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2027 Recruiting Thread

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PSUForever

All-Conference
Feb 17, 2007
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Marshall2323 said:
There will be no second coming of JoePa. He was the greatest educator coach of all time. I'll take him every day of the week and twice on Saturdays. Franklin got fired he's gone. He paid the price for the collapse. Yet, he's just fine....still employed and being paid very well, so I hear.

The topic is the PSU program. 1. Kraft foolishly squandered an entire recruiting class. (something not seen with other high profile programs making coaching changes. 2. The experts here insisted there was little talent in the class anyway, I believe it was firmly in the top 20. This class was replaced with a top 100 class. 3. Kraft insisted that PSU should be more aggressive obtaining difference makers....playmakers in the portal. How'd that work out? 4. Because of the exodus, PSU is doomed to be portal dependent, not for a few, but for dozens of players annually for the foreseeable future. A class of near walk ons, followed by a class dominated by mid level 3 stars doesn't logically seem like the formula to improve the program.
Pointing to how the previous coach came up short, doesn't advance the prospects for the new regime. Franklin bashing and claiming a rebuild, are simply attempts to deflect from the issues at hand. This program needs a 10 win season from this weak schedule and some quality high 4 and an occasional 5 stars to blend with "underrated" and undervalued 3 star prospects. We were told that NIL funds were at an all time peak? I'm not seeing the splash. Will PSU be a player for top rated talent in recruiting and the portal? If not, the future will be bleak.
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You are entitled to your bleak outlook. Not sure though how bleak future and the fact that we have a pretty good shot (not a lock but not some Hail Mary prayer either) of winning 10 games in '26 and going to the playoff can describe the same program? Do we need to pick up some 4 star guys? Yes. Will the program be downtrodden for the foreseeable future? No.

The only reason I would bring up Big Game James when discussing the future outlook of the program with Campbell at the helm is the following:

-Will Campbell be as completely inept and pathetic in winning big games as defined by beating teams with equal or better talent as us? No. This is a positive for the future.

-Related to the point above, I believe our teams will be both physically and mentally tougher under Campbell. Do not underrate the mental toughness aspect. Joe's teams had it for the most part and Franklin's teams most certainly did not. Just look at how many close games we lost where we could not execute at winning time. This should improve and again bode well for the future of the program.

- Will key position groups like WR and QB see no real development? No. Campbell will be able to develop these position groups at a much higher level than BGJ. I would throw in our DT position which could never really generate a pass rush under BGJ and Barnes. LB was so so at LBU no less! Campbell will get more out of all these positions.

The future is not bleak.
 
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PSUForever

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PSUFTG said:
Obviously, he is trying to reference UCLA.

That said, a (semi) interesting tidbit, IMO:

Since the west coast teams joined the Big Ten - the "home field advantage" for west coast teams hosting other Big Ten programs, is HUGE. (And, as one would expect, a similar - but not so large - home field advantage for Big Ten schools entertaining the west coast teams)


For instance, last year:

The west coast teams, when hosting non-west coast teams:

11 Wins, 3 Losses

The wins included 4 over ranked teams (Washington over Illinois, USC over Iowa and Michigan, and of course UCLA over Penn State)
The three losses: Competitive game vs OSU (Washington), competitive game vs IU (Oregon), and UCLA's one-score loss to Nebraska.

No way PSU should have lost to UCLA - and I think a LOT of that responsibility falls on the way VTHFC CJF "managed" the squad - but it is proving to be very difficult for the travel teams on the East-West jaunts in the Big Ten.
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Your first sentence in the last paragraph says it all.
 
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PSUForever

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Marshall2323 said:
We Are...like everyone else. It's a sign of immaturity that fanboys here can't give Franklin his due. They are reliving their rejections from the cheerleaders in high school. LOL
It's very simple. Franklin came to PSU at a time it was in the throughs of the 2nd worse sanctions in the history of NCAA football. Very serious recruiting sanctions. At the end of his first year, those sanctions were largely lifted. However, at a time without the portal 3 years of handcuffed recruiting would have an impact. His tenure, in addition saw a Big 10 title and title appearance, 2 playoff wins, a 13 win season along with4 11 win seasons and Rose, Cotton and Fiesta Bowl victories.
Despite all the positive achievements, Coach Franklin failed to win "big" games, most notably, against Ohio State and Oregon.
The 2025 season began with a veteran roster and followed a 2024 run to the National Championship semi-finals. The first 6 games were terribly disappointing, especially loses to UCLA and Northwestern.....after an apparently heartbreaking over time loss to Oregon. Virtually everyone agreed that a change in leadership was needed.

After firing Franklin, AD Kraft mismanaged the coaching search, and this resulted in losing an entire recruiting class.
Fortunately, after months of failure, Matt Campbell a highly regarded, veteran coach expressed interest. Even Pat Kraft couldn't screw this up.
Campbell took the reins with the promise of more staff money pool and a top 10 NIL budget . Given Coach Campbells prior coaching achievements, along with more resources, results are expected to improve dramatically.
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Franklin was a decent coach. I would say solid but he hit a ceiling and could not take the program to an elite status. He never got us into the 4 team playoff and we should have been there a couple years. He was horrible in big games. He did represent the program well but still seemed too much of a slick sales guy for my liking. Players liked him. Glad he is gone as he should have been canned after the '21 season. No one is going to confuse him with any of the elite coaches today or with the all time great coaches of the past.
 
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Connorpozlee

Connorpozlee

All-American
Aug 29, 2013
3,253
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PSUForever said:
Franklin was a decent coach. I would say solid but he hit a ceiling and could not take the program to an elite status. He never got us into the 4 team playoff and we should have been there a couple years. He was horrible in big games. He did represent the program well but still seemed too much of a slick sales guy for my liking. Players liked him. Glad he is gone as he should have been canned after the '21 season. No one is going to confuse him with any of the elite coaches today or with the all time great coaches of the past.
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He had a good but not great resume going into last season. To crap the bed in such a horrific way as he did to start the season was too much for a coach with just a good resume.
 
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rigi19041

Redshirt
Apr 1, 2026
16
3
3
PSUForever said:
You are entitled to your bleak outlook. Not sure though how bleak future and the fact that we have a pretty good shot (not a lock but not some Hail Mary prayer either) of winning 10 games in '26 and going to the playoff can describe the same program? Do we need to pick up some 4 star guys? Yes. Will the program be downtrodden for the foreseeable future? No.

The only reason I would bring up Big Game James when discussing the future outlook of the program with Campbell at the helm is the following:

-Will Campbell be as completely inept and pathetic in winning big games as defined by beating teams with equal or better talent as us? No. This is a positive for the future.

-Related to the point above, I believe our teams will be both physically and mentally tougher under Campbell. Do not underrate the mental toughness aspect. Joe's teams had it for the most part and Franklin's teams most certainly did not. Just look at how many close games we lost where we could not execute at winning time. This should improve and again bode well for the future of the program.

- Will key position groups like WR and QB see no real development? No. Campbell will be able to develop these position groups at a much higher level than BGJ. I would throw in our DT position which could never really generate a pass rush under BGJ and Barnes. LB was so so at LBU no less! Campbell will get more out of all these positions.

The future is not bleak.
Click to expand...

Will Campbell produce more NFL players?
 
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rigi19041

Redshirt
Apr 1, 2026
16
3
3
Marshall2323 said:
Don't bet the ranch on it.
Here's the popular narrative.
James Franklin is the worst game day coach ever.
James Franklin can't develop talent,
James Franklin hires lousy coordinators
James Franklin plays favorites
James Franklin doesn't understand roster construction
James Franklin gave money to cripples
James Franklin is stupid and stubborn, and even argued with fans
Experts here feel free to pile on the list....

Matt Campbell wins games with laser focus decisions on game day
Matt Campbell would never argue with a fan
Matt Campbell sees future NFL talent in recruits that few if anyone can see
Matt Campbell develops talent at an incredible pace
In short Matt Campbell makes wine out of water
Matt Campbell is an expert at roster management
Matt Campbell will only compensate players that contribute and produce
seldom will be heard a discouraging word, and skies in State College will not be cloudy on game day.....

Only a moron would claim Michigan didn't have a coaching staff. Even a "suspended" Harbaugh coached all week and was in State College. By the way.....who beat that team without a coach? Answer? NO ONE. LOL

So given how generationaly bad James Franklin was and how brilliant the duo of Pat Kraft and Matt Campbell will be ...
It's hard to see Campbell not winning 10 or 11 games every single year. Because Franklin did 10 or better 7 times.
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Who was coaching Iowa State when they lost to Ohio Bobcats, WVU(3x), Northern Iowa and Memphis? Where was that laser focus?
 
Alphabets

Alphabets

Senior
Feb 4, 2014
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LMTLION said:
Hopefully, this means something. It would be a pretty amazing start to Campbell’s recruiting efforts at PSU.
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Calculate Zach Galifianakis GIF
 
LionsAndBears

LionsAndBears

All-Conference
Dec 7, 2009
2,203
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Mencl or Bourque? Not a bad problem to have if that's the case. Both would be great additions. It may come down to whoever pulls the trigger first. Reminds me of the 2000 class where we were taking the 1st 2 QBs to commit out of Wasserman, Mills and Smoker. Smoker wanted to go to PSU but he waited too long to pull the trigger and he ended up having to go to MSU.
 
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L

LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
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LionsAndBears said:
Menci or Bourque? Not a bad problem to have if that's the case. Both would be great additions. It may come down to whoever pulls the trigger first. Reminds me of the 2000 class where we were taking the 1st 2 QBs to commit out of Wasserman, Mills and Smoker. Smoker wanted to go to PSU but he waited too long to pull the trigger and he ended up having to go to MSU.
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Let’s hope the recruiting results now are far better than 2000. PSU should have taken Smoker instead of Wasserman. I always felt bad for Mills. He was battered for four years behind a dogsh^t OL and horrendous offense. He was better as a freshman than when he left because of the constant beatings. As for Menci vs Borque, PSU would be fortunate to get either at this point.
 
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DaytonRickster

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
2,611
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LB99 said:
Let’s hope the recruiting results now are far better than 2000. PSU should have taken Smoker instead of Wasserman. I always felt bad for Mills. He was battered for four years behind a dogsh^t OL and horrendous offense. He was better as a freshman than when he left because of the constant beatings. As for Menci vs Borque, PSU would be fortunate to get either at this point.
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Yeah, if Mills had a decent OL and remained healthy he would of had a stellar career at PSU.
 
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PSU89er

Junior
Nov 22, 2023
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What gets interesting is if Mencl is developing true interest (most think he is going to quack like a duck). If PSU is becoming a real option for him, then Borque is a problem for him. PSU isn't losing by landing one of these two and with the NIL stuff. No way they can take both. The second one will cost as much as a third of the rest of the recruiting class.

Everyone is talking like Borque is leaning this way. Mencl could make him do more than lean, and if Mencl is serious, Borque makes him get really serious really fast. This is anything but a bad problem.
 
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rigi19041

Redshirt
Apr 1, 2026
16
3
3
PSU89er said:
What gets interesting is if Mencl is developing true interest (most think he is going to quack like a duck). If PSU is becoming a real option for him, then Borque is a problem for him. PSU isn't losing by landing one of these two and with the NIL stuff. No way they can take both. The second one will cost as much as a third of the rest of the recruiting class.

Everyone is talking like Borque is leaning this way. Mencl could make him do more than lean, and if Mencl is serious, Borque makes him get really serious really fast. This is anything but a bad problem.
Click to expand...

Dont choke your chicken before it hatched.
 
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LionsAndBears

LionsAndBears

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LionsAndBears

LionsAndBears

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Dec 7, 2009
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LMTLION said:
Yup, we may get more in the next few days. Interesting that Blattner was a priority for VT. Must burn James that he only has 2 recruits vs 5 here. You know he is keeping count.
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Just wait til we start winning the games he always managed to lose. That will crush him cuz he'll know it was him that held us back from taking that final step.
 
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Lion84

Lion84

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Oct 7, 2021
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Looking forward to the new staff - this “fanboy” was worn out with Big Game James - he made him money - beat who he was supposed to and found a way to lose all the other games which was an accomplishment since even crappy teams found a way to pull an upset but give James credit he never did it not even once.
 
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LMTLION

All-Conference
Mar 20, 2008
1,344
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LionsAndBears said:
I'm honestly not a Franklin hater. He was good for us but it became clear that he wasn't going to get us to where most of us believe PSU should be. A school like VaTech may appreciate the level of success Franklin will give them via better talent.
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I am not a hater either and recognize he did far more good than bad. But he became toxic at the end and the level of toxicity and mismanagement was too much for us to continue under his direction.
 
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Bvillebaron

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2004
2,810
2,806
113
LionsAndBears said:
Just wait til we start winning the games he always managed to lose. That will crush him cuz he'll know it was him that held us back from taking that final step.
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Maybe that should happen first. What championship did Campbell win in a decade of coaching in a weaker league? I’ll wait for your “insightful” response.
 
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Patterson825

Junior
Jan 28, 2016
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Bvillebaron said:
Maybe that should happen first. What championship did Campbell win in a decade of coaching in a weaker league? I’ll wait for your “insightful” response.
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Iowa State was one of the worst jobs in college before Cambell took over. I mean Gene Chizik went 5-19 there and got hired at Auburn. Iowa State has practically no NIL and canceling a lot of big projects they had going. Also trying to recruit people to play in Ames, Iowa without offering them much cash isn’t an easy feat. I thought he did pretty good there with basically nothing to work with.
 
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BobPSU92

BobPSU92

Heisman
Aug 22, 2001
43,369
34,675
113
LMTLION said:
Yup, we may get more in the next few days. Interesting that Blattner was a priority for VT. Must burn James that he only has 2 recruits vs 5 here. You know he is keeping count.
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Franklin PRESSER. o_O this coming week:

*looks at a piece of paper*

“We lost the comittment battle, 5 to 2.”
 
P

PSU89er

Junior
Nov 22, 2023
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LionsAndBears said:
Mencl extending his recent visit has no doubt put a lot of pressure on Bourque.
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Never choke a chicken til its laid an egg, or something like that. At least that is what was said to me.

BTW, I grew up on a farm, we just cut off their damn heads and had them for supper.

The Mencl/Bourque thing seems pretty interesting to me.
 
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Countrylion

All-American
Aug 8, 2009
3,823
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Marshall2323 said:
Precisely. Which was the root of the Kraft vs Franklin split.
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The athletics department had $255M revenue in 2024 thru 2025 and could touch $290M this year based on increased Big Ten payout and the Adidas deal. They are not tapped out and the recruits they are getting have excellent potential.
 
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RolexKong

Junior
Aug 15, 2025
325
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Countrylion said:
The athletics department had $255M revenue in 2024 thru 2025 and could touch $290M this year based on increased Big Ten payout and the Adidas deal. They are not tapped out and the recruits they are getting have excellent potential.
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From that revenue, the athletic Department managed to clear less that $225,000 and has barely begun servicing the debt it's taking on and without reaching a full payout of revenue sharing.
 
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