For years people have said that Penn State football is a sleeping giant. “It could be so much better” is practically a second motto at this point.
To be fair the O’Brien and Franklin eras have so far been steps in the right direction, but when it comes to winning games, there is clearly still room for improvement.
So the question is: how do you wake up a giant?
The answer is simple to say but harder to do. Recruit better than your neighbors. And that’s where Penn State’s geographic advantages make the Nittany Lions one of the most unique programs in all of college football. It’s something that appealed to James Franklin — one of the nation’s best recruiters — when he first got the call about coaching at Penn State.
“I think that was a big factor when this job came open and we got the call that we really felt like there was an advantage,” Franklin said last week. “I’ve always felt like Penn State had a built in advantage because in this region of the country there are very few places like Penn State.”
And Franklin isn’t wrong. Travel in any direction from State College and you aren’t going to run into another major college football program until you get to Columbus some 327 miles away. The next closest national title winner since 1994 is Tennessee some 586 miles from University Park.
To be sure, Pitt will suck up some local talent. Maryland and Rutgers will snag a few players here or there. But when it comes to battling the big dogs, it’s hard to argue that Penn State isn’t the biggest kid on campus. Maybe that kid that needs to hit the gym, but still a heavyweight.
To make the geography a little more tangible and for the sake of comparison, consider this: of all the teams that have won a national title since 1994, six of those programs have come from the south. If you consider the University of Alabama to be the epicenter of southern success, you don’t have to travel far to find the rest.
Five national title winning programs are within 455 miles of Alabama’s campus. They’re as close as Auburn some 158 miles away and as far away as Florida at 453 miles.
That means everywhere you turn another coach and his staff are out on the trail recruiting.
Obviously a program’s influence doesn’t start on campus, so for the sake of argument, if you split the distance between Alabama and a rival campus in half the circle gets even smaller. Seventy-nine miles out and Auburn is already making an impact; 153, 155, and 174 miles bring three more programs into play; 226 miles finally rounds out the group with Florida traveling into Alabama’s sphere of influence. All told, Alabama likely runs into five different national title winning programs within a three hour drive from campus.
Go in any direction for 226 miles from State College and there isn’t much in the way of recruiting competition. In some directions there’s quite literally nothing. Travel north and you run into Boston College and Syracuse. Travel to the coast and you get to Rutgers and Maryland. Ohio State’s influence impacts the west, but the keys to the northeast run through Penn State. And there are a lot of high school football players to be found there.
In the real world, recruiting influence isn’t the kind of thing you can just draw on a map, but Franklin can roam the northeast with the confidence that he’s leading the charge in an effort to rebuild a giant. It’s a relatively easy sell to any kid willing to listen.
And Franklin knows it.
“Those other areas you’re talking about, you’re going to drive four to six hours and you’re going to see five or six other big time programs just like you,” Franklin said. “In this part of the country, there are not too many programs with the history, traditions, support and facilities and resources that we have.
“So for a kid that wants to play big time football and wants to stay somewhat close to home, we’re a heck of an option. We’re a really good option and that goes back to me studying Penn State, and when Penn State was really dominant that was what they were able to do, now there were more Division I prospects in the area in that era, but I think there are still enough that in my opinion you can keep the right ones home.
“The other thing to me is that the world has shrunk. Kids are more willing to go and fly places, technology makes it easier to learn about places and schools that they were never aware 20 years ago. But I still believe that if we can stop the kid from Pennsylvania from New Jersey or Delaware or Maryland from going out to the west coast or down south, which didn’t really happen 20 years ago, if we can get back to controlling this part of the country and if we can get back to our guys taking pride in our area and our football like kids do from other areas, then I think we can get something rolling again.”
By Franklin’s count the state of Pennsylvania produces around 35 Division I players a year, a vastly smaller number than what he sees as Georgia’s 80. So there is a challenge there to be met. Penn State may have more room to recruit but it requires winning recruiting battles at a higher clip. Miss out on someone in Georgia and there is another kid waiting in line. Miss out on a big name in Maryland and things aren’t always going to result in an obvious Plan B option. Penn State’s freedom doesn’t come without a price.
But the idea at its most basic level is very easy. Penn State is in a position to lock down an entire portion of the country without anyone putting up a substantial fight. Worth noting, if Penn State lands offensive tackle Michal Menet, the Nittany Lions will have the top player in PA, MD, NY and MA according to 24/7 network ratings.
And if Penn State finally wakes up and gets rolling, it’s going to be one nasty giant.
Popular Stories:
Penn State Hockey: Notre Dame Highlights 2015-16 Home Schedule
Penn State Football: Millen Reportedly Set To Join Fox Networks
Penn State Football: Time to Win a Whiteout (Maybe Temple?)
Penn State Basketball: Condon Set To Fill Vacant Assistant Role
Penn State Condemns Kappa Delta Rho, Banishes Frat for Three Years
Affidavit Alleges Judge Texted DA During Trial
State College Man Tasered Twice During Arrest
Commissioners Remove Judges From County Phone Plan
State High Thespians Rock Theatre Awards
Sleepovers: A Blast from the Past
New Burrito Shop to Open With Free Food & Fundraisers
From Garbage to Green: Composting Workshop Will Get You Started
Catholic High School Benefits From $1 Million Donation
