Opening Statement
Appreciate everybody coming out. I know it's a big day for you guys as well as us. I hope you were able to get the access and the coverage that helps you do your jobs. Overall, pleased with the class and how it went. I take a lot of pride in the fact that really over nine years we've had very little drama. The older I get, the more I want to avoid drama at all costs.
For the most part, the guys that are supposed to sign have signed. I think that leads to high production and low maintenance team members and then high production and low maintenance leaders and employees later on in life. Very appreciative of the high school coaches and the parents of the young men that decided to sign. Literally, I think we had almost all of the paperwork in by like 7:45 this morning. So at that point, we were just kind of waiting to do the FaceTime calls and things like that. So very pleased with that.
I think overall we were able to really sign a complete class. We like to sign a player at each position every single year so you don't get out of whack in terms of your scholarship numbers and your distribution by position, as well as by year. I think we did a good job of that. I think you guys all know I've been scarred in my past about O-line and D-line depth, and we've continued to make that a focus, and we're in a pretty healthy spot right now after when we first got here and the situation we walked into. So I'm pleased with that.
Probably the biggest difference in this class than years past is the spike of mid-semester graduates. I think that will continue to be a trend across the country. In college football, we've typically been between four and six guys a year, and I think this year we have 11. So that's going to create some real good opportunities for us for spring ball. That will also create some really good opportunities for competition. I think that also obviously increases the chance of being able to come in and compete for a job. Those guys now will be learning and adjusting during the spring and having a chance to really compete during training camp. So excited about that.
I want to thank all the recruiting staff and off the field staff that have been tremendous. Hopefully, you guys will get a chance to interact with most of them. I want to thank our players. I think that's an area that we're getting better and we need to get better because the reality is, as most of these guys are not committing to the coaches, they're committing to the players and the teammates, and I think our players continue to grow in that area and are taking it personal that guys from their high schools or guys from their areas or states, or in some cases countries, are going in there. Canada is starting to turn into the northern tip of Pennsylvania from a recruiting perspective and has been great.
Overall, I'm pleased. As you guys know, we're already started on the next class, and that was a part of today as well. We've got practice tomorrow, so that's kind of unusual. That's not usually the situation you're in, but with the early signing period and the dead period and the Bowl game we're going to play in, we'll get going with practice tomorrow now that we're getting through this exam period. So open it up to questions.
Q. Hey, James, how are you today? You touched a little bit on the early enrollees. Can you talk about how important it is, when you have a class this size, to get guys in early. I would imagine it's a logistical kind of nightmare if you have 27 kids coming in in late June.
JF: I think the reality is it's not something we promote. I think a lot of schools now, from what I'm being told from high school coaches, they're really pushing it. In some cases, they're not going to take a guy unless he's a mid-semester grad. That's not really the case with us. I'm a big believer that, in some situations, it's ideal, but it's a major transition. You go from being a high school student to a college student within three days. It's like that [snaps fingers]. So it's very little time to transition, and guys have to be ready for that. Guys have to want to be in that situation. I don't think it's something that you can push or pressure.
But I do think, obviously, there's some advantages, especially for a mature young man and a guy who's a really strong student and in a really good situation, it makes sense. So it will be great for spring ball, it will be great for the winter workouts, it will be great for some of the competitive things. It does help. Obviously, with less guys coming in the summer, we're really pushing to try to get as many guys here for the summer one as much as possible because that gives us an extra five to six weeks with them. We think that's important. Sometimes the graduation dates in the Northeast don't really align for that, so we're working on that.
I'd actually say it's probably more problematic now than it is in the summer because, in terms of making sure there's enough dorm rooms available and getting guys to move out. You know, obviously, we've got guys that are going to get done and graduate and play in the Bowl game and then move on but they haven't moved out of their space and we need guys to move in.
It's actually pretty challenging because these guys are going to be moving in before our guys get back from break. So it is different for us. I think it's also different for the university. So kind of trying to work through some of those things me and Sandy and Scott and Kevin were talking about these things yesterday, some of the things we've got to navigate.
But overall, I think for the guys who are doing it there's a real advantage, and obviously for us as a program there's a real advantage too.
Q. I just wanted to ask about Theo Johnson. Obviously, a highly touted guy. He delayed his commitment, verbal a little bit. What was that process like from your end, and what do you think he can bring to your team?
JF: I think Theo [Johnson] and his family, I think they handled the process really well. They took their time. They made sure, once they made a decision, that they were done. That's really kind of our advice to guys. I'd rather you not commit than commit and change your mind. They were great about it. We developed a really strong relationship with the family, mom as well as his brothers as well as his high school coach and really a bunch of people in that community.
Tyler Bowen did a fantastic job of recruiting him. He was relentless on it. He's done a great job of converting our tight end position into a position of strength in the program. I think, at the end of the day, Theo was comfortable here. I think, on top of that, he saw the success in this offense, guys like Mike Gesicki and now Pat Freiermuth, and I thought [Nick] Bowers had a great year. With Bowers graduating and moving on, there's some opportunities to come in and compete.
What I love is we're in a situation where we're healthy as a program and guys are really committing to come in and compete. We're not a program that offers and tells guys that you're going to play as a true freshman. We tell them we're going to come in and compete for jobs. If you're good enough, you'll play, and if you're not, you won't, where I think some programs are making promises and things like that. We don't do that.
These guys are committing to come in and compete at Penn State. They're coming in to compete in the classroom. They're coming in here to really grow as individuals and help our program grow.
So Theo was a big one for us in more ways than one -- really talented guy, 6-6, 235 pounds, can run. I think we were one of the first schools to offer him. We had him in camp. We've just been able to develop a really good relationship. So we think he's got a very bright future.
Q. Your quarterback that's coming in, Micah Bowens, what sold you and the staff on him? When [former offensive coordinator] Ricky [Rahne] departed last week, how did that get handled with a quarterback recruit so close to Signing Day?
JF: That's one of the things I'm pretty proud of is we're to a point now where we have some changes like that, obviously, losing an offensive coordinator in Ricky Rahne. Couldn't be happier for him, but really no one flinched. We communicated on the front end when the interview process was going on. I communicated it with all of the recruits and their parents, or our staff did. When guys came up on visits, I talked about it and was very transparent about it.
So I think it's a really good sign of a healthy program. Guys are leaving for really good opportunities, and for us being transparent and open with the recruits, and no one flinched. So I think it's a really good sign, a really good sign of respect. We're going to go out and hire a really good guy to come in and continue us climbing and growing to where we want to go. So I think that's been great.
Micah [Bowens] is a guy we identified very early on as a dynamic playmaker coming from a big time high school program. Also, very impressed with his maturity. It's amazing how many red-eyes he jumped on by himself to fly all the way across the country to come to camp or come to games. Pretty impressive as a high school-aged student. Can make plays with his feet, can make plays with his arm, can make plays with his mind.
I think the one knock on Micah or maybe two is he's not 6-3, but I would say Micah saw probably some Trace McSorley in himself. I think these guys watch certain programs and they look at certain players and say, will my game translate? So I think Trace helped with that. He's got a little bit of a long release. He kind of winds it up a little bit, but the ball jumps off his hand.
We were able to evaluate him in person as well as off of game film, and we're excited. We think he's got tremendous upside, and his family's been great too.
Q. You mentioned a couple of times today, possibly with each of the recruits, addressing the 3 1/2 years and then the NFL thing. Was there -- did you feel like you needed to re-emphasize the education part this time around? You seemed to mention that more this time around than I felt, I guess more than in recent years.
JF: Yeah, probably. I think each year I kind of have a message I want to get across. What I've noticed is it seems like every kid that commits, not just to Penn State, but all over the country, they're all saying I'm committing to Penn State for three to four years. So they're already, in my mind, putting a lot of pressure on themselves, or people are putting a lot of pressure on them that it's going to go a certain way.
What I've realized is the journey is different for everybody. I want our guys to come in and have the mentality they're going to leave here with a master's degree and that they're going to be Academic All-Americans. The reality is that a bachelor's degree from Penn State is wonderful. It is. A bachelor's degree is not a differentiator in our country anymore, so making sure our guys understand a master's degree gives you the ability to do that, and if Penn State is going to pay for it -- I think Jan Johnson is a perfect model for that.
So I just want them to focus on those things. They're probably a lot more controllable, those types of goals and objectives, and the reality is they do what they're supposed to do, the football will take care of themselves. There will come a time where we'll sit down and have a conversation about those other opportunities, but if they spend their focus on trying to get a master's degree, trying to be an Academic All-American and winning Big Ten Championships and fighting for national championships, there will come a point when that next conversation is appropriate, and we'll have it.
I just know everybody's journey is different. Everybody thinks their journey is going to go like Saquon Barkley's. Most don't. There's the Troy Apkes of the world as well, there's the [Nick] Bowers of the world and all the stories in between. In my 24 years, I try to treat people and have discussions and try to educate people on how, if they were my sons, I would talk to them.
So that's been my approach, and it's something that probably hit home with me that you guys saw the end discussion, but that was all conversations that were had on the official visit with the entire group and with these individuals in the home visits as well in terms of their mentality coming in here.
Q. You mentioned how you want to see all the guys compete, you're not going to promise anything, those sorts of things. You guys added a lot of receivers in this class. What do you think about the receivers that you signed?
JF: We obviously think very highly of them. There's a lot of different body types. There's a lot of different skills. Some of them, we look at at specific positions like slots, some of them we look at being multiple position guys, but guys that are going to be able to come in and compete.
I think we've got two guys coming in at mid-semester, which will be great for those guys to come in, in Jaden Dottin and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, which will be great, continue the competition at that position and in that room. Obviously, we'll have some guys that will show up in the summer that will do the same thing.
And then obviously, we're waiting to hear on some decisions in terms of guys with the NFL. That's the hardest part. It's probably the hardest it's ever been of trying to project where your numbers are going to be because you've got not only the NFL aspect but you've got the transfer portal aspect of it. So it's different than it's ever been.
I do think you're going to see some changes probably sooner than later in terms of the hard cap and in terms of transfers because you've got a bunch of programs all over the United States that have no chance of getting back to 85 with a recruiting class. So I think everybody identifies that's going to be problematic and that's going to be challenging. So I think you're going to see some rule changes probably sooner rather than later in some flexibility with the transfer portal and being able to take transfers and maybe not count as initials and against your hard cap. So we'll see how that plays out.
Q. I got to ask about the people up top there, Andy [Frank], Destiny [Rodriguez], Seth [Reedy], graphics crew. What all goes behind that? How much credit do they deserve that kind of goes under the rug? The assistants get a lot of credit, you, of course, but they put a lot of work in too.
JF: They should get most of the credit. They really should. They have been phenomenal. I probably don't tell them enough, and they need to hear how invaluable they have been. A tireless work ethic. The hours on official weekend visits are brutal. They're up for 72 straight hours running in different directions, all of the organization that leads up to it as well. We want to make sure that everybody who comes on campus has a total first class experience, and they're the people that have done it.
Like you mentioned, the head coach gets too much credit. The assistant coaches probably get too much credit, and those people have been phenomenal. So I'm glad you guys are going to get a chance to visit with all of them because they have been fantastic, and they are a huge part of not only the success today, but also the success that we'll have on Saturdays because of how they've handled the process and how involved they've been.
So as the head football coach, I can't thank them enough for all their hard work and their commitment to the program and the commitment to the university and very appreciative. So I'm happy that you guys will get a chance to spend some time with all of them because they've got great stories to tell.
Q. When we talked four or five years ago, the question was practice depth, it was playable depth and things like that. When ideally you have answers to things you have to replace already on your roster, when you go out and recruit, how does that change now versus where you were a few years ago, just in terms of what that objective is when you're looking for a player?
JF: I think what's great is, again, we're very up front about the depth charts, about where we're at. I know there's programs that are telling guys you'll come in and start. We didn't do that six years ago when we probably could have. It's about coming and competing.
So what's great about these guys is they're all committing and signing to come in here into a healthy program and knowing they're going to have to earn everything they get, and I think that's a great situation to be in for them and for us.
So although the circumstances are different, how we have sold it really hasn't changed. I think, obviously, we've got a different story to tell now with the success that we've had over the last four years, and it's about taking that next step and continuing to chip away at it. I think we continue to do that.
Some of these guys we'll be talking about next year, and there's going to be a handful of guys that will have made a significant impact, and there's going to be another group of these guys that we're excited about. They're kind of marinating and redshirting and developing and growing and working hard, that we're excited about their futures.
So it will be interesting to see, with 11 guys coming in at mid-semester, how many of those guys will factor in for us. I would think a fairly high percentage. And then there's going to be some guys that show up in the summer that still are able to find a way to compete and compete early. Should be fun. Should be exciting.
Q. Building off that last question, linebacker is a spot that you guys had troubles with numbers a couple of years ago, and now all of a sudden you've got Micah [Parsons] and a nice little run, you added Curtis [Jacobs] and Tyler [Elsdon] to that mix. Where is the standard at for this linebacker position right now, and how have you built that over the last couple of years?
JF: Yeah, and one guy you skipped over is Zuriah [Fisher] too. Three guys that we're really excited about. I think there's position flexibility for all of those guys. I think Curtis [Jacobs] could play all three linebackers. For us, not only in college football, but in the NFL, you want linebackers that can play every down.
It's interesting having conversations with Jason Cabinda and some of the conversations we've had with him in terms of the number of inside linebackers that NFL organizations are carrying with the way the game has changed and getting in the spread and those types of things, and having a guy like Curtis, who you think can play all three linebacker positions, I think is really valuable.
Tyler Elsdon, I think, is a throwback. He's a guy that earned it. Senior year film is tremendous, came to camp going into his senior year, did a great job. He's a lot more athletic than I think people realize. Put up great numbers for us in camp.
And Zuriah, he's a hammer. He's 255. He's been as big as 260 and can run. Although when you hear those numbers, you say, well, maybe a mike linebacker or an inside linebacker only, but you watch him make plays on the ball with interceptions and fumble recoveries and scoop and scores and those types of things. We love the class.
There's no doubt that Coach [Brent] Pry has done a great job taking LBU and saying we're going to continue to recruit and develop towards that and hopefully take it to a whole 'nother level. But we really want to get to the point where it's not just LBU, it's D-line U, it's DBU, it's all those different positions.
But we think it's a great class. Obviously, I think Curtis gets a lot of attention because some people have him ranked as the highest recruit in the class, but we really feel really strongly about all those guys. You guys are going to love to watch these guys compete over the next four or five years, and you're going to love these guys as well because they're a great fit for the university and for the campus.
Q. James, you mentioned Canada a little bit earlier. How has recruiting Canada for you evolved since you first got here? You see that territory as having the potential to supply at least one player to Penn State every season? Is it that talent rich at this point?
JF: Yeah. I don't know if one player we'd consider talent rich, but I get your point. Obviously, the population, the proximity, all those things make a whole lot of sense. Then it's like anything else. You go to Alabama and get a player and he has success here, it helps going back next time. Same thing with Canada. We're kind of at a little bit of a run.
Jesse Luketa is a very prideful guy in everything he does, so if there's a guy in Canada we want, he takes it personal, very similar to P.J. Mustipher at his high school. We keep signing the guy every year. P.J. was the first one. He's very proud of that. Then you get Dvon [Ellies], and then you get Curtis [Jacobs]. We hope that continues.
That kind of goes back to the point we were making about our players. Our players taking great pride, if they're from New Jersey, they're going to help us get the next great player out of New Jersey or Maryland or D.C. or wherever it may be, and Canada has really turned into that as well. Whether that's going and getting guys directly from Canada, or we also have some transplants, some guys from Canada who have moved down here like Jesse has, like Jesse did, and that process.
As you guys know, I looked at some of the other programs in the state like Temple and Pitt and looked at what they've signed out of the state. There's less and less players than there was probably 20 years ago. So we continue, we must do a great job in the state of Pennsylvania. That will always be priority number one. And then, obviously, it goes to the region, which we're going to have to do a really good job. Then we're going other places, whether that is Canada, whether that is Germany, whether that is Nevada, whether that is Florida. I think you guys have seen how our recruiting has changed probably from the previous regime to us and really from maybe the first couple years that we got here to more recent.
So we're excited about it, but we're going to continue and need to do a really good job there and be creative and be willing to solve problems.
Q. You said in Chicago back in July that you thought you had room for 30 and ended up with 27. Do you still feel good about being able to add more in February if you find guys that fit your program? And beyond that, how hard is it to manage those numbers? And does the open and transparent part, your answer about Ricky [Rahne], also apply to keeping kids in the loop about where you're at numbers-wise?
JF: That's hard to tell. We're still waiting to hear on some NFL guys, what their plans are. A lot of them have communicated, we probably have more guys coming back than maybe we anticipated before the year started, which is great, which is great. We've got guys that had NFL grades that could have left early, and they're staying, and I think that's a tremendous statement because they like what's going on. They're happy. And we have unfinished business.
On top of that, they're going to be able to hopefully better their situation as well. So it's really a win-win for everybody when handled the right way. But I do. I think it's probably more challenging than it's ever been, not just at Penn State, but anywhere, and being aggressive and trying to get to that 85. That's where I said I think there's going to be some rule changes and things like that.
Q. With the Lackawanna guys, those JuCo transfers, do you feel when they get in here, because I know you've had a few in the past, do you feel, when they get in here, you can put more on their plate or they're further along or anything like that?
JF: Yeah, obviously, they're older, more mature guys and things like that. We really feel like we are blessed and fortunate to have a program like Lackawanna Junior College in our own state. How they have won, how the academic course work at Lackawanna transfers into Penn State, obviously, there's a lot of familiarity there.
Then, obviously, for us there wasn't great history and tradition between the two institutions, which made no sense to me. I've known Coach [Mark] Duda for a long time, all the way back to my Maryland days because he's a Maryland grad, and it just makes too much sense for both. So we'd like to sign the best players out of Lackawanna every single year. They have a bunch of them. It's something that we're committed to doing. We kind of look at it very similar to signing the best players out of the state from a high school perspective. We look at Lackawanna although, obviously, all their players aren't just from Pennsylvania. I think that's a real advantage.
Then I think, in terms of things on their plate, it's still probably a similar learning curve for most of them in terms of the playbook and academic adjustments and all those types of things, but obviously, they're just older, more mature players. They probably have a little bit more of a sense of urgency because most of them have at least two years, but no more than three years.
So just like [Anthony] Whigan, we had the ability to redshirt him this year, so he's got a chance now to have two real dominant years. [Jaquan] Brisker was ready to come in and play right away, and we'll see where these guys are at. Both of them are three for two guys, so if they're ready to play, we need them to contribute, and if not, we still have the flexibility to redshirt them, get them further along academically, get them in the weight room, and then let them compete for two years after that.
So we'll just see how it plays out, but we're excited for them.
Q. I'm looking back at the Lasch Bash over the last couple of years, and it seems like that's been a very successful event for you. A couple dozen guys have committed over the years. Is there something different about that event? Is it one of the more important ones for you guys?
JF: I think you could look at Lasch Bash and look at camp, the number of guys we have that commit to us every single year that have been to camp, whether that's been to camp to get an offer or whether that's committed and still come to camp anyway, I think that's one of the more impressive things is we've got guys that have committed and they come to camp to get better and they come to camp to work with their position coach. I think that and the Lasch Bash are tied together.
I think what makes the Lasch Bash a little bit special. I wouldn't necessarily say it's unique. A lot of people are doing things similar. But for us it's not that day of hammering them with information. It's about really just kind of coming up and enjoying themselves and them getting around our families and getting around our kids and kind of a more relaxed environment. I think it's important because this process, it can be challenging. It's a huge decision. So a lot of times, when they're just getting hammered with information all the time, it can get heavy.
So having kind of a light day where they can just come up and enjoy themselves and have some food and get with their parents and get with us and get with the other recruits, I think is really valuable. I think that's when you have a chance to do something special is when the recruits and the commitments are recruiting each other. That's when you really are able to start to build some momentum and things like that. So I think that's where it kind of jumps out to me is just that time that you get to spend together.
Q. You may have noticed over the season there was some curiosity about your running backs depth chart. You got two Top 10 running back recruits coming in. I have to imagine it takes a certain kind of prospect personality to dive into a room like that, knowing that all four of those top guys are eligible to return. What did you learn about Caziah [Holmes] and Keyvone [Lee] through the process and their willingness to see what you've got going on and still say I'm coming to campus? What stands out about both those guys? How do they contrast?
JF: It's a couple of things. Number one, you're getting guys at all the positions; I think running back is a really good example, to your point, that embrace competition. They're not going somewhere looking for kind of an easy path. They want to come in and compete.
I think there's also the aspect, to be honest with you, though, of the wear and tear on the position. So, if you've got guys that you can split the reps up with, that take some of that wear and tear off them, because it's a negative on the other end. Some of these guys that have played so many reps before they ever get to the league, that's a negative too. So, you can make both arguments.
You look right now, I think people see what Saquon [Barkley] is able to do and what Miles [Sanders] is doing. We couldn't be more proud and that's two very different situations. When Saquon got here where we were as a program and then what Miles signed up for. I think Miles is probably the model right now. Look what Miles was able to do being in a situation with Saquon here. He had an unbelievable attitude, did everything right, kept preparing, kept doing all these things, ended up having, obviously, a really good career here, and then killed the combine from a testing perspective, killed the combine from an interview perspective and look at his production.
So it's really good for running backs to say there's all these different possible paths for me to come to Penn State and achieve. I think we're building a reputation, kind of we're talked about as "LBU". We keep going in this trajectory, there could be people in a couple of years talking about us as "RBU". I love it. I love when guys never ask you about the depth chart during the recruiting process.
I'm not saying it's a negative when people do ask about it, but my point is, guys understand, if you're going to go to a school that you want to compete at the highest level for conference championships, for National Championships and all those types of things, you're going to have to compete wherever you go. The top programs are recruiting the best players in the country year after year after year, and if you expect to compete in the NFL, then you'd better learn to compete on a college campus.
I love that guys are embracing that and not fearing that.
Q. I talked to Coach [Gerad] Parker over the summer, and he mentioned, when talking about what he looked for in a receiver, that rebounding skill, to be able to go up and get the ball. Just looking quickly on film, most of the guys seem to have that ability at the high school level. Is that something that you and he talked about? How do you feel he's put his stamp on that position in the short time he's been here?
JF: Yeah, we talked a lot about not only wide receivers but also defensive backs. I know this sounds obvious, but the priority is on elite ball skills, elite athletes that play multiple sports like basketball and things like that. Guys that can make plays. Although you've got different body types, obviously, Malick Meiga is a guy that we think can do that and showed that in camp. He did a really good job for us in camp, and did it at 6'4", 195 pounds.
But to be honest with you, the other end of the spectrum, we've got Parker Washington, not the biggest guy, but watch his tape. He's like a vacuum. Anything in this area, he's catching. One hand catches, crazy catches, and you're going to look at him when he shows up. He looks like a running back. He is physically developed.
KeAndre [Lambert-Smith], I think, had the fastest shuttle time in the country at some of the combines and then you watch his tape, tremendous playmaker after he gets the ball in his hands and things like that.
Norval Black, I think he averaged 70 yards a catch, some ridiculous stat. Obviously, that's an exaggeration, but his yards per catch was freaky. So there's just a lot of guys with different backgrounds and different skill sets that we want to plug in and compete.
I think the other part of it is recruiting tight ends that have the frame to grow into lines, that can line up on the line, hand in the dirt and block the defensive ends in this league. But then, also guys that we feel like we can shift out and play in the slot and create matchup things like [Mike] Gesicki was able to do and like [Nick] Bowers and the combination of what Pat Freiermuth is doing. So the flexibility is really important.
Then, being able to recruit running backs that you can throw to out of the backfield as well, which I think we got better in that area over the last couple years offensively. Finding different ways to get the ball in the running backs' hands. That's one of the areas that Miles is just killing it right now. So that's great to see.
So just happy, happy for our program, happy for our guys and happy for guys like Miles that are going on and doing some great things at the next level.