My Open Letter

To many of you this is a repeat of what others have written about Penn State football. Many of you probably don’t care about this but you should. This won’t get as many views as all the others and is just another person giving their opinion about Penn State football. Regardless, here is goes.

Everyone seems to be writing an ‘open letter’ about Penn State football. Whether it’s about head coach James Franklin, quarterback Christian Hackenberg, offensive coordinator John Donovan, or anyone else we want to put the blame on. Some of those open letters are defending that trio saying that since we’re 5-2 (2-1 in the conference) we should all be happy and satisfied with winning.

James Franklin is worried about going 1-0 each week. Christian Hackenberg is worried about going 1-0 each week. And John Donovan is worried about, well, hopefully going 1-0 each week. What are we as fans worried about? Covering the 25-point spread against Army, our third down conversions (27-96 on the year), how far our punts go (just under 40 yards), and how many times will Christian Hackenberg get sacked (24 so far through 7 games) among many, many other things. Why though? Why are we worried about those things? Here’s my open letter.

Saquon Barkley is the future of
Penn State and that's a great sign for fans.

Penn State opened the 2015 season with an embarrassing loss to a Temple team that is now ranked 22^nd in the nation. Christian Hackenberg got sacked an astonishing ten times. The anger started pouring in before the first half even ended and these open letters started flowing; “Fire Franklin!” “Donovan Needs To Go!” “Bench Hackenberg!” The message boards were harsh but James Franklin’s message remained the same, “we’re worried about going 1-0 next week”, and up until they ran into the buzz saw that is Ohio State they were doing that. Junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg has taken his fair share of criticism since week one so let’s start with him.

I follow Penn State recruiting on a regular basis and when I first heard Christian Hackenberg was on the radar I prayed that we would get him. He was a rare talent that you knew right away was made for an NFL offense run by an NFL head coach. That coach was Bill O’Brien who of course is running the show for the Houston Texans. Many of the “experts” have put the 6 foot 4, 230-pound Hackenberg on the back burner with the heat turned down because of his “struggles” the last two seasons. Those struggles are due in large part to how the offense hasn't necessarily gone through his strenghts. His offensive line also has played a role in how his production and overall status among the "experts" has dropped. 

Tom Brady/Belichick part two? Christian Hackenberg and Bill O'Brien
are a match made in heaven. 

Hear me out on this one: 

I’ve had a theory ever since O’Brien left for the Texans; he is using two quarterbacks who let’s face it aren’t very good. He had some chances to go after a free agent quarterback but didn’t. We know his relationship with the Penn State quarterback and we know that the Texans aren’t very good. If the Texans end up with a top 10 pick don’t be surprised if the junior quarterback enters his name in the draft. Hackenberg is the best talent among quarterbacks in the country in many people’s eyes including mine but isn’t being used like it. Some would say that head coach James Franklin is using him just enough to win games and isn't showcasing his full arsenal because he doesn’t have to. Speaking of Franklin, let’s talk about him next.

James Franklin has said he wants a National
Championship, give him the time and
he'll deliver. 

I loved the hire of Bill O’Brien in January of 2012 and I loved the hire of James Franklin even more in January 2014. Franklin came from Vanderbilt after he turned the program around and had them ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today’s top 25 polls for the first time since 1948. The fifteen wins the Commodores would total in Franklin’s first two seasons were the most since 1927. What does all that mean for Penn State? Nothing, but James Franklin is the guy for the Nittany Lions even though many would beg to differ. He wants to build something that hasn't happened since 1986 and that's be crowned National Champions. I don’t see him as an NFL guy anytime soon but I do see him as Penn State’s head coach for the foreseeable future. He is lighting the recruiting trail on fire and while the product on the field may not be what fans want, it’s all part of the process. Franklin has one goal and that’s to bring a National Championship to Happy Valley and if he gets the right team together and continues to worry about going 1-0 each week, he’ll get that title shot sooner than expected. 

Finally, lets talk about where this Penn State program is now. If people expected this team to be competing for championships after three seasons of sanction related issues, those people are in for a rude awakening. As much as people want to say it’s time to move on from the word sanctions, you can’t. Not yet. The effect of said sanctions are still looming and this is the first year Penn State can recruit a full class and the first time we get to see some of the pieces James Franklin had brought in.

One of those pieces is the freshman sensation, running back Saquon Barkley. In his first game back from injury Barkley rushed for 194 yards on 26 carries against the number one team in the country the Ohio State Buckeyes. That isn’t easy to do and he made it look as easy as it could be. The 5 foot 11, 220-pound Barkley is the cornerstone in what Franklin hopes to be a championship team.

Believe it or not Penn State is trending in the right direction. It’s a process to build and sustain success at the highest level and James Franklin knows that. He also knows that the most important thing is the most boring thing, staying positive and going 1-0 each week.