Recruiting is keeping PSU coaches busy
every school in the country, and they’re trying to pluck them away,” Franklin said at a news conference at Beaver Stadium. “That’s how some people approach this time of year. Then you’re trying to finish your [recruiting] classes out with getting kids that are uncommitted or kids that are committed to other schools.
“We’ve got a couple guys that are still entertaining conversations with other schools, and we’ve got to keep those guys on board with us. I prefer you get in a situation where guys commit and it’s over, but that’s not always the case. Guys are going to entertain conversations or entertain visits. We’d prefer it not to be that way.”
Franklin said about 20 recruits, most of whom have committed, and their families were on campus Saturday. According to reports, he and his staff were playing host to Tariq Castro-Fields, a four-star cornerback from Upper Marlboro, Md., who has been offered scholarships by Alabama and other schools.
“We’ve still got a handful of guys that we’re still recruiting for those last few spots to try to finish this thing — to try to close this thing on a real positive note,” he said.
Franklin said Penn State has “a pretty good class” at the moment, “but if we can get a few more pieces of the puzzle, we feel good about it.”
Franklin also said he would not rule out “grayshirting,” which would allow a prospect to postpone his enrollment until the spring semester, and have that scholarship count on next year’s total, if he ended up getting more commitments than there were available scholarships. On other subjects: Franklin said seven players discussed making themselves available for the NFL draft, but only two — wide receiver Chris Godwin and defensive end Garrett Sickels — did so.
He believes that the 2017 roster is pretty well set, and that wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton will return for his senior year and “have a big role for us.” Hamilton caught a Big Ten Conference-leading 82 passes in 2014, but those numbers dropped to 45 and 34 the past two seasons.
With Sunday being the fifth anniversary of the death of longtime coach Joe Paterno, Franklin said, “To me, that’s what it’s all about.
“It’s not about the wins and the losses, it’s about how many people did you have a positive impact on, and all the players that came through here, he was able to have a positive impact on.”