Franklin pleased with Penn State's recruiting class

STATE COLLEGE - During a moment of silence, Penn State coach James Franklin sat at the head of a table in a crowded room in the Lasch Football Building - in the midst of yesterday morning's National Signing Day "war room" - and stared into space.

Franklin, sporting a light-blue button-up shirt with an attached microphone for talking with commits on Skype and FaceTime, broke his trance, felt a hand on his back, looked up and saw his wife, Fumi, standing next to him and smiling.

While it was welcomed, that instance of tranquility was brief: Franklin had to introduce the latest Nittany Lion to the family.

The 42-year-old coach and his staff, who were all situated at the Lasch Building by 6:30 a.m., put on a show, turning a day of waiting by a fax machine into a party.

And there was reason to celebrate.

There were no surprises - no last-minute flips. Everyone who orally committed followed through by sending in signed letters of intent.

The 2015 class finished 12th nationally in Scout.com's ranking.

While that's something to hang his hat on, Franklin wasn't too pleased with where the Lions ranked among their conference foes.

"We finished second in the Big Ten, which I'm not happy about," Franklin said about Penn State's class, which finished behind national champion Ohio State.

Otherwise, Franklin said at a news conference later in the day, he was happy with how everything turned out.

In all, Penn State secured signatures from 13 four-star recruits. According to Scout, only six schools had more: Auburn, USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama and Texas. UCLA also signed 13 four-star recruits.

Of Penn State's signees, only three of the 25 are from outside its core region of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. Those areas have always been good to the Lions, but it was a much larger focus this go-around, especially with Franklin's promise when he was introduced as coach in January 2014 to "dominate the state."

So when Franklin was asked how Penn State succeeded in-state, his answer was rather simple.

"I think you come into your opening press conference, make some bold statements and then don't leave yourself a choice," Franklin said with a smile. "You make it a priority to keep the best players in this region home."

Specifically, Franklin, a Langhorne native and former Neshaminy High School quarterback, used his Philly roots to nab a handful of city-leagues products: defensive end Shareef Miller from George Washington, defensive back John Reid from St. Joseph's Prep, and linebacker Jake Cooper and offensive lineman Ryan Bates from Archbishop Wood.

To Franklin, making connections around the state was crucial upon his arrival in Happy Valley. But it wasn't too hard for him to do that in the Philadelphia area.

"You're not really working. You're not really recruiting. You're driving around to see all your buddies," Franklin said about his friends who are high school coaches. "Relationships and chemistry and years of trust go a long way."

That trust helped allow Franklin relax a bit yesterday.

Franklin, who said he doesn't like drama, avoids that by making sure that not only do athletes understand what an oral commitment to Penn State means, but also that their coaches and family do.

The coach, who tallied a 7-6 mark in his first season with the Lions, said he doesn't want players to commit until they're 100 percent sure on Penn State.

"Because of that, we don't have a whole lot of issues," Franklin explained.

Still, the coach said he deals with anxiety throughout the process until that final letter of intent comes through.

But even in the heat of the "war room" - waiting on future contributors to officially commit their loyalty - Franklin found time to have fun.

When signees talked on FaceTime, he joked around and asked to talk to parents and siblings.

When ESPN reporter Britt McHenry wore Ohio State-esque red, he made sure to get her a blue Penn State jacket.

And when his wife smiled at him, he returned the favor.

Because let's be honest: Franklin had every reason to be smiling yesterday.