James Franklin is Already PASSING Matt Campbell & Penn State in Recruiting?!

Penn State football recruiting is under the microscope as Matt Campbell’s start in Happy Valley gets compared directly to James Franklin’s early success at Virginia Tech. With both programs sitting close in the recruiting rankings, the debate is not whether Franklin can recruit — it is whether Penn State needed him to keep recruiting at a top level. Today’s Locked On crossover covers Matt Campbell, James Franklin, Penn State recruiting, Virginia Tech recruiting, quarterback development, big-game coaching, top-10 wins, the Big Ten, the ACC, Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech, gambling rules, NCAA enforcement, and the possible Big Ten–SEC super league conversation. This matters because Penn State is not rebuilding from scratch. Campbell inherited a program with playoff expectations, Big Ten pressure, NIL support, and a fan base that wants more than “good.” If Franklin elevates Virginia Tech while Campbell maintains Penn State, the comparison will follow both coaches all season. Penn State fans: is this a fair debate, or are Campbell and Franklin being judged by two completely different standards? Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Become an every-dayer! Subscribe to Locked On Nittany Lions on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lockedonnittanylions?sub\_confirmation=1 Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon. Rugiet Get 15% off your treatment → https://rugiet.com/lockedonnhl Rugiet. Performance medicine for men. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started now. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONittanyLions?sid=YouTube Locked On College Conferences, HBCU, Basketball & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnCollege Follow the show on X! https://x.com/LockedOnNittany https://x.com/zach\_seyko #lockedonnittanylions #pennstate #nittanylions #pennstatefootball #collegefootball #bigtenfootball #ncaafootball #lockedon #weare #football #recruiting #footballrecruiting #pennstaterecruiting #collegerecruiting #collegefootballrecruiting #weare #highschoolfootball 0:00 James Franklin, Virginia Tech, and Penn State recruiting 1:06 Matt Campbell’s recruiting start at Penn State 2:17 Can James Franklin “win the breakup” at Virginia Tech? 4:03 Virginia Tech recruiting momentum under Franklin 5:39 Why Campbell faces more pressure than Franklin 6:53 What Penn State needs from Matt Campbell 7:54 Why 10 wins means something different now 9:52 Campbell vs Franklin beyond recruiting 10:27 Ad break 11:57 James Franklin’s record against top-10 teams 13:31 Matt Campbell’s quarterback development advantage 14:50 Comparing Franklin to elite coaches vs top-10 teams 16:44 Why Penn State’s QB development stalled under Franklin 19:08 How long could Penn State accept close-but-not-enough? 24:05 Ad break 25:27 Brendan Sorsby and the super league conversation 27:00 Why the Big Ten and SEC gain leverage 28:13 Pushback on the super league argument 32:05 Gambling, game integrity, and conference power 35:16 Final thoughts on Franklin, Campbell, and college football’s future Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.