Is James Franklin winning or losing? Penn State is losing bodies to the transfer portal and dropping NIL dollars. Yet amidst all the noise, one of the most telling moments this offseason came from his trusted right-hand man. But first, let’s talk about some of the fallouts. Kicker Chase Meyer is gone after one season. DL Joseph Mupoyi and Smith Vilbert both left for Bill Belichick’s squad at UNC. LB Ta’Mere Robinson and CB Jon Mitchell are also out. For most programs, the portal is taking more than it’s giving these days. But the Nittany Lions have a plan. 

Penn State’s GM of Personnel and Recruitment, Andy Frank, broke the silence in his appearance on Next Up with Adam Breneman on May 22. He dropped a take that will make old-school fans nod in approval while raising eyebrows among the portal-happy crowd. “Ultimately, we see ourselves as a developmental program where we’re going to do the vast majority of our recruiting out of high school,” James Franklin’s confidant said. “We’re going to help those kids develop into the best players they can be.” The message is clear. They’re not here to build a quick-fix roster off of leftovers. 

Andy Frank also hinted that leaning heavily into the portal comes with its own drawbacks. “It’s I think very difficult to build a championship team if you’re slanted heavy heavy portal,” he said. And he’s not wrong if you look around the CFP landscape.

The top dogs mostly got there the old-fashioned way—5-star freshmen slow-cooked into formidable, coveted players. He also kept it real about why Penn State’s portal strategy looks comparatively quiet because they don’t pull anyone out of the portal just because of the hype. “It’s figuring out what is the role of the transfer player and the making sure that you’re taking guys that are going to help that team that year,” he added. 

Then came the culture talk. “We’re a very relationship-based program,” Andy Frank emphasized. “So the kids that have the best success here are kids that believe in the staff, have seen what the staff can do for them, and so, that I think really helped us in the portal.” You see, this isn’t just about scouting film. It’s about trust. Fit. And locker room chemistry. And Penn State’s been picky for a reason. They’re trying to preserve what’s already working and not throw it into chaos with a player chasing NIL gold. 

James Franklin’s squad faces a $1.2M setback

Speaking of NIL, Penn State just took a $1.2M dip in adjusted NIL value, down to $5M. That’s a serious cut, especially with 18 players transferring out and only eight coming in. The math isn’t pretty—zero 5-stars, two 4-stars, and six 3-stars, ranking 35 in the transfer rankings. But AD Pat Kraft isn’t sweating it.

In fact, he’s flipping the script. “How about we change the narrative of NIL?” he said. “It’s marketing now. It’s marketing dollars.” Basically, the Nittany Lions want to stop begging boosters and start treating players like brand assets. 

Still, it’s not all exits. James Franklin added UNC LB Amare Campbell, ACC star WR Trebor Pena, and developmental DE Daniel Jennings. As for high school recruits, they aren’t far behind the race, sitting at No. 13 in 2025 with 28 commits and No. 11 in 2026 with 17 commits. So you see the pattern here. Trust and culture right from the start is their kind of thing. 

James Franklin’s vision is still clear. Build and don’t patch. Even if the portal winds blow hard, Penn State is planting deep roots, hoping those roots grow into rings.