UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – James Franklin met with the media on Tuesday afternoon at Beaver Stadium following a fast-paced offseason that featured exciting new personnel and player additions for Penn State.
Franklin shared his thoughts on hiring three new coordinators who bring Power 5 success and championship pedigree to Happy Valley with spring ball on the horizon.
Tom Allen Continues The DC Tradition
Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen and Franklin spent a week talking with one another across in-person meetings and phone calls to build a rapport and a sense of comfortability. That process allowed the duo to create trust with one another and gave Franklin full confidence with who he was bringing in.
Franklin shared how Allen understands Penn State's defensive identity and scheme that placed the Nittany Lions as one of the most dominant units in the nation last season. Franklin also learned through that interview process that Allen's defensive values aligned with Penn State's which has built a storied history predicated on stifling defenses.
Allen brings an extensive winning pedigree and Big Ten experience to Penn State which Franklin viewed as valuable when looking to fill the spot. Allen won the 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year and was the catalyst for developing elite defenses who can create havoc and generate turnovers. These accolades impressed Franklin who indicated that Allen has embraced the culture of Penn State.
"We wanted to find somebody that philosophically aligned with what we've done, understood our personnel, understood the conference, understood where we've been and where we need to go, and also spent enough time talking through all those things, and were comfortable," Franklin said. "I think that's a big part of our interview process. We try not to leave any stone unturned. We try to talk about everything. Just like we try to do in the recruiting process, we don't sell people on a dream or a vision. We talk through the reality of where we are and what we need to do."
Blending A Dynamic Offense and Defense
Kotelnicki cultivated one of the most explosive offenses in the country during his tenure as the Kansas offensive coordinator and brings a dynamic style of offense to a Penn State program that has a plethora of weapons.
The dynamic duo of junior running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen paired with talented senior tight end Tyler Warren and an experienced wide receiving corps will allow Kotelnicki to "have enough flexibility within your system to play to the strengths of your roster."
Junior Drew Allar ranks third all time at Penn State in completion percentage and is one of two quarterbacks in FBS history to throw for 25 or more touchdowns and less than two interceptions. Franklin shared that an offense who can protect the football will pair well with a defense who ranked first in turnover ratio in 2023.
"We were number one in the country in turnover ratio, which is a team stat but our offense did a great job of protecting the football," Franklin said. "What you're obviously trying to do is marry those two things: the protection of the football on offense, the explosive plays from Kansas, the ability to use different personnel groups that I think is a strength of ours, combined with what Andy did at Kansas. That's where I think it made sense to him and made sense to us. Obviously, as we all know, again, the explosive plays were a big, big part of that."
Embracing a New Veteran Core
Franklin prioritized both veteran and underclassman transfers who have a level of "familiarity and comfort" with Penn State and the entire coaching staff. This ideology led to a talented group of impactful transfers who've played extensively at the major football level.
Two transfers who Franklin recruited during their high school days are making their return home to the Keystone State. Former No. 1 Pennsylvania wideout product Julian Fleming and 6-foot-8 offensive lineman Nolan Rucci bring an understanding of what it's like to play Big Ten football and fit the mold Franklin was looking for.
Redshirt senior defensive back Jalen Kimber and sophomore defensive back AJ Harris bring SEC experience after playing at Florida and Georgia, respectively. Kimber and Harris are set to join an already exciting blend of corners like junior Cam Miller and sophomores Zion Tracy and Elliott Washington III. These four new pieces have already found a home in Happy Valley in a group that's embraced them already.
"I hear it constantly from our high school recruits as well as the transfer portal guys, our current players do a really good job of embracing those guys and putting their arms around them, kind of teaching them how we operate and how we do things around here," Franklin said. "I think that's been really good. Nolan [Rucci], Julian [Fleming], a lot of those guys, Kimber and AJ [Harris], I think that's gone really well. I think there's a lot of excitement about that group."