Too many obstacles in the way to become consistently elite

By Cory Giger

sports@altoonamirror.com

No, Penn State will not become a consistently elite program. Why? Let me count the ways.

1. James Franklin is not a good enough coach. He beats up on weaker competition but is 1-14 against the top five and 3-18 against the top 10. Mic drop.

But if you need more …

2. To become elite, consistently, means winning multiple playoff games most years. Penn State should be able to win a first-round game a lot of years, especially when it’s at home. That gets you in the final eight, which is very good.

But the elite barometer would come in a second playoff game.

This year, as the playoff rankings currently stand, the Lions would have to beat Georgia in the second round. Does anyone really think PSU would beat Georgia? If so, give me a call so I can sell you some luxurious ocean front property in Arizona.

3. If the team doesn’t take the step to elite this season, there’s a good chance for a dropoff next year. Drew Allar, the two running backs, Tyler Warren and Abdul Carter may all be gone.

Even if Allar stays, the wide receiver situation still might be hot garbage, so why should we expect anything more from the QB or passing game?

4. Will Franklin ever learn to stop hiring offensive coordinators from the Big 12? Mike Yurcich was lousy, and Andy Kotelnicki’s offense is a fraud to me. Too cutesy and not enough substance going up against elite competition.

5. Whenever Franklin is done, there’s no guarantee the next coach will even be as good as he’s been at Penn State.

6. PSU is the eighth or ninth best football program in the country. Consistently. There’s a lot to like about that, and a lot to be proud of. But that’s it — eighth or ninth.

From my view, I see PSU staying around that No. 8 or 9 spot for a long, long time. But taking the next step to get to No. 4 or 5 on any kind of regular basis seems far fetched.

7. Penn State hasn’t been a consistently elite program for 30 years. So, math is on my side here. It’s been 38 years since the last national title — the program dropped off for a few years after that until a great 1991 season — and I’ll make the case that the Lions’ time as consistently elite ended with the tremendous 1994 season.

8. Pennsylvania high school football isn’t what it once was. Recruiting is down in the state compared to decades past. Penn State can dominate the state and still not get enough great players to become consistently elite. The Lions have to crush it recruiting on a national scale, and while they’ve done well, it hasn’t been good enough.

9. Money is a big problem. Now and for the future.

Penn State ranks just outside the top 10 in NIL this year — around $13 million according to one site that tracks that stuff — and the Lions will probably always be well behind the likes of Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and a few others.

The school finds itself in an especially unique situation because of the $700 million renovation to Beaver Stadium. The other programs that are already ahead of Penn State in NIL do not have that kind of financial albatross to deal with, and can focus all of their resources on paying players.

Penn State has received more than $75 million in private donations in recent months. All going toward the stadium, and none to NIL. Can you imagine what the program could do if it had that money to go out and buy players the way Ohio State does?

That’s never going to happen.

10. Lastly, Penn State cannot have 31 varsity sports in a self-sustaining athletic department and expect to make big strides in the NIL and paying players landscape.

The school itself loves offering so many opportunities to college athletes. Great. Awesome. Knock yourself out with pride over all that.

But every single dollar spent on all those sports that do nothing but lose money does and will continue to hurt the football program.

If Penn State wants to get serious about becoming an elite football program, tough decisions would have to be made to trim the fat in the way-oversized athletic department. But that will not happen.

Cory Giger is the host of “Sports Central” weekdays from 4-5 on 96.1 Hank FM.