No doubts, James Franklin and Penn State’s 2024 ride ended with a heartbreak. At the same time, it was short of record-breaking for the Nittany Lions. The 2024 Nittany Lions became the first team at Penn State to win 13 games in a single season. When was the last time they witnessed such glory? The previous high was 12, which was achieved in 1973, 1986, and 1994. Looks like Franklin and co. are to step into the 2025 season with the same spirit, without even a tad bit of glowdown. When the Nittany Lions have someone like the 210lb running back star on board, Franklin is already sending enough shock waves to his 134 FBS competitors. Now, who is this player carrying the flag in Penn State?
That’s none other than Class of 2026 running back Messiah Mickens. As Franklin is piecing together it’s possible top recruiting class under him, the 4-star running back from Harrisburg High School is an important piece. Despite being committed to Franklin’s program, his commitment has been the talk of the town for two years. Finally, in March, he closed his recruitment, committing to Franklin’s squad. The 4-star tailback is the No. 109 player nationally, No. 9 running back in the country, and No. 4 player in the Keystone State. Turns out that Franklin’s “the best in PA stay in PA,” is going to serve him well. Mickens is already gearing up to spread magic on the gridiron. On May 24, The Underclassmen Report posted an interview clip of Mickens. And one can note the passion in his voice. “I am committed to Penn State. Go Nittany Lions.”
Mickens continued to drop a trailer to other teams on how they should never take either him or Franklin’s boys easy when he is here. “Me, as a player, I would say I’m different…I pride myself on not letting one man tackle me.” Well, Franklin will not have to inject the winner’s mentality within Mickens. After all, the running back has imbibed it while growing up studying at Harrisburg High. In December last year, he was awarded as Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year. With this, Mickens carried on the legacy of his high school, which has produced the last three winners of the award. Who are the ones? Alabama wide receiver Rico Scott and Kentucky quarterback Stone Saunders.
Franklin has got that eye for talent. The Nittany Lions have been pursuing Mickens since he was in the 8th grade. But the head coach made the final push to seal the deal. Now the player is going to take care of the rest. “So just me being myself, making explosive plays and just being the best person on the field at all times.” Now, is it Franklin’s hot chase just talking big? No way. He doesn’t need to, as his stats do the honor. Last season, Mickens ran for 1,214 yards and 21 touchdowns after transferring from Trinity High School for his junior season. He even spread threats on the defensive side by tallying 81 tackles, 16.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Just like the players who are willing to give in their blood, sweat and tears, Franklin is blessed with the best in his coaching roster. The same reason behind Ryan Day going through a big FOMO.
James Franklin snagged Ohio State’s defensive goldmine
Was it their bad luck, or did Ohio State take their former defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, for granted? After all, their defense guru gifted Day’s squad some of the best times. Under Knowles, the Buckeyes. ranked No. 1 in points allowed per game (12.9), yards allowed per game (255), yards allowed per play (4.2), and red zone touchdown percentage (42%). But they did not tighten the grip, and Franklin jumped at the right moment at the right time. Penn State offered Knowles a $3.1 million annual salary that made him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football. And guess what’s more surprising?
Knowles has dreamed of being part of Franklin’s squad since childhood. As he shared in an interview with Adam Breneman, “Being able to coach at the school that you were a fan of when you were a young boy and watching it on TV, just thinking that Penn State was great everything about college football, and aspiring to that level and never reaching it as a player and then being able to finally do it as a coach. It was a big deal to me.” That’s how Franklin’s 3 Cs: culture, connectivity, and communication strategy paid off well.
However, there still remains a major problem that is plaguing James Franklin’s squad. Long story, short, Penn State is having a hard time winning high-stakes matchups. As Joel Klatt rightly pointed out, “They will beat the teams that they should beat. But what we haven’t seen from Penn State is them rise up and win the game that I would call a matchup game.” It’s high time James Franklin turns his long-held dream into reality by becoming the first African-American head coach to win a college football national championship.
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