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| Subject: psu's new approach to signing day | |
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Author: hafer |
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Date Posted: 12:50:48 02/05/14 Wed Blue Band trumpeters are playing "Hail to the Lion." James Franklin starts clapping to the beat. His assistant coaches, university administrators and assorted donors and VIPs follow along. It's Signing Day at Penn State. What was for decades an event that the longtime coaching staff wanted to receive as little public attention as possible -- the loudest sounds that came from the Lasch Building were the ring tones of the fax machine -- has, in one fell swoop, become what is essentially a day-long pep rally. The lobby outside the coaches' offices in Lasch on Wednesday morning was transformed into a "war room" -- a long table in the center, multiple flat-screen televisions lined up around the room, and a "big board" of prospects on the wall nearest the door. Penn State assistant coach Charles Huff and a rotating band of guest introducers -- everyone from former linebacker Michael Mauti to Blue Band director Richard Bundy -- announce the Class of 2014 signees one at a time as they listen through the speaker phone or, in some cases, get a grin at the scene through Face Time. Penn State assistants pace through the room, alternately fielding calls from both incoming signees and 2015 prospects. They'll be handed phones by recruiting staff or hand their phones to Franklin, who looks like a head chef coolly stirring five different pots at once. When it's time for one of the signees to formally be announced, he'll subtly signal for silence, and a room of about five dozen people quickly grants it. When the name is called, Franklin leads a rousing cheer, and someone will stick a magnet bearing that recruit's name into the designated slot on the board. The first "pick" was the first letter to arrive -- that of Jason Cabinda. The last signee to fax a letter, Franklin says, won't be referred to as "Mr. Irrelevant" but rather "Mr. Dramatic Pause." As the name is going up, Franklin easily slips into conversation with the player. He'll make a crack about the weather, tell the recruit to give his mom and dad a hug, and end each call with "Get ready to work, man." before sending an assistant out into the hallway to continue the discussion by phone. Franklin arrived in Lasch shortly before 6 a.m. -- he jokes to ESPN's Pedro Gomez that he came in on a snowmobile -- and his staff was there by 6:30. The head coach sips from a smoothie, the remnants of an iced coffee also nearby. At one point, offensive line coach Herb Hand takes a break from chatting to go prepare an omelette. Between announcements, Franklin chats with current players Jordan Lucas and Nyeem Wartman, who are wearing small smiles that are equal parts amusement and surprise -- they seem as taken in by the show as anyone. Early enrollees Michael O'Connor, De'Andre Thompkins and Antoine White stop by as well, and, one by one, Franklin scoops up his young daughters, Ava and Addison, and quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne's young son, Ryder, to help them put the early enrollees' names on the board. The TVs are tuned into ESPNU's Signing Day coverage, and it is somewhat surreal to watch the coaches watch their class -- and others around the country -- being discussed by analysts. "Alabama stole the big board idea from us," one assistant coach says, focusing on the background on the screen as Nick Saban chats with a reporter. "We started that at Vanderbilt." Gomez is filming live shots from a few yards away in the crow's nest above the weight room. He describes the excitement and energy in the room just as the room falls silent so that the staff and bystanders can listen to him do so. Franklin did this at Vanderbilt, too. Later in the day he'll hold a press conference to discuss the class with reporters, then head to the Bryce Jordan Center to celebrate the class with fans. For now, it's draft day and signing day and a cocktail party -- with coffee and juice instead of alcohol -- rolled into one. It's Signing Day at Penn State. And Franklin, in terms of both the day and his tenure, is only getting started. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |