Interesting take on Penn State Recruiting. Personally I thing PSU miss on a lot of District 1 kids.
Before they heard their names called within the first 12 picks of the 2021 NFL Draft, Micah Parsons (Harrisburg High School) and Kyle Pitts (Archbishop Wood) played against one another in a Pennsylvania Class 5A state championship game.
Two of the freakiest athletes in the draft were two of Pennsylvania’s top prospects in the 2018 cycle, with Parsons taking the top spot in the 247Sports Composite and Pitts fourth. It’s a perfect example of the kind of high-end talent that can come out of the state of Pennsylvania, and it makes it easy to understand why James Franklin’s Penn State introductory news conference in 2014 is best remembered for his vow to “dominate the state.”
Penn State is doing just that in the 2022 cycle, with a group ranked No. 2 nationally as of July 13, but this comes after clear shortcomings in 2021, when the state was loaded with talent but Penn State signed just one player within the top 10. The Nittany Lions watched as Ohio State signed two, Wisconsin one, LSU one, Clemson one, Florida one, Pitt two and Texas A&M one. Penn State’s staff adjusted, as it started offering players earlier and had some tough conversations with high schools it needed to mend relationships with. It also hasn’t been shy about sending out recruiting graphics this cycle with the phrase “The Best in PA stay in PA.”
To better understand the Nittany Lions’ place in this fascinating state, The Athleticinterviewed four high school football coaches from notable programs in the Keystone State. Their responses were kept confidential to allow them to speak candidly.
Here’s the panel:
Coach 1: Head coach in the Philadelphia area
Coach 2: Head coach in the Pittsburgh area
Coach 3: Head coach in the Philadelphia area
Coach 4: Head coach in the Philadelphia suburbs
How would you describe the way Penn State recruits your players?
Coach 1: James (Franklin) and I haven’t even spoken since I took over as head coach. He FaceTimes my players as we’re getting ready to go out for practice, but I haven’t spoken to him. Now, I speak to all of his assistants. … It’s not a knock; I think it’s the way of the world. … Penn State being who they are, they try to get as much talent as they possibly can from a national level, but what people have to put into perspective is they’re recruiting the entire country but I think they’ve always tried to stay near and dear to the backyard. … They’ve done a very good job of really recruiting on a local level and trying to stay really to their roots and keeping any top local talent from leaving the state as much as they can. But it’s gotten very competitive. … If they were going to have more success on a local level, there’s got to be a level of importance when you look at the Philadelphia market and the surrounding areas of eastern Pennsylvania, because the pocket of talent is off the charts.
Coach 2: The No. 1 factor is (cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordinator) Terry Smith. Terry knows a lot of people. … When you think of James Franklin, I think you have a guy who is very personable and he’s a person who has been very good to our program. … There was a little bit of, you know, “Is he a used car salesmen, a game show host kind of guy?” when he came on board with the, “I’m going to call every head coach in Pennsylvania on the first week on the job” and that kind of thing. … Everybody can be a little skeptical and cynical, but he’s been really good. And when he’s recruited our guys, he’s been really good to them and really thorough. … They did some cool stuff during the pandemic on Zoom talking to people about (a recruit’s) role. I can honestly say that nobody recruited (our players) more aggressively or more thoroughly or more professionally than the Penn State staff.
Coach 3: We found out one day that they were having a junior day and didn’t invite any of our guys, didn’t recruit them or anything like that. This went on probably for another two or three years. …We had a conversation and just kind of put everything out there and then they made a conscious effort to try and recruit our players. They went all in with (graduate assistant Deion Barnes). … They use Deion a lot to try and bridge that gap between Philly and Penn State because for the longest time it just wasn’t there. … Terry (Smith) is always cool, always down to earth. … He just sat there and was like, ‘Tell me what we did wrong. Where can we get better?” We had a conversation. … He was like, “Don’t hold back, just tell us. We’re trying to do better.” They really listened.
Coach 4: There’s never a lull in contact. You don’t go like six or eight months without hearing from somebody on the staff. It’s like there’s always constant communication, and I think that is super helpful because they always know if you have someone, and to check up on people. That’s how they do it with us and they know our guys inside and out, and I think it’s because of the frequency of contact.
Penn State head coach James Franklin grew up in the Philadelphia area. (Mark Alberti / USA Today)
What out-of-state schools recruit Pennsylvania well?
Coach 1: I always look at what are the roots of where a coach is from. Texas A&M currently is recruiting more in the Philadelphia market because they got some guys on staff from that area. Ole Miss is doing the same with a coach who comes from the New Jersey market. … Right now, the University of Florida recruits Philadelphia very well because Kyle Pitts has hit the scene. … My concern if I was Penn State? Greg Schiano is jumping all over this area. All over it. … If Rutgers plays their cards right and just parks themselves and saturates this backyard, there is more than enough talent that they can fill the next two to three classes of prospects and be very, very good and competitive.
Coach 2: When you think of Greg Schiano’s resume, that’s an automatic. … Ohio State for sure too. You’re starting to see more of the programs recruiting nationally. Clemson is aggressive. Oklahoma has been here. Michigan is obviously still very present. Then you still have your five-star type guys where everybody is in. Notre Dame is still paying close attention to Pennsylvania kids, but I think Ohio State is probably the best example of some of the best Pennsylvania kids going across and going there.
Coach 3: West Virginia really gets in here recruiting early and has good ties with the city of Philadelphia. Ole Miss does a great job. … Texas A&M does a good job with (defensive line coach Elijah Robinson) who was at Penn State at one point, so they have great ties. Rutgers does a great job with (secondary coach) Fran Brown, who has ties from when he was at Temple. Georgia does a really good job. They’ve had D’Andre Swift, Mark Webb. They got Tykee Smith, who transferred from West Virginia. They had Ahkil Crumpton, who went to West Catholic then the juco route…. All of those schools might’ve had more Philadelphia kids on their roster currently or in the past few years than Penn State.
Coach 4: Maryland and Rutgers have been super aggressive as far as frequency of contact and trying to get kids to camp. Maryland is offering younger kids to try and build a relationship with them, even in 2024. What they’re doing is offering them so they can build a relationship over the next two or three years. We see a lot of that.
How would you describe the way Pitt recruits your players?
Coach 1: (Pat) Narduzzi is very stubborn when it comes to this side of the state. They will never get away from recruiting the local Pittsburgh market and a little bit of Ohio. They sit there and they’re complacent. They wait for whoever falls from Ohio State to go to Penn State. Whoever falls from Penn State and maybe Michigan is in that mix too, whoever falls from those programs, that’s who they take. … Their recruiter, he’s from Pittsburgh and he stays out there. They’ll call wanting our guys, but that’s it. There’s no relationship.
Coach 2: They recruit them well. They’ve done a very good job when we’ve had guys that fit the criteria and were good enough. Sometimes we all think we have a guy (who is good enough). … It’s subjective. … I think their blueprint is also that they want Florida kids. Get a Florida kid and maybe a Maryland, DC, Virginia kid. They’re not getting to Texas, like Ohio State, or California or something like that. … They’ve done a good job. We just haven’t had a kid go to Pitt yet in my tenure here.
Coach 3: Pitt does a great job. (Cory) Sanders, the DB coach there, recruits our area. Before COVID, he came to the school in the spring multiple times. He comes in the fall and stops by games. He’s present. They offer early and establish early relationships and they’re not shy about it.
Coach 4: It’s different. I have not nearly as much contact with Pitt. … They came out to watch (our star player) after I called them. Actually, I feel like it’s pulling teeth with Pitt just to get feedback, to get responses. It’s not like it is at Penn State. I could pick up the phone and call Terry Smith at Penn State and he’ll answer on the first ring. Or I could call (offensive line coach) Andrew Aurich at Rutgers and he’ll pick up. … It seems like (Pitt) doesn’t want our people.
How would you describe the way Ohio State recruits your players?
Coach 1: Ohio State knows the type of players that we have. … Ohio State is pretty strong. We have a few players that they’re recruiting heavily currently. There’s a freshman, Class of ’24, and the likes of Ohio State look at it like let’s get this individual on the radar and get him on the radar early. … They do a good job from that standpoint then obviously, you know, you got (Ohio State players from the Philadelphia area) Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Coach 3: You gotta be a national-type kid to get on their radar. … When they want you, they’ll put the full-court press on. Their position coach is talking to you most consistently, the coordinator and then the head coach will get on the horn with you. They want you to get on campus and see the campus and stuff like that. If you get to (defensive line coach) Larry Johnson and see his resume, there’s not a whole lot left to say. … They do it well. They got McCord, Harrison, (Julian) Fleming. They’re doing something well in the state.
Coach 4: We don’t hear from them a ton. I can’t even think of our area guy. (Long pause) Oh, it’s Brian Hartline. When (our star player was around), I heard from them a little bit. As far as frequency of contact, I don’t hear from them. I don’t hear from Alabama much either.
What’s the biggest difference between Penn State’s recruiters and Ohio State’s?
Coach 1: I think they’re both very similar. There’s Ohio State, then there’s Penn State, then there’s the rest (in the Big Ten). … Every top player in the country wants to go play at Ohio State. … I think Coach Franklin, the one thing that he is very, very strong at is his recruiting presence. And it’s his energy level because I think that’s a big part of it. Again, I speak candidly, the key word to everything that is done is genuine. If you don’t come across as genuine, these young individuals are smarter than you think.
Coach 2: When it gets down to nut-cut time and we got a guy who is a big-time guy and that school is in the top five, (it’s a revolving door of coaches). We had a week where on Tuesday it was Ryan Day and Brian Kelly. Wednesday it was Jim Harbaugh and Paul Chryst and Dabo Swinney then James Franklin … When you think of the recruiting pitch for most of the interaction, it boils down to the recruiting coach, obviously, and at some point the head coach gets involved. … The first part is who recruits the area, and there are different guys and different guys have different styles of how they go about it. … There’s (special teams coordinator) Matt Barnes from Ohio State and he’s a younger, up-and-coming guy. You also got Terry Smith, who is a little bit older, different background. … Both schools are really good. When it’s James Franklin or Ryan Day, their personalities are different.
Coach 3: Penn State recruits and offers kids late a lot. … Unfortunately, Penn State isn’t looked at to our kids like an Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State. If those guys came in late, it’s like they got your attention. But Penn State — they’re good, but it’s not like a game-changer for a lot of kids.
Five-star St. Joe’s Prep QB Kyle McCord signed with Ohio State in 2021. (Mark Alberti / USA Today)
Have you ever had any of these three schools (Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State) come in and negatively recruit against the other? If so, what was said?
Coach 1: Programs have stopped themselves in the way they deliver to our players and talking about it because that’s a no-no to me. Every program has pros and cons, ours included.
Coach 2: No, I really haven’t. The closest it would come to that is one school saying, “Look Coach, I just want to be upfront. I don’t think that school is a great fit for him and I don’t think he realizes why.” … I’d stop well short of saying it’s like they cheat, they lie. There’s been no true hating on another school.
Coach 3: No, not like outright. … They’ll make little jokes and jabs and stuff like that but nothing seriously where it’s like “wow.” … Just a friendly, “Yeah, we beat those guys this year,” or whatever.
Coach 4: No, really I haven’t. What you’ll get is like a “here’s why we’re better.” It’s like a generalized statement. … It’s a passive aggressive way of trying to say something. I don’t see it with the big schools, but you will see it when you start changing levels or with academic schools. If you’re recruiting a Group of 5 school versus an Ivy school, they’re not crushing the school, but it’s like, “What do you want?”
In the 2021 cycle we saw Penn State struggle with landing many of the top players in Pennsylvania, but they’ve turned it around in a big way in 2022 so far. What can Penn State do particularly in the talent-rich Philadelphia area to continue to better tap into that part of the state?
Coach 1: I almost look at it as the same reason why Temple doesn’t have success here. Temple is smack dab in the middle of the city and can’t have success and can’t keep kids there. Why? Because there’s no connection (to the city). They have a staff from the midwest and Northern Illinois. … From Penn State’s standpoint, I just truly believe Penn State needs somebody who is out there 24/7 building relationships with the community. Take a look at what Florida State did in the state of Florida. (The Seminoles hosted a youth football camp tour throughout the state in May.) … If I was responsible for the Philadelphia and surrounding area, we would have events that were community based. So, from the time a young individual is in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade, all they know is Penn State. … Deion (Barnes) is great, but when you’re in a GA position, what’s the ultimate goal? To advance. … You talk to most kids today and they have no clue that Coach Franklin is from this area.
Coach 3: It’s really about relationships with our kids. It’s really a trust thing. … If our kids don’t feel comfortable in just a phone conversation, the FaceTime conversations, nine times out of 10 they’re gonna stray somewhere else where they feel like they have a connection with the coach on a different level, not just a football type thing. … They need like a cool uncle who I can talk to things that I might not talk to my dad about. … Deion is a grad assistant. Him not having a bigger title can only go so far. And I think they used to wait way too late (to offer). If I got offered in 10th grade and you come in when I’m in 12th grade and I’m already established and you saw me at a camp or whatever and now you’re coming to the party, it’s like, “Thank you, but I don’t have a relationship with you all.” … I gotta give them credit though: They’ve been more intentional about recruiting our area. They assigned Terry (Smith) to our area now and he was normally in Pittsburgh and Ohio. They have a lot of Zoom calls and stuff with our players, even our younger ones. … They’re trying their best to turn it around.
Who is the best recruiter you’ve experienced from any school?
Coach 1: Dabo Swinney is about as genuine, high-energy, true players’ coach. … It resonates. … Look at Jeremiah Trotter’s kids. One of them is down there now. He’s a St. Joe’s Prep guy. His brother is next in line. Swinney just has a way with connecting with individuals. It’s a gift. … And then with Cincinnati, Coach (Luke) Fickell and I could talk right now for 30 minutes. That’s why they’re having success. … And I keep going back to Schiano.
Coach 2: There are a few. Reno Ferri at Syracuse now, who was at Akron and Towson, Reno just has a really natural way of befriending you and talking. … Another guy is Justin Lustig who was at Ball State then Edinboro as a D-II head coach then to Syracuse and now Vanderbilt. … Luke Fickell, who I’ve known for a long time, from way back, like, he’ll call about a kid. … He’s pretty thorough, and it’s kind of like the equivalent of a handwritten note anymore, you know, he’ll make these calls himself.
Coach 3: (Sean Spencer) when he was at Penn State he was good, but his hands were tied a lot of the time. … Elijah (Robinson) at Texas A&M he’s really good. Fran (Brown) from Rutgers relates to our kids and can talk to them at a level where they understand him and feel comfortable. Deion (Barnes) you can tell he’s up and coming. … I hope (Penn State) doesn’t lose him. … Terry Smith, I got nothing but respect for him.
Coach 4: (Cincinnati’s) Colin Hitschler and Fickell are at the top of the list. Hitschler is above all these guys. He’s probably my favorite guy to deal with even above Terry Smith. (Hitschler) is from around here. I think knowing the area is huge and he went to Penn Charter. He just kind of gets it. … He does a good job connecting with the coaches and the kids. … There’s a lot of good ones who I like. … I like Andrew Aurich at Rutgers. He’s very approachable, always answers his phone and gives you the truth, which is important. … I love Terry Smith at Penn State. He’s fantastic. He’s very responsive and he’s a truth teller too. … Kevin Smith at Old Dominion, who was formerly at Penn State (as a defensive graduate assistant). He’s a phenomenal recruiter and he’s also not a bullshitter.
Is there anything else I should know?
Coach 1: We are a very strong program and it’s easier for me to get on the phone with a Penn State, Alabama, Texas A&M than it is a Villanova or Lafayette. … I’m amazed at certain programs that never or barely stepped foot near our facility and very rarely recruit our individuals.
Coach 3: Don’t get me started on Temple. … I know it’s hard to keep kids in the city because they spent their whole life here — why would they wanna stay here for four years when there’s all these other schools across the country? But at least make an effort. … Now Matt Rhule, he was a great recruiter.
(Illustration: Wes McCabe / The Athletic)
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Before they heard their names called within the first 12 picks of the 2021 NFL Draft, Micah Parsons (Harrisburg High School) and Kyle Pitts (Archbishop Wood) played against one another in a Pennsylvania Class 5A state championship game.
Two of the freakiest athletes in the draft were two of Pennsylvania’s top prospects in the 2018 cycle, with Parsons taking the top spot in the 247Sports Composite and Pitts fourth. It’s a perfect example of the kind of high-end talent that can come out of the state of Pennsylvania, and it makes it easy to understand why James Franklin’s Penn State introductory news conference in 2014 is best remembered for his vow to “dominate the state.”
Penn State is doing just that in the 2022 cycle, with a group ranked No. 2 nationally as of July 13, but this comes after clear shortcomings in 2021, when the state was loaded with talent but Penn State signed just one player within the top 10. The Nittany Lions watched as Ohio State signed two, Wisconsin one, LSU one, Clemson one, Florida one, Pitt two and Texas A&M one. Penn State’s staff adjusted, as it started offering players earlier and had some tough conversations with high schools it needed to mend relationships with. It also hasn’t been shy about sending out recruiting graphics this cycle with the phrase “The Best in PA stay in PA.”
To better understand the Nittany Lions’ place in this fascinating state, The Athleticinterviewed four high school football coaches from notable programs in the Keystone State. Their responses were kept confidential to allow them to speak candidly.
Here’s the panel:
Coach 1: Head coach in the Philadelphia area
Coach 2: Head coach in the Pittsburgh area
Coach 3: Head coach in the Philadelphia area
Coach 4: Head coach in the Philadelphia suburbs
How would you describe the way Penn State recruits your players?
Coach 1: James (Franklin) and I haven’t even spoken since I took over as head coach. He FaceTimes my players as we’re getting ready to go out for practice, but I haven’t spoken to him. Now, I speak to all of his assistants. … It’s not a knock; I think it’s the way of the world. … Penn State being who they are, they try to get as much talent as they possibly can from a national level, but what people have to put into perspective is they’re recruiting the entire country but I think they’ve always tried to stay near and dear to the backyard. … They’ve done a very good job of really recruiting on a local level and trying to stay really to their roots and keeping any top local talent from leaving the state as much as they can. But it’s gotten very competitive. … If they were going to have more success on a local level, there’s got to be a level of importance when you look at the Philadelphia market and the surrounding areas of eastern Pennsylvania, because the pocket of talent is off the charts.
Coach 2: The No. 1 factor is (cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordinator) Terry Smith. Terry knows a lot of people. … When you think of James Franklin, I think you have a guy who is very personable and he’s a person who has been very good to our program. … There was a little bit of, you know, “Is he a used car salesmen, a game show host kind of guy?” when he came on board with the, “I’m going to call every head coach in Pennsylvania on the first week on the job” and that kind of thing. … Everybody can be a little skeptical and cynical, but he’s been really good. And when he’s recruited our guys, he’s been really good to them and really thorough. … They did some cool stuff during the pandemic on Zoom talking to people about (a recruit’s) role. I can honestly say that nobody recruited (our players) more aggressively or more thoroughly or more professionally than the Penn State staff.
Coach 3: We found out one day that they were having a junior day and didn’t invite any of our guys, didn’t recruit them or anything like that. This went on probably for another two or three years. …We had a conversation and just kind of put everything out there and then they made a conscious effort to try and recruit our players. They went all in with (graduate assistant Deion Barnes). … They use Deion a lot to try and bridge that gap between Philly and Penn State because for the longest time it just wasn’t there. … Terry (Smith) is always cool, always down to earth. … He just sat there and was like, ‘Tell me what we did wrong. Where can we get better?” We had a conversation. … He was like, “Don’t hold back, just tell us. We’re trying to do better.” They really listened.
Coach 4: There’s never a lull in contact. You don’t go like six or eight months without hearing from somebody on the staff. It’s like there’s always constant communication, and I think that is super helpful because they always know if you have someone, and to check up on people. That’s how they do it with us and they know our guys inside and out, and I think it’s because of the frequency of contact.
Penn State head coach James Franklin grew up in the Philadelphia area. (Mark Alberti / USA Today)
What out-of-state schools recruit Pennsylvania well?
Coach 1: I always look at what are the roots of where a coach is from. Texas A&M currently is recruiting more in the Philadelphia market because they got some guys on staff from that area. Ole Miss is doing the same with a coach who comes from the New Jersey market. … Right now, the University of Florida recruits Philadelphia very well because Kyle Pitts has hit the scene. … My concern if I was Penn State? Greg Schiano is jumping all over this area. All over it. … If Rutgers plays their cards right and just parks themselves and saturates this backyard, there is more than enough talent that they can fill the next two to three classes of prospects and be very, very good and competitive.
Coach 2: When you think of Greg Schiano’s resume, that’s an automatic. … Ohio State for sure too. You’re starting to see more of the programs recruiting nationally. Clemson is aggressive. Oklahoma has been here. Michigan is obviously still very present. Then you still have your five-star type guys where everybody is in. Notre Dame is still paying close attention to Pennsylvania kids, but I think Ohio State is probably the best example of some of the best Pennsylvania kids going across and going there.
Coach 3: West Virginia really gets in here recruiting early and has good ties with the city of Philadelphia. Ole Miss does a great job. … Texas A&M does a good job with (defensive line coach Elijah Robinson) who was at Penn State at one point, so they have great ties. Rutgers does a great job with (secondary coach) Fran Brown, who has ties from when he was at Temple. Georgia does a really good job. They’ve had D’Andre Swift, Mark Webb. They got Tykee Smith, who transferred from West Virginia. They had Ahkil Crumpton, who went to West Catholic then the juco route…. All of those schools might’ve had more Philadelphia kids on their roster currently or in the past few years than Penn State.
Coach 4: Maryland and Rutgers have been super aggressive as far as frequency of contact and trying to get kids to camp. Maryland is offering younger kids to try and build a relationship with them, even in 2024. What they’re doing is offering them so they can build a relationship over the next two or three years. We see a lot of that.
How would you describe the way Pitt recruits your players?
Coach 1: (Pat) Narduzzi is very stubborn when it comes to this side of the state. They will never get away from recruiting the local Pittsburgh market and a little bit of Ohio. They sit there and they’re complacent. They wait for whoever falls from Ohio State to go to Penn State. Whoever falls from Penn State and maybe Michigan is in that mix too, whoever falls from those programs, that’s who they take. … Their recruiter, he’s from Pittsburgh and he stays out there. They’ll call wanting our guys, but that’s it. There’s no relationship.
Coach 2: They recruit them well. They’ve done a very good job when we’ve had guys that fit the criteria and were good enough. Sometimes we all think we have a guy (who is good enough). … It’s subjective. … I think their blueprint is also that they want Florida kids. Get a Florida kid and maybe a Maryland, DC, Virginia kid. They’re not getting to Texas, like Ohio State, or California or something like that. … They’ve done a good job. We just haven’t had a kid go to Pitt yet in my tenure here.
Coach 3: Pitt does a great job. (Cory) Sanders, the DB coach there, recruits our area. Before COVID, he came to the school in the spring multiple times. He comes in the fall and stops by games. He’s present. They offer early and establish early relationships and they’re not shy about it.
Coach 4: It’s different. I have not nearly as much contact with Pitt. … They came out to watch (our star player) after I called them. Actually, I feel like it’s pulling teeth with Pitt just to get feedback, to get responses. It’s not like it is at Penn State. I could pick up the phone and call Terry Smith at Penn State and he’ll answer on the first ring. Or I could call (offensive line coach) Andrew Aurich at Rutgers and he’ll pick up. … It seems like (Pitt) doesn’t want our people.
How would you describe the way Ohio State recruits your players?
Coach 1: Ohio State knows the type of players that we have. … Ohio State is pretty strong. We have a few players that they’re recruiting heavily currently. There’s a freshman, Class of ’24, and the likes of Ohio State look at it like let’s get this individual on the radar and get him on the radar early. … They do a good job from that standpoint then obviously, you know, you got (Ohio State players from the Philadelphia area) Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Coach 3: You gotta be a national-type kid to get on their radar. … When they want you, they’ll put the full-court press on. Their position coach is talking to you most consistently, the coordinator and then the head coach will get on the horn with you. They want you to get on campus and see the campus and stuff like that. If you get to (defensive line coach) Larry Johnson and see his resume, there’s not a whole lot left to say. … They do it well. They got McCord, Harrison, (Julian) Fleming. They’re doing something well in the state.
Coach 4: We don’t hear from them a ton. I can’t even think of our area guy. (Long pause) Oh, it’s Brian Hartline. When (our star player was around), I heard from them a little bit. As far as frequency of contact, I don’t hear from them. I don’t hear from Alabama much either.
What’s the biggest difference between Penn State’s recruiters and Ohio State’s?
Coach 1: I think they’re both very similar. There’s Ohio State, then there’s Penn State, then there’s the rest (in the Big Ten). … Every top player in the country wants to go play at Ohio State. … I think Coach Franklin, the one thing that he is very, very strong at is his recruiting presence. And it’s his energy level because I think that’s a big part of it. Again, I speak candidly, the key word to everything that is done is genuine. If you don’t come across as genuine, these young individuals are smarter than you think.
Coach 2: When it gets down to nut-cut time and we got a guy who is a big-time guy and that school is in the top five, (it’s a revolving door of coaches). We had a week where on Tuesday it was Ryan Day and Brian Kelly. Wednesday it was Jim Harbaugh and Paul Chryst and Dabo Swinney then James Franklin … When you think of the recruiting pitch for most of the interaction, it boils down to the recruiting coach, obviously, and at some point the head coach gets involved. … The first part is who recruits the area, and there are different guys and different guys have different styles of how they go about it. … There’s (special teams coordinator) Matt Barnes from Ohio State and he’s a younger, up-and-coming guy. You also got Terry Smith, who is a little bit older, different background. … Both schools are really good. When it’s James Franklin or Ryan Day, their personalities are different.
Coach 3: Penn State recruits and offers kids late a lot. … Unfortunately, Penn State isn’t looked at to our kids like an Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State. If those guys came in late, it’s like they got your attention. But Penn State — they’re good, but it’s not like a game-changer for a lot of kids.
Five-star St. Joe’s Prep QB Kyle McCord signed with Ohio State in 2021. (Mark Alberti / USA Today)
Have you ever had any of these three schools (Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State) come in and negatively recruit against the other? If so, what was said?
Coach 1: Programs have stopped themselves in the way they deliver to our players and talking about it because that’s a no-no to me. Every program has pros and cons, ours included.
Coach 2: No, I really haven’t. The closest it would come to that is one school saying, “Look Coach, I just want to be upfront. I don’t think that school is a great fit for him and I don’t think he realizes why.” … I’d stop well short of saying it’s like they cheat, they lie. There’s been no true hating on another school.
Coach 3: No, not like outright. … They’ll make little jokes and jabs and stuff like that but nothing seriously where it’s like “wow.” … Just a friendly, “Yeah, we beat those guys this year,” or whatever.
Coach 4: No, really I haven’t. What you’ll get is like a “here’s why we’re better.” It’s like a generalized statement. … It’s a passive aggressive way of trying to say something. I don’t see it with the big schools, but you will see it when you start changing levels or with academic schools. If you’re recruiting a Group of 5 school versus an Ivy school, they’re not crushing the school, but it’s like, “What do you want?”
In the 2021 cycle we saw Penn State struggle with landing many of the top players in Pennsylvania, but they’ve turned it around in a big way in 2022 so far. What can Penn State do particularly in the talent-rich Philadelphia area to continue to better tap into that part of the state?
Coach 1: I almost look at it as the same reason why Temple doesn’t have success here. Temple is smack dab in the middle of the city and can’t have success and can’t keep kids there. Why? Because there’s no connection (to the city). They have a staff from the midwest and Northern Illinois. … From Penn State’s standpoint, I just truly believe Penn State needs somebody who is out there 24/7 building relationships with the community. Take a look at what Florida State did in the state of Florida. (The Seminoles hosted a youth football camp tour throughout the state in May.) … If I was responsible for the Philadelphia and surrounding area, we would have events that were community based. So, from the time a young individual is in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade, all they know is Penn State. … Deion (Barnes) is great, but when you’re in a GA position, what’s the ultimate goal? To advance. … You talk to most kids today and they have no clue that Coach Franklin is from this area.
Coach 3: It’s really about relationships with our kids. It’s really a trust thing. … If our kids don’t feel comfortable in just a phone conversation, the FaceTime conversations, nine times out of 10 they’re gonna stray somewhere else where they feel like they have a connection with the coach on a different level, not just a football type thing. … They need like a cool uncle who I can talk to things that I might not talk to my dad about. … Deion is a grad assistant. Him not having a bigger title can only go so far. And I think they used to wait way too late (to offer). If I got offered in 10th grade and you come in when I’m in 12th grade and I’m already established and you saw me at a camp or whatever and now you’re coming to the party, it’s like, “Thank you, but I don’t have a relationship with you all.” … I gotta give them credit though: They’ve been more intentional about recruiting our area. They assigned Terry (Smith) to our area now and he was normally in Pittsburgh and Ohio. They have a lot of Zoom calls and stuff with our players, even our younger ones. … They’re trying their best to turn it around.
Who is the best recruiter you’ve experienced from any school?
Coach 1: Dabo Swinney is about as genuine, high-energy, true players’ coach. … It resonates. … Look at Jeremiah Trotter’s kids. One of them is down there now. He’s a St. Joe’s Prep guy. His brother is next in line. Swinney just has a way with connecting with individuals. It’s a gift. … And then with Cincinnati, Coach (Luke) Fickell and I could talk right now for 30 minutes. That’s why they’re having success. … And I keep going back to Schiano.
Coach 2: There are a few. Reno Ferri at Syracuse now, who was at Akron and Towson, Reno just has a really natural way of befriending you and talking. … Another guy is Justin Lustig who was at Ball State then Edinboro as a D-II head coach then to Syracuse and now Vanderbilt. … Luke Fickell, who I’ve known for a long time, from way back, like, he’ll call about a kid. … He’s pretty thorough, and it’s kind of like the equivalent of a handwritten note anymore, you know, he’ll make these calls himself.
Coach 3: (Sean Spencer) when he was at Penn State he was good, but his hands were tied a lot of the time. … Elijah (Robinson) at Texas A&M he’s really good. Fran (Brown) from Rutgers relates to our kids and can talk to them at a level where they understand him and feel comfortable. Deion (Barnes) you can tell he’s up and coming. … I hope (Penn State) doesn’t lose him. … Terry Smith, I got nothing but respect for him.
Coach 4: (Cincinnati’s) Colin Hitschler and Fickell are at the top of the list. Hitschler is above all these guys. He’s probably my favorite guy to deal with even above Terry Smith. (Hitschler) is from around here. I think knowing the area is huge and he went to Penn Charter. He just kind of gets it. … He does a good job connecting with the coaches and the kids. … There’s a lot of good ones who I like. … I like Andrew Aurich at Rutgers. He’s very approachable, always answers his phone and gives you the truth, which is important. … I love Terry Smith at Penn State. He’s fantastic. He’s very responsive and he’s a truth teller too. … Kevin Smith at Old Dominion, who was formerly at Penn State (as a defensive graduate assistant). He’s a phenomenal recruiter and he’s also not a bullshitter.
Is there anything else I should know?
Coach 1: We are a very strong program and it’s easier for me to get on the phone with a Penn State, Alabama, Texas A&M than it is a Villanova or Lafayette. … I’m amazed at certain programs that never or barely stepped foot near our facility and very rarely recruit our individuals.
Coach 3: Don’t get me started on Temple. … I know it’s hard to keep kids in the city because they spent their whole life here — why would they wanna stay here for four years when there’s all these other schools across the country? But at least make an effort. … Now Matt Rhule, he was a great recruiter.
(Illustration: Wes McCabe / The Athletic)
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