New staff, same challenge: Inside James Franklin's quest to lead Penn State to the CFP

It was a response to the first question during James Franklin's news conference earlier this week in which the Penn State head coach indirectly referenced the breadth of challenges facing his program in 2024, a season that will feature three new coordinators and the vacancies left by eight primary contributors selected in this spring's NFL Draft, four of whom were taken in the first three rounds. Gone, too, are the five wide receivers who entered the transfer portal, headlined by No. 1 target KeAndre Lambert-Smith, now a projected starter at Auburn. 

A little more than a year ago, ahead of arguably the most anticipated Penn State season of his tenure, Franklin espoused the importance of making miniscule improvements as a means of finally getting the Nittany Lions over the hump and into the College Football Playoff. He mentioned the idea of his coordinators — Mike Yurcich (offense), Manny Diaz (defense) and Stacy Collins (special teams) — "making one better call" over the course of a game. He cited the need for players to have "two or three more championship-level workouts in the summer." He talked about the importance of "one more recruiting win" to secure the kind of player who can make a difference in the biggest moment of a game. For a program that already had steadiness and staying power as a perennial top-10 or top-15 team, these were the lesser-known margins where Franklin felt Penn State could still grow. 

So when Franklin was asked on Monday to share his thoughts about the freshly announced contract extension for Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft, a huge proponent of the football program who will now continue with the Nittany Lions through 2032, Franklin's response was telling when juxtaposed with the