Most of James Franklin’s original Vandy connections endure.
As do his Kansas State connects and his Maryland Terrapin ties.
Despite the offseason departure of three key assistants who were with Franklin for the first five years of his head coaching life – three at Vanderbilt, two at Penn State – the Nittany Lion staff is still chock-full of former Commodore assistants who were in Nashville from the start.
So, while it was an offseason au revoir to coordinators Bob Shoop (defense) and John Donovan (offense), as well as O-line coach Herb Hand, the core of Franklin’s corps is still a group of loyalists that have been with him as far back as Kansas Sate in 2006.
Call them The Vandy Ten.
Overall, the group that was with Franklin for all three years at both his previous institution and his current one now numbers 10. There are three assistant coaches, four key front-office administrators and three strength and conditioning coaches who have worked side-by-side with Franklin over the past six seasons. And counting.
They remain the often-quiet heart and soul of Franklin’s rejuvenation efforts at Penn State, just as they were for his quick and massive rebuilding project at Vanderbilt. When Franklin was hired by Vanderbilt on Dec. 17, 2010, the Commodores were coming off back-to-back 2-10 seasons, for a combined mark of 4-24.
And 1,120 days later, Franklin left Nashville with a three-year record of 24-15, following consecutive bowl seasons of 6-7, 9-4 and 9-4. He did a lot, but he didn’t do it alone.
When Franklin Tweets out “trust the process,” it’s the one that originated back in the cellar of the SEC and still involves basically the same group that is in place on the second floor of Lasch Building today.
6 YEARS: 10 FOR 13
Joe Paterno perfected if not almost literally invented the idea of keeping loyal aides and assistants on staff as long as he could at PSU, but Franklin is batting .769 for retaining the same core 13 assistants through six years at two of the toughest stops and under the most trying circumstances in all of college football.
In his three years at Vanderbilt (2011-13), the SEC was no doubt the nation’s toughest conference and Vandy its weakest member. In the 16 seasons prior to Franklin’s arrival, Vanderbilt had only one winning season, with 11 seasons of three or fewer losses. In those 16 seasons, Vandy won 50 games; in Franklin’s three seasons, they won 24.
The staff that turned that trick is still, mostly, the same staff with Franklin at Penn State today.
The loss of Shoop stung the most, no doubt. Under his direction, over the past half-decade Franklin’s defenses were among the Top 25. But he’s gone and in his stead is another Franklin long-timer, Brent Pry (Vandy Ten No. 1), who has coached the linebackers and was co-defensive coordinator at both Vandy and PSU. Pry is in his eighth season on the same team with Franklin, having been a defensive assistant at East Stroudsburg in 1993-94, while Franklin was the squad’s starting quarterback. Defensive line coach Sean Spencer (2) connected with Franklin in 2011, when he was hired to coach the Vandy D-line, a spot he’s held through the past two stops.
Penn State tight ends (and former QB) coach Ricky Rahne (3) was a graduate assistant to Franklin when he was Kansas State’s offensive coordinator in 2006-07, then joined him at Vanderbilt when Franklin was hired in December 2010. Rahne quit his job at K-State three days after Franklin got the Vandy head position. Director of football administration Kevin Threlkel (4), who worked under Franklin and Rahne for two years as an undergraduate offensive and recruiting assistant at Kansas State, also was with CJF at Maryland for two years and then at Vandy for three more. (Threlkel has worked for Franklin for a decade.)
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT GALT
Dwight Galt (5), Penn State’s assistant athletics director of performance enhancement, has been with Franklin the longest, dating back to eight years with him at Maryland, then three at Vanderbilt and now three at Penn State – for a total of 14 years. His work with Penn State’s players over the past three offseasons has produced some mind-popping metrics, witness the speed and power numbers of Saquon Barkley.
This is what Franklin had to say about Galt the day Franklin hired him at Vanderbilt. It’s as true today as it was back then, in January 2011:
“I think the strength coach is probably one of the most important hires,” Franklin said. “He’s the guy that’s going to spend the most time with your team than anybody. Instilling discipline, instilling toughness and then obviously really maximizing our players potential in terms of athletic ability. Getting them as strong and as fast as you possibly can and really that’s going to be our focus. … I think Coach Galt is going to do an unbelievable job. I think you’re going to see a dramatic difference in our team right away based on what he’s been able to provide for us.”
Galt’s top two assistants, assistant directors of performance Chuck Losey (6) and Barry Gant Jr. (7), have been with Galt and Franklin since the Vanderbilt days. Losey, a former Vandy football standout, is that guy with the #awesome handlebar mustache, while Gant was a collegiate baseball player who cut his football strength-training teeth at Miami (Ohio) and LSU. Their presence and continuity, however behind-the-scenes, has been critical to Penn State’s literal growth and improvement in speed during Franklin’s reign.
(We haven’t forgotten Penn State wide receivers coach Josh Gattis or running backs coach Charles Huff, both in their third season at Penn State. But they don’t qualify for full V-Ten six-year treatment, however; Gattis was with Franklin at Vandy for two seasons, while Huff was there for one.)
THY ROD AND THY STAFF
Franklin’s chief of staff, Jemal Griffin (8), was also with Franklin at Maryland (2008-10), as well as for six more seasons at Vandy and Penn State, for a total of nine overall. Griffin is a key part of Franklin’s internal structure; he oversees Threlkel, director of football operations Michael Hazel (9) – who wears marketing and communications hats, among others – and director of player personnel Andy Frank (10), who oversees all aspects of the Nittany Lions’ recruiting process. Both Hazel and Frank were in place when Franklin arrived at Vanderbilt and the new head coach had the smarts to keep them aboard.
Over the past six years, that administrative quartet has helped keep Franklin afloat. On Friday, they’ll be in the office for Day No. 99 of Franklin’s 2016 campaign, just as they were for most of his 720 days at Penn State prior to that. Franklin is banking on that consistency and support eventually producing big dividends. Overall, the vandy Ten has been with Franklin for nearly all of his 1,900-plus days as a head coach.
Here’s why that’s really important:
Combined, Franklin’s three new assistants have been on the job at Penn State for 288 days. They’re the new guys, with a new offense, the new O-line blocking schemes and some new defensive wrinkles. All good.
But a lot of their success — as well as the Nittany Lions’ — will still depend on the foundation that was started in Nashville and is now in an ever-increasing spotlight at Penn State. Count on it.
