Mailbag
Talking elite and getting there are different
Is the glass half empty or half full for Penn State with James Franklin’s new contract?
While the contract keeps Franklin in tow for awhile now it also deprives the Penn State faithful of seeing an elite coach.
It would be nice to think that a nationally recognized or relevant coach might be leading the football program one day, but sadly the Penn State fan base won’t get that opportunity anytime soon.
They certainly don’t have a nationally recognized or relevant head coach in Franklin.
Those coaches mentioned in Neil Rudel’s column are recognizable because they consistently produce winning programs that are elite.
They don’t have to talk about being elite because they are. Franklin only talks about being elite. You earn the elite title based on performance and victories over an extended period of time.
Franklin will always be in line for a participant’s trophy but never a national championship trophy.
Will Walk
Spring, Texas
Franklin has taken PSU as far as he’s going to
James Franklin doesn’t have the answers. That should be apparent after eight years.
I was in favor of his hiring by Penn State. I still think it was the right thing to do at the time.
But he clearly has taken the program as far as he can.
I am stunned that Sandy Barbour and the Board of Trustees feel he can suddenly become something he isn’t.
Or maybe they are just content with eight-win seasons because he is a “good representative” of the university.
Rick Weber
Fort Myers, Florida