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STATE COLLEGE — James Franklin ended up replacing a third of his coaching staff over the winter. The Penn State boss is eager to regain some stability this year.

According to Franklin, a recent move will help accomplish that.

“Our entire staff just this summer got (two)-year contracts,” Franklin said Thursday in a low-key sitdown at the end of a media luncheon. “All of the assistants, their first contracts just ran out. And they all just signed multiple-year, guaranteed contracts. All the strength coaches did. All the administrators. Everybody.

“So that’s really good from a stability standpoint as well. It’s helpful.”

Franklin fired offensive coordinator John Donovan a day after the regular season ended last November. In January, defensive coordinator Bob Shoop and offensive line coach Herb Hand left for the same positions at Tennessee and Auburn, respectively.

Replacing them are Joe Moorhead (offensive coordinator), Matt Limegrover (offensive line) and Tim Banks (safeties). Linebackers coach Brent Pry was promoted to defensive coordinator.

Unlike a few of his previous assistants, Franklin said his three new hires are putting down roots in Happy Valley.

“You have Coach Moorhead, you have Coach Banks and you have Coach Limegrover who have all bought houses here and their families have all come,” Franklin said. “As you know with the first staff, we had some guys that their families didn’t move, ever. And we had some guys that their families didn’t move until after the school year finished up.”

Family situations weren’t always easy to solve for some of the assistants who followed Franklin from Vanderbilt.

Hand, for example, had his two youngest children remain in school back in Tennessee along with his wife while his oldest son joined him in State College. Shoop was reunited with one of his sons when he walked on to the Lions as a receiver in 2015, while the other stayed at his Tennessee high school.

“(The new coaches) buying houses is always a good sign,” Franklin said. “As a head coach you always like to see that.”

Still up for grabs

Four years ago, Bill O’Brien tabbed Matt McGloin as his starting quarterback at the end of spring practice. He just didn’t announce it publicly.

The Nittany Lions have no such arrangement this summer.

While sophomore Trace McSorley will enter training camp with an edge, Franklin remained adamant that he wants to give redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens a chance to compete for the job.

“This isn’t coachspeak,” Franklin said. “This isn’t something I’m trying to do to (influence media) or our opponent … or our own locker room. I legitimately want to make sure that with every single position, we have a chance for competition. And we’ll give Tommy an opportunity to do that.”

The time frame for naming a starter once training camp opens in August is fluid.

“We’ll probably go a couple weeks into camp,” Franklin said. “If, after the first week of camp, it is just completely obvious to everybody (who the starter should be), that’s fine. But we’ll probably go a couple weeks into camp and let them compete and see.”

The top backup to Christian Hackenberg for the last two years, McSorley had an encouraging debut in the TaxSlayer Bowl against Georgia. He also played nearly all of the Blue-White Game in April with the first-team offense.

But Franklin said he had intended to get Stevens more work with the starters, which will happen this summer.

“Is there a gap right now? Yeah, there is a gap,” Franklin said. “But I want to give (Stevens) that opportunity. If you talk to guys on the team and in the program, Tommy’s done some damn good things. There’s excitement about him.

“But I think what happens is everyone just rushed to judgment based on the spring game. And I don’t think that’s fair. I want to give those guys a legitimate chance during camp to compete for the job.”

Moving day

The bulk of Penn State’s 2016 recruiting class will be arriving in Happy Valley on Saturday, joining early enrollees Jake Zembiec, Alex Gellerstedt, Danny Dalton and Lake-Lehman’s Connor McGovern.

Only one member of the group that signed in February won’t be there this weekend — junior college transfer Tyrell Chavis. The defensive tackle did not have NCAA clearance to enroll at Penn State in time for the school’s next session, though Franklin was optimistic he would be on campus later this summer.

“We feel pretty good that he will make it,” Franklin said. “I actually got an email just a minute ago.”

Lions247 first reported that Chavis’ arrival would be delayed.

Franklin said he doesn’t believe that any of the incoming freshmen will have issues with the NCAA’s newly enacted high school academic standards, which would require a mandatory redshirt for those who fall short.

“Typically the guys that we’re going to recruit aren’t going to fall into that situation,” Franklin said.

Franklin
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_FranklinMUG.jpg.optimal.jpgFranklin

By Derek Levarse

[email protected]

PSU 2016 SCHEDULE

Sept. 3`Kent State`3:30 p.m.

Sept. 10`at Pitt`Noon

Sept. 17`Temple`Noon

Sept. 24`at Michigan`TBA

Oct. 1`Minnesota`TBA

Oct. 8`Maryland`Noon

Oct. 22`Ohio State`8 p.m.

Oct. 29`at Purdue`TBA

Nov. 5`Iowa`7:30 p.m.

Nov. 12`at Indiana`TBA

Nov. 19`at Rutgers`8 p.m.

Nov. 26`Michigan State`TBA

Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse