The NCAA Transfer Portal reopened for college football Wednesday, and Penn State football coach James Franklin already seems weary of talking about it. At his weekly spring media availability Tuesdaynight in State College, Franklin fielded six portal-related questions before getting one about an offensive lineman. He smiled.
“Thank you,” Franklin told the reporter.
Until April 25, Franklin and the Penn State football program must deal with the possibility of players entering the portal during this 10-day spring window. It’s one most coaches want to close. That includes Franklin, who on Tuesday reiterated his position that college football should have one transfer window, even if that means eliminating spring practice altogether.
“I want to be careful not speaking for all coaches, but I think a good majority of them would like one window. We think that’s in everybody’s best interests,” Franklin said. “The players know who’s on the roster, the coaches know who’s on the roster. Even if you made it after spring ball … or even maybe got rid of spring football and went to summer OTAs and did it then, I think there needs to be one window.
“Right now, there’s no rules. You can have 50 guys go in the portal at this time of year, and it’s a problem. There’s also already protection for if there’s a coaching change, as we’ve seen. Right now, there’s just no rules, and I don’t think it’s anybody’s best interests.”
Franklin’s comments paralleled those he made in December, when the first portal window coincided with Penn State’s preparations for the College Football Playoff. After quarterback Beau Pribula announced his decision to transfer before the Nittany Lions’ first playoff game, Frankin said, “I’m concerned for college football right now.”
RELATED: Will Penn State be a player in the portal?
During the winter portal window, Penn State lost 11 players, including starting receiver Harrison Wallace III, and brought in six. Several days before the spring window opened, offensive tackle JB Nelson made public that he will enter the portal.
More Penn State players will enter the portal over the next 10 days, since the program currently has 119 players on its roster and 11 true freshmen scheduled to enroll after spring practice. College football teams expect to confront 105-player roster limits this season, based on the pending House vs. NCAA settlement.
Still, Franklin said he’s approaching this portal period with a “no-surprises” approach regarding his staff and players.
“What I mean by that is, if the players have any issues or concerns, we want them to come in and talk to us,” Franklin said. “We’ve talked to the team already about how we’re handling the 105 [roster limit]. That was addressed before the first window, that was addressed before this window, so everybody is on the same page. The other thing is, I meet with the players a lot, and there needs to be a communications two-way street. Right now, we’re not having meetings obviously during spring ball, but there needs to be communication.”
Franklin also was asked about the situation at Tennessee, whose negotiations with quarterback Nico Iamaleava went public and prompted debate about college football’s future. Franklin would not discuss that specific situation but commented in general about Penn State’s approach.
‘I’m concerned about what’s going on here at Penn State, and for the most part, I’ve been very pleased with how our players and coaches have handled it,” Franklin said. “We’re still working very hard to make sure this is a transformational experience — and, it’s interesting, that’s a two-way street for players and coaches. I can just speak on how we’re operating, and we’re not trying to operate like that. And for the most part, our players haven’t either.”
The spring portal window runs from April 16-25. Penn State will host the Blue-White Game on April 26 at Beaver Stadium. Check out Franklin’s full media availability courtesy of Blue-White Illustrated.
More Penn State Football
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
