look like in 2024, but assuming the world is still spinning and football is still being played, USC and UCLA are set to join the Big Ten. How does Franklin think that impacts Penn State? The logistical questions are plenty when it comes to the logistics of playing a team across the country every single year, but so too are the recruiting challenges — and opportunities — that come with opening the west to the Big Ten in a more formal way. In some regards, Penn State is already a national brand and cities like LA are already the table for Franklin and company to recruit, but does that change for the better or worse with two more Big Ten teams now in the region as well? The TV deal will only improve with these two LA schools joining the fold and maybe in the end that’s all that really matters right now.