For Penn State's James Franklin, Next Year Starts Now

The Nittany Lions are flying at 35,000 feet, comfortably above most every other college football program. But when they ascend to 39,000 feet, where Ohio State and Michigan cruise, the Lions encounter turbulence and must descend. Franklin is building this offensive coordinator hire around flying comfortably at that altitude. He pretty much stated that outright before heading to Detroit.

At his midweek media availability in State College, Franklin explained what he'll be looking for in those Zoom calls. A proven track record as a play-caller matters, as do success rates on third down and with explosive plays. As always, relationships matter, too. But Franklin also is looking for someone with established success in big games. Beating Michigan State 42-0 is lovely. Franklin wants more.

'A big [factor] is data and information based on the people who’ve been able to score against their best competition in whatever leagues they’ve come from. That's an important piece in this as well," Franklin said. "Obviously we've got even more competition coming into the league as well. Overall our numbers are pretty good, but we've got to put ourselves in the best position based on the teams we need to beat, and have the data, evidence and experience to back it up. That’s really the difference. Hopefully it's someone that’s done it long enough to have a true indication [of success]. ... It's a smaller pool than people might think."

Franklin is swinging big and will have the resources to attract top talent. At the same time, Franklin will invest time this week seeking to retain his top talent. The NCAA Transfer Portal opens Dec. 4, and Penn State will be an active player, likely at receiver in particular. However, Franklin and his coaching staff will meet next week with every player on the roster to begin determining their futures. One positive note from Friday. According to Pennlive's Johnny McGonigal, running back Nicholas Singleton followed his best game of the season (18 carries, 118 yards) by saying he plans to return to Penn State. The coaching staff welcomed Singleton's confirmation.

After the game, Franklin was asked whether the win, and specifically his team's offensive performance, led to a sense of vindication for Penn State. He's not one to agree with such question premises but answered anyway. Franklin's response mixed satisfaction in what Penn State has accomplished this year with a prediction.

"We won 10 games this season," Franklin said. "There's very few programs in the country that are able to do that. We've done it in back-to-back seasons. I'm very proud of what we've done. Do I understand and do I embrace the fact that this place has really, really high expectations? Nobody has higher expectations than the players and the coaches, so I'm not sure about all that [regarding vindication]. But I'm proud of this team and how we played tonight and how consistently we played this year. But obviously there's some steps we have to take. I'm confident we're going to take those steps and be aggressive."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.