DisruptU PSU Presents Quite Franklin With LaVar Arrington And Coach James Franklin deliver an engaging conversation, as they reflect on Thanksgiving, family values, and the importance of gratitude. They discuss the dynamics of the coaching staff and the significance of building trust and communication within the team. The conversation also touches on the health challenges faced by the team and the resilience required to navigate them. As they prepare for the final game of the season, they highlight the achievements of the team and the importance of consistency in performance.
Takeaways
•Thankfulness for family and the Penn State community is paramount.
•The coaching staff plays a crucial role in team dynamics.
•Building trust and communication is essential for success.
•Health challenges are common in football, especially late in the season.
•Resilience is key to overcoming injuries and setbacks.
•The team's ability to win close games is a valuable asset.
•Consistency in performance is a significant achievement for the program.
•The importance of supporting the team and the school is emphasized.
•The conversation reflects a deep appreciation for the sport and its community.
#upongame #fsrweekends #2Pros
Support the show: https://www.upongame.network/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up? Everybody's Arrington here, and yes it is an
(00:03):
exciting addition, a winning edition of Quite Franklin with coach
James Franklin and myself Arrington. We will be talking Thanksgiving.
You'll be interested to hear what his favorite dessert is.
You'll be interested to hear what my favorite dessert is.
We'll talk about it. Health report of course heading into
(00:24):
this game, well, we did a rapid fire of certain things.
You'll be able to hear that as well. And what
does the coach think about the team heading into this
final regular season game? You'll get all that in this
edition of Quite Franklin. Buckle up here we go three
to one. Let's do it Thanksgiving Thanksgiving weekend. What's thankful for? Man?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, obviously goes without saying, but I'm thankful for my family,
my wife and two daughters.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I don't know when it happened, but they grew up.
You know, I got here, their little teeny things, and.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
My oldest is about to go to culinary school is
what she's going to do. So I'm very very thankful
for them. And then you know, I'm thankful for my
my Penn State family. You know, the guys in the
locker room, the players. I absolutely love those guys and
the staff that we've been able to put together.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
And you know those.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Things, those things is you know what I spend sixteen seventeen,
eighteen hours a day on. So that's my family and
those are the things that are important to me.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Okay, culinary school. Before I get touch on the other
thing you're thankful for. What's she is she cooking for?
Is she cooking for Thanksgiving? Is she the one that's
the is she the main one? Or is it Mama?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
No, it's it's mom.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
She she is she could cook a lot of things
and cooks very well.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
But she she mainly likes to do pastries and desserts
that kind of stuff. Okay, okay, all right, okay, So
something going to be off the chain. I'm a dessert guy,
like I'm going for So I got a plug at
at Mastros and and one of the chef's main chefs,
and I'm trying to get an apple.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
What what are they called the cakes they have at Mastros.
I'm blanking on it right now, but it's an apple one. Anyways,
they're they're known for it. It's gonna pop into my head.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
We don't have one of them in state college. I
don't know what you're talking about.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Yeah, we gotta do better. We gotta do better, all right. Anyway.
I like desserts though, and I'm trying to get this this.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Top two desserts if you had, If you had desserts.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Upside down pineapple upside down cake is super super high
on my list. A well done one is one to
really really really enjoy and really get into it and
you sing happy fat boy songs. That's what I do.
Number two A close number two, but should be one
(03:13):
A is banana pudding. That's my My mom made it
like she did it with vanilla instead of banana pudding,
and the way she did it it was very unique.
Passed it on to my wife. She might do it
even better.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
And whoa, whoa. But watch yourself.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
I told you, I'm old man. I just keep it
all the way real man. I shoot from the hip. Mama,
I'm sorry, yeah, might Trish might have you on that
banana pudding in twenty twenty four? What are yours?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Man?
Speaker 1 (03:44):
What are you in?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, that's why I was asking. I'm a huge and
I don't get it that offense. That's probably why I'm
a huge sweet potato pie guy. Okay, tato ply Thanksgiving Christmas,
my wife, My wife make some and uh again, I
don't eat it.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Very often, but I love it.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Burnt outside or just brown or regular brown brown. You
don't go burn, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
No, My wife when she first made it the first time,
it tastes good, but it was like pale.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
It was like this.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Weird got you gotta have a little bit of like
kind of like almost close to or burnt on the outsides.
You know what I mean for it to be a
sweet potato pie.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, all right, Okay, I love you.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
All right, let's get down to it. You talked about
being thankful for your coaches. One of the things you
talked about is coaches. Can we talk about some of
these guys? You know, you got so many, so many
amazing coaches. And I know we talked about coach Allen,
We talked talk about coach Koto Nikki. I get it,
(04:48):
I get it. Nice, But what about some of these
other guys we got. You know, we got DBU, we
got locked down you, we got we got some bad
boys up from you know, we got some dope lbs.
We got amazing, amazing secondary and like I said, lockdown you.
(05:08):
But on the offense side of the ball. The running
backs room is an amazing room. You have so many
amazing coaches. What's that like? What has that been like?
Because some of them have been with you for a while.
I know the coordinators are coming and going because of
the success that you guys are having. But some of
(05:29):
these guys, they are Penn staters and some of them
have stayed with you for quite some time. Now. You
got a Hall of Famer, College Hall of Famer on
on your staff, on your coaching staff. What's that been
like having those guys, because I don't know that they
get enough you know, praise or attention for the things
that they do behind the scenes.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Well, it's funny that you say that.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You know, last week had four of my former guys
all playing against each other. Brent Prive Virginia Tech playing
Manny Diez in Duke and Ricky Ronnie at Old Dominion
playing Charles Huff at Marshall. So, you know, for my
guys all on one weekend. But yeah, you know, to
kind of focus on some of the guys that have
(06:13):
been with me for a while, you know, you look
at what Terry Smith and Anthony Poindexter have done Terry
has been with me the whole time, you know, e
eleven years here he's been He's been awesome and as
a letterman makes it even cooler. But him and Dex
have done a really good job on the back half
(06:33):
of our defense. Dex has been interim defensive coordinator. You know,
those guys have been invaluable in terms of culture, in
terms of recruiting, in terms of development, in terms of loyalty.
They they've been awesome. And then on offense, you know,
jay Wan Sider and Phil Troutwine, you know, those guys
(06:54):
have been with.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Me, you know, a long time. And and and.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Also Ty Howe, those those three, you guys ties a
letterman has.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Done done a great job.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Phil trout Wine has done a great job with our
offensive line. Jaywan has been with us for a number
of years. And our running backs have been very, very
productive and and so.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
It's a good group.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
And then you got Marcus Hagen's coaching the wide receivers,
and you got Dion Barnes and other letterman coaching the
defensive line. You got Dan Connor, you got Daniel Bryan.
So there's a bunch of guys, and I'm just blessed
and fortunate a lot of guys that have connections to
Penn State, a lot of guys that have connections to me,
people that I trust, that I believe in, because as
(07:38):
you know, this this job as a monster, and you
better be surrounded by You could be the best head
coach in the country. If you're not surrounded by the
right people, you got no chance.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You gotta be able to delegate. I mean, that's just
what it is. You gotta have guys that are at
that that level and that quality and and really believing
buy into the culture. And that seems to be what
we have at the school. I mean, I've been thoroughly impressed.
Like I've been to every home game, so I've had
an opportunity to see it from a perspective and a
(08:10):
lens that I've never really been able to do since
since You've been there, since I've left, Like I wouldn't
even been able to do it with Joe. I've never
come back this much. A lot of the reason why
I come back is because I feel like I need
to support you in this program and support the school
on a level that has been different than I've ever
supported before, and I made that commitment to make sure
(08:33):
I came back. I wanted to learn and keep learning
and understanding. And what I have learned, what I've experienced,
what I've seen has been I wish everyone could experience
it the way that I've been able to experience it,
because I think that a lot of the things that
people maybe have concerns about, or maybe have had criticisms about,
(08:56):
or whatever it is, I almost feel like it would
make sense to them if they were able to experience
it on a consistent basis. The level of which you
guys operate has been and I'm talking I played pro,
and I've experienced pro from a media standpoint where I'm
(09:19):
critical and I have to be an analyst of it.
But I've also experienced it as a player, and I've
experienced coaching as a coach, and I tell you, I've
been thoroughly impressed. That's why I wanted to bring up
the rest of the coaching staff, because the way things
have operated, in the way they have been handled, people
may not know how difficult it is at times for
(09:42):
you guys to navigate the things that you navigate. That
was a game you guys had to navigate against Minnesota.
It's a hard environment to play in, like broke our heart.
You know when I was there, Minnesota beat us. That's
what derailed our season when we were ranked number one.
These dudes right here, them dudes. Minnesota has always found
(10:03):
a way to step up against Penn State. I don't know,
it always is close even if we win. But you
guys were in a game and I saw what I've
been seeing all season, the ability to navigate and the
ability to put things together, and nothing more on display,
honestly than your interaction with with Drew. Talk to me
(10:23):
about how that belief in one another and the culture
that you've built and how everything is handled in such
a family and respectful way. In a moment like that
where you're coaching hard, but then on the other side
of it, there's that there's that communication where it's like,
(10:44):
this is why it works, what you do? Can you
go into that a little bit? Is that Okay, if
you go into that just a little.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Bit, well, I think, as you know better than anybody,
that interaction happens because of the last six years, Like
you know, how you interact, the trust you building people,
the trust they build with you, the tough times, the
(11:13):
good times, the consistency, which is the most important thing
right that allows Drew to to have some emotions and burst,
It allows me to have some emotions and burst, but
it allows us both to give each other the benefit
of the doubt and then come back together and say, Okay,
you know this is what we need to do moving forward.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Here here the things are important.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
I think the emotion that Drew has had this year
I think has been good. I think it's it's been
important for him. I think it's important for the team
to see him that way. I think it's important for
the fans to see him that way, and the media
how important it is to him and how invested he
is in all of this. But you can't be a
roller coaster either, which which he's not, which is great.
(11:57):
So for me, it was an opportunity to make a
coaching point and then it was an opportunity to get
back and focus on the things that that matter most.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
And you know, he's he's playing at a very very
high level.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
And you know the thing probably doesn't get enough attention
for is those plays he's picking up with his legs, touchdowns,
first downs where he's not sliding and coming up a
yard short of a first down.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
There's a time and place for that too.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
But but you know, in a hard fought game where
points and yards are difficult to come by, you gotta
fight for all of them.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
And when the team sees him doing that has an
impact on everybody.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
He responded, He responded super super well, And I thought
that was that That was pretty interesting how that that
all played out. Hell, this might have been the first
game that we saw our guys literally dropping on on
on the field. How are we looking health wise? I
(13:04):
know our lineman, our old lineman that was a sustained well,
both the old lineman and a d lineman sustained maybe
a serious injury. What how are we looking health wise
heading into this game?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Yeah, I think a couple of things. We've been dealing
with that stuff all year long. We did have two
guys that we lost, uh, you know, for for what
we would describe as long term injuries. But the reality
is is as coaches and as players, you know, we
can't we can't flinch, we can't blink. We just we've
got to power through it. And you know, we're gonna
(13:38):
have to rely on some guys that haven't played a
ton of football to this point, some younger guys, but
they've been preparing all year long and that's that's up
to the coaches and the veterans to help them with that.
But you know, we'd love to be healthy, but the
reality is, LeVar, as you know, at this time of
(13:58):
the year, whether it's in the NFL or college football
or even high school, this is part of Unless.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
You're not playing right, you better be practicing hard enough
to be sore.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Too, you know, correct, It's just part of it. It
is what it is, and you got to learn to
play with it. This stuff that you should you know,
obviously the stuff. If you're legitimately injured, then the trainers
and the doctors step in and take.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Care of that. But but it's just that time of year.
Everybody's got some bruises.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
All right, here we go, I got it. Last question.
And then here's a rapid fire and it's Buttercake by
the way, coach Buttercake from Master School. Boom. All right,
here we go. And it doesn't have to be one word.
It's just first thing that comes to mind. Last regular
(14:49):
season game.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Emotional, the emotional impact of guys like Devon and guys
that have been with us a long time. So and
although I know they'll always be part of the family,
it just you're not going to see those dudes every day.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
So it's an emotional day for me.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
That's dope. Yeah, I'm with you. State College weather, uh.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Four seasons, good, the bad, uh and everything in between.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
But I actually enjoy the four seasons.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I love the fall, when the leaves start changing colors.
I love the spring when you're coming out of winter.
I love those first beautiful snow falls, when the snow
comes down and everything's pristine.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
That's great football weather.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
The summers aren't real hot. You know, it's warm, but
not crazy hot with humidity. So I like the seasons.
You know, there comes a point in the.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Winter where you're like, Okay, I've had about enough of this.
Let's bed. But but I enjoy the four seasons.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Okay, okay, okay uh.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Penn State offense, I'd say the first thing that jumps
into my mind explosive, and that's a combination where we've
been more explosive this year. But I would also say
it was such a big emphasis of of bringing Andy
Kotlnikki in here, and for the most part. He's delivered
on that. So that's that's what how I would describe
(16:19):
that group.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Penn State Defense.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Resilient. I'd probably say resilient.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
There's been times where we've been suffocating, and there's been
times where we've been been but but don't break. But
at the end of the day, we've gotten the job done.
So you know, I've been I've been pleased. I've been
pleased with that group. But I would describe as resilient
Penn State special teams, probably inconsistent. We've We've done some
(16:47):
really good things at times. I think last last game
is a perfect example, right that the fake field goal,
fake punt, huge play, But then you know we have
a punt block and we have a extra point blocked
in return. So i'd say i'd say a little bit
a little bit more inconsistent than probably I would like,
(17:09):
But overall, I've been I've been pleased.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Last question, do you like where this team is going
into this final game? Yeah? I do.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
I mean I will say this, you know, the the
two previous weeks, I thought we won.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
And got better in a lot of areas.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
This past week, I didn't think we played as clean
as we've played really all year and specifically you know,
the two previous weeks. But Minnesota is a better team
than I think their record shows. It's always tough going
on the road and and winning. Definitely one of the
better defenses we played all year, there's no doubt about that.
(17:48):
So there's still a ton of value in having a
team that knows how to win and finds ways to win.
That's critical. I mean, you look all over the country.
There's a ton of teams that have three or four
losses by one possession that you know they weren't able
(18:09):
to finish, and this team is shown were able to
do that. So I think there's still a ton of
value in it. But I sure would have liked us
to play a little bit cleaner in some areas.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Undefeated on the road heading into a big weekend, we
all know what the implications Michigan Ohio State they go
head to head. If they were to see the Michigan's
Wolverines win, that means we're heading to well, we're going
to win one and oh so we're not gonna go there.
But it is a big weekend in college football in
(18:41):
the Big Ten. I wish you all the luck in
the world. Coach, I wish you and your family, our family,
my family, a happy Thanksgiving. Make sure you get my
love to all the coaches, all the players, all the staff,
everybody that does everything to make everything what it is
for our school. I'm coming in on Friday because I
will not come in because while I do love PA
(19:02):
and I love my school, I do like being warm
too as well. So Coach, I appreciate you, Good luck
to you, and let's let's finish out strong.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Hey, one last thing.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
One of the things I'm really proud of, and I
think you get this kind of your your story about
your your game against Minnesota and things like that. You know,
three years in a row we've won ten games. There's
only three programs in the country that have done that.
I think it's US, Ohio State and Oregon. And on
top of that, the first time that Penn State has
(19:33):
ever done it since joining the Big Ten. So you know,
I'm very very proud of that. Consistencies very important and
hard to do.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
It's a tough conference, man, And I tell you what
I know. I speak for a whole bunch of us
when I say we do see the value and being
successful to the level that we have been successful too.
Some people look at it as they want more. It's
a product of having success of what the less has become,
(20:03):
and it's become more and more and more and more.
It's the small victories. There was a man that was
very wise that told us one time, and he told
us this all the time, if you take care of
the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.
That guy's name was Joe Paterno. And I'll tell you what.
You have taken care of the little things, coach, and
so has our team. So we're gonna take care of
this thing on Saturday, and then we'll worry about the
(20:25):
bigger things to come after that. All right, appreciate you.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, coach.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Thanks brother, you too, and I'm thankful. I'm thankful for
you and your family too.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Brother. That's coach Franklin right there. You heard it from him.
And well, i'll tell you what. This is a big one.
It's against Maryland. While they're not record wise as impressive
as they could be or should be, this is a
game against a team where coach Franklin once coached that
and learned a lot. Coach with the great one Ralph
(20:56):
friging coach with the current head coach, Mike Loxley. This
will be an interesting matchup to watch take place, as
I certainly believe that Maryland would love to play a spoiler.
So can can stay get better as well as win
the game to set the stage for what it will
(21:17):
be moving forward, knowing what the playoff situation is, knowing
what could possibly happen in the Michigan Ohio state game
as well. We'll be here to talk about it next week.
I'm LeVar Arrington. That was coach Franklin. This is quite Franklin.
Disrupt YOUPSU. Make sure you go check it out on
the website, check it out wherever it is you get
(21:38):
your podcasts from as well. We'll talk to you soon.
All right, we are in state
What's up? Everybody's Arrington here, and yes it is an
(00:03):
exciting addition, a winning edition of Quite Franklin with coach
James Franklin and myself Arrington. We will be talking Thanksgiving.
You'll be interested to hear what his favorite dessert is.
You'll be interested to hear what my favorite dessert is.
We'll talk about it. Health report of course heading into
(00:24):
this game, well, we did a rapid fire of certain things.
You'll be able to hear that as well. And what
does the coach think about the team heading into this
final regular season game? You'll get all that in this
edition of Quite Franklin. Buckle up here we go three
to one. Let's do it Thanksgiving Thanksgiving weekend. What's thankful for? Man?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, obviously goes without saying, but I'm thankful for my family,
my wife and two daughters.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I don't know when it happened, but they grew up.
You know, I got here, their little teeny things, and.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
My oldest is about to go to culinary school is
what she's going to do. So I'm very very thankful
for them. And then you know, I'm thankful for my
my Penn State family. You know, the guys in the
locker room, the players. I absolutely love those guys and
the staff that we've been able to put together.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
And you know those.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Things, those things is you know what I spend sixteen seventeen,
eighteen hours a day on. So that's my family and
those are the things that are important to me.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Okay, culinary school. Before I get touch on the other
thing you're thankful for. What's she is she cooking for?
Is she cooking for Thanksgiving? Is she the one that's
the is she the main one? Or is it Mama?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
No, it's it's mom.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
She she is she could cook a lot of things
and cooks very well.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
But she she mainly likes to do pastries and desserts
that kind of stuff. Okay, okay, all right, okay, So
something going to be off the chain. I'm a dessert guy,
like I'm going for So I got a plug at
at Mastros and and one of the chef's main chefs,
and I'm trying to get an apple.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
What what are they called the cakes they have at Mastros.
I'm blanking on it right now, but it's an apple one. Anyways,
they're they're known for it. It's gonna pop into my head.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
We don't have one of them in state college. I
don't know what you're talking about.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Yeah, we gotta do better. We gotta do better, all right. Anyway.
I like desserts though, and I'm trying to get this this.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Top two desserts if you had, If you had desserts.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Upside down pineapple upside down cake is super super high
on my list. A well done one is one to
really really really enjoy and really get into it and
you sing happy fat boy songs. That's what I do.
Number two A close number two, but should be one
(03:13):
A is banana pudding. That's my My mom made it
like she did it with vanilla instead of banana pudding,
and the way she did it it was very unique.
Passed it on to my wife. She might do it
even better.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
And whoa, whoa. But watch yourself.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
I told you, I'm old man. I just keep it
all the way real man. I shoot from the hip. Mama,
I'm sorry, yeah, might Trish might have you on that
banana pudding in twenty twenty four? What are yours?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Man?
Speaker 1 (03:44):
What are you in?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, that's why I was asking. I'm a huge and
I don't get it that offense. That's probably why I'm
a huge sweet potato pie guy. Okay, tato ply Thanksgiving Christmas,
my wife, My wife make some and uh again, I
don't eat it.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Very often, but I love it.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Burnt outside or just brown or regular brown brown. You
don't go burn, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
No, My wife when she first made it the first time,
it tastes good, but it was like pale.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
It was like this.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Weird got you gotta have a little bit of like
kind of like almost close to or burnt on the outsides.
You know what I mean for it to be a
sweet potato pie.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, all right, Okay, I love you.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
All right, let's get down to it. You talked about
being thankful for your coaches. One of the things you
talked about is coaches. Can we talk about some of
these guys? You know, you got so many, so many
amazing coaches. And I know we talked about coach Allen,
We talked talk about coach Koto Nikki. I get it,
(04:48):
I get it. Nice, But what about some of these
other guys we got. You know, we got DBU, we
got locked down you, we got we got some bad
boys up from you know, we got some dope lbs.
We got amazing, amazing secondary and like I said, lockdown you.
(05:08):
But on the offense side of the ball. The running
backs room is an amazing room. You have so many
amazing coaches. What's that like? What has that been like?
Because some of them have been with you for a while.
I know the coordinators are coming and going because of
the success that you guys are having. But some of
(05:29):
these guys, they are Penn staters and some of them
have stayed with you for quite some time. Now. You
got a Hall of Famer, College Hall of Famer on
on your staff, on your coaching staff. What's that been
like having those guys, because I don't know that they
get enough you know, praise or attention for the things
that they do behind the scenes.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Well, it's funny that you say that.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You know, last week had four of my former guys
all playing against each other. Brent Prive Virginia Tech playing
Manny Diez in Duke and Ricky Ronnie at Old Dominion
playing Charles Huff at Marshall. So, you know, for my
guys all on one weekend. But yeah, you know, to
kind of focus on some of the guys that have
(06:13):
been with me for a while, you know, you look
at what Terry Smith and Anthony Poindexter have done Terry
has been with me the whole time, you know, e
eleven years here he's been He's been awesome and as
a letterman makes it even cooler. But him and Dex
have done a really good job on the back half
(06:33):
of our defense. Dex has been interim defensive coordinator. You know,
those guys have been invaluable in terms of culture, in
terms of recruiting, in terms of development, in terms of loyalty.
They they've been awesome. And then on offense, you know,
jay Wan Sider and Phil Troutwine, you know, those guys
(06:54):
have been with.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Me, you know, a long time. And and and.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Also Ty Howe, those those three, you guys ties a
letterman has.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Done done a great job.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Phil trout Wine has done a great job with our
offensive line. Jaywan has been with us for a number
of years. And our running backs have been very, very
productive and and so.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
It's a good group.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
And then you got Marcus Hagen's coaching the wide receivers,
and you got Dion Barnes and other letterman coaching the
defensive line. You got Dan Connor, you got Daniel Bryan.
So there's a bunch of guys, and I'm just blessed
and fortunate a lot of guys that have connections to
Penn State, a lot of guys that have connections to me,
people that I trust, that I believe in, because as
(07:38):
you know, this this job as a monster, and you
better be surrounded by You could be the best head
coach in the country. If you're not surrounded by the
right people, you got no chance.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You gotta be able to delegate. I mean, that's just
what it is. You gotta have guys that are at
that that level and that quality and and really believing
buy into the culture. And that seems to be what
we have at the school. I mean, I've been thoroughly impressed.
Like I've been to every home game, so I've had
an opportunity to see it from a perspective and a
(08:10):
lens that I've never really been able to do since
since You've been there, since I've left, Like I wouldn't
even been able to do it with Joe. I've never
come back this much. A lot of the reason why
I come back is because I feel like I need
to support you in this program and support the school
on a level that has been different than I've ever
supported before, and I made that commitment to make sure
(08:33):
I came back. I wanted to learn and keep learning
and understanding. And what I have learned, what I've experienced,
what I've seen has been I wish everyone could experience
it the way that I've been able to experience it,
because I think that a lot of the things that
people maybe have concerns about, or maybe have had criticisms about,
(08:56):
or whatever it is, I almost feel like it would
make sense to them if they were able to experience
it on a consistent basis. The level of which you
guys operate has been and I'm talking I played pro,
and I've experienced pro from a media standpoint where I'm
(09:19):
critical and I have to be an analyst of it.
But I've also experienced it as a player, and I've
experienced coaching as a coach, and I tell you, I've
been thoroughly impressed. That's why I wanted to bring up
the rest of the coaching staff, because the way things
have operated, in the way they have been handled, people
may not know how difficult it is at times for
(09:42):
you guys to navigate the things that you navigate. That
was a game you guys had to navigate against Minnesota.
It's a hard environment to play in, like broke our heart.
You know when I was there, Minnesota beat us. That's
what derailed our season when we were ranked number one.
These dudes right here, them dudes. Minnesota has always found
(10:03):
a way to step up against Penn State. I don't know,
it always is close even if we win. But you
guys were in a game and I saw what I've
been seeing all season, the ability to navigate and the
ability to put things together, and nothing more on display,
honestly than your interaction with with Drew. Talk to me
(10:23):
about how that belief in one another and the culture
that you've built and how everything is handled in such
a family and respectful way. In a moment like that
where you're coaching hard, but then on the other side
of it, there's that there's that communication where it's like,
(10:44):
this is why it works, what you do? Can you
go into that a little bit? Is that Okay, if
you go into that just a little.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Bit, well, I think, as you know better than anybody,
that interaction happens because of the last six years, Like
you know, how you interact, the trust you building people,
the trust they build with you, the tough times, the
(11:13):
good times, the consistency, which is the most important thing
right that allows Drew to to have some emotions and burst,
It allows me to have some emotions and burst, but
it allows us both to give each other the benefit
of the doubt and then come back together and say, Okay,
you know this is what we need to do moving forward.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Here here the things are important.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
I think the emotion that Drew has had this year
I think has been good. I think it's it's been
important for him. I think it's important for the team
to see him that way. I think it's important for
the fans to see him that way, and the media
how important it is to him and how invested he
is in all of this. But you can't be a
roller coaster either, which which he's not, which is great.
(11:57):
So for me, it was an opportunity to make a
coaching point and then it was an opportunity to get
back and focus on the things that that matter most.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
And you know, he's he's playing at a very very
high level.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
And you know the thing probably doesn't get enough attention
for is those plays he's picking up with his legs, touchdowns,
first downs where he's not sliding and coming up a
yard short of a first down.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
There's a time and place for that too.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
But but you know, in a hard fought game where
points and yards are difficult to come by, you gotta
fight for all of them.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
And when the team sees him doing that has an
impact on everybody.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
He responded, He responded super super well, And I thought
that was that That was pretty interesting how that that
all played out. Hell, this might have been the first
game that we saw our guys literally dropping on on
on the field. How are we looking health wise? I
(13:04):
know our lineman, our old lineman that was a sustained well,
both the old lineman and a d lineman sustained maybe
a serious injury. What how are we looking health wise
heading into this game?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Yeah, I think a couple of things. We've been dealing
with that stuff all year long. We did have two
guys that we lost, uh, you know, for for what
we would describe as long term injuries. But the reality
is is as coaches and as players, you know, we
can't we can't flinch, we can't blink. We just we've
got to power through it. And you know, we're gonna
(13:38):
have to rely on some guys that haven't played a
ton of football to this point, some younger guys, but
they've been preparing all year long and that's that's up
to the coaches and the veterans to help them with that.
But you know, we'd love to be healthy, but the
reality is, LeVar, as you know, at this time of
(13:58):
the year, whether it's in the NFL or college football
or even high school, this is part of Unless.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
You're not playing right, you better be practicing hard enough
to be sore.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Too, you know, correct, It's just part of it. It
is what it is, and you got to learn to
play with it. This stuff that you should you know,
obviously the stuff. If you're legitimately injured, then the trainers
and the doctors step in and take.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Care of that. But but it's just that time of year.
Everybody's got some bruises.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
All right, here we go, I got it. Last question.
And then here's a rapid fire and it's Buttercake by
the way, coach Buttercake from Master School. Boom. All right,
here we go. And it doesn't have to be one word.
It's just first thing that comes to mind. Last regular
(14:49):
season game.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Emotional, the emotional impact of guys like Devon and guys
that have been with us a long time. So and
although I know they'll always be part of the family,
it just you're not going to see those dudes every day.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
So it's an emotional day for me.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
That's dope. Yeah, I'm with you. State College weather, uh.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Four seasons, good, the bad, uh and everything in between.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
But I actually enjoy the four seasons.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I love the fall, when the leaves start changing colors.
I love the spring when you're coming out of winter.
I love those first beautiful snow falls, when the snow
comes down and everything's pristine.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
That's great football weather.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
The summers aren't real hot. You know, it's warm, but
not crazy hot with humidity. So I like the seasons.
You know, there comes a point in the.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Winter where you're like, Okay, I've had about enough of this.
Let's bed. But but I enjoy the four seasons.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Okay, okay, okay uh.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Penn State offense, I'd say the first thing that jumps
into my mind explosive, and that's a combination where we've
been more explosive this year. But I would also say
it was such a big emphasis of of bringing Andy
Kotlnikki in here, and for the most part. He's delivered
on that. So that's that's what how I would describe
(16:19):
that group.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Penn State Defense.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Resilient. I'd probably say resilient.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
There's been times where we've been suffocating, and there's been
times where we've been been but but don't break. But
at the end of the day, we've gotten the job done.
So you know, I've been I've been pleased. I've been
pleased with that group. But I would describe as resilient
Penn State special teams, probably inconsistent. We've We've done some
(16:47):
really good things at times. I think last last game
is a perfect example, right that the fake field goal,
fake punt, huge play, But then you know we have
a punt block and we have a extra point blocked
in return. So i'd say i'd say a little bit
a little bit more inconsistent than probably I would like,
(17:09):
But overall, I've been I've been pleased.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Last question, do you like where this team is going
into this final game? Yeah? I do.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
I mean I will say this, you know, the the
two previous weeks, I thought we won.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
And got better in a lot of areas.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
This past week, I didn't think we played as clean
as we've played really all year and specifically you know,
the two previous weeks. But Minnesota is a better team
than I think their record shows. It's always tough going
on the road and and winning. Definitely one of the
better defenses we played all year, there's no doubt about that.
(17:48):
So there's still a ton of value in having a
team that knows how to win and finds ways to win.
That's critical. I mean, you look all over the country.
There's a ton of teams that have three or four
losses by one possession that you know they weren't able
(18:09):
to finish, and this team is shown were able to
do that. So I think there's still a ton of
value in it. But I sure would have liked us
to play a little bit cleaner in some areas.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Undefeated on the road heading into a big weekend, we
all know what the implications Michigan Ohio State they go
head to head. If they were to see the Michigan's
Wolverines win, that means we're heading to well, we're going
to win one and oh so we're not gonna go there.
But it is a big weekend in college football in
(18:41):
the Big Ten. I wish you all the luck in
the world. Coach, I wish you and your family, our family,
my family, a happy Thanksgiving. Make sure you get my
love to all the coaches, all the players, all the staff,
everybody that does everything to make everything what it is
for our school. I'm coming in on Friday because I
will not come in because while I do love PA
(19:02):
and I love my school, I do like being warm
too as well. So Coach, I appreciate you, Good luck
to you, and let's let's finish out strong.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Hey, one last thing.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
One of the things I'm really proud of, and I
think you get this kind of your your story about
your your game against Minnesota and things like that. You know,
three years in a row we've won ten games. There's
only three programs in the country that have done that.
I think it's US, Ohio State and Oregon. And on
top of that, the first time that Penn State has
(19:33):
ever done it since joining the Big Ten. So you know,
I'm very very proud of that. Consistencies very important and
hard to do.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
It's a tough conference, man, And I tell you what
I know. I speak for a whole bunch of us
when I say we do see the value and being
successful to the level that we have been successful too.
Some people look at it as they want more. It's
a product of having success of what the less has become,
(20:03):
and it's become more and more and more and more.
It's the small victories. There was a man that was
very wise that told us one time, and he told
us this all the time, if you take care of
the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.
That guy's name was Joe Paterno. And I'll tell you what.
You have taken care of the little things, coach, and
so has our team. So we're gonna take care of
this thing on Saturday, and then we'll worry about the
(20:25):
bigger things to come after that. All right, appreciate you.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, coach.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Thanks brother, you too, and I'm thankful. I'm thankful for
you and your family too.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Brother. That's coach Franklin right there. You heard it from him.
And well, i'll tell you what. This is a big one.
It's against Maryland. While they're not record wise as impressive
as they could be or should be, this is a
game against a team where coach Franklin once coached that
and learned a lot. Coach with the great one Ralph
(20:56):
friging coach with the current head coach, Mike Loxley. This
will be an interesting matchup to watch take place, as
I certainly believe that Maryland would love to play a spoiler.
So can can stay get better as well as win
the game to set the stage for what it will
(21:17):
be moving forward, knowing what the playoff situation is, knowing
what could possibly happen in the Michigan Ohio state game
as well. We'll be here to talk about it next week.
I'm LeVar Arrington. That was coach Franklin. This is quite Franklin.
Disrupt YOUPSU. Make sure you go check it out on
the website, check it out wherever it is you get
(21:38):
your podcasts from as well. We'll talk to you soon.
All right, we are in state
Host
LaVar Arrington
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com