With Franklin contract done, now we finally can get back to just football

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Who else is tired of dealing with the constant James Franklin job updates and speculation?

It's done. It's over. Franklin is going to be Penn State's coach for a long, long time. We've done all the analysis, fatigue has surely set in, and so it's time to finally get back to talking about the actual football team and all other aspects of that.

This Franklin stuff has consumed so much of the season and has hovered over the program as such a massive story that it was impossible, really, to try and dive too deep into Penn State's future beyond this year because we just didn't know what the future could hold.

Now that we finally do know, I want to catch up here on some things.

But first, Franklin did meet the media Wednesday night after practice to talk about the contract and future. You can read everything he said right here in a good breakdown from Greg Pickel of BlueWhite Illustrated.

I'll focus on some of the specific things he mentioned in the coming days and weeks.

THE JIMMY SEXTON BOWL

OK, there is one more thing about contracts to bring up, with Penn State playing Michigan State on Saturday. Both Franklin and Sparty coach Mel Tucker are represented by agent Jimmy Sexton, who has had a tremendous, tremendous week.

Last week, news broke that Tucker is getting a 10-year, $95 million contract, making him the second-highest paid coach in the country. And this week we learned of Franklin's 10-year, $85 million deal with Penn State.

Man, Sexton is laughing all the way to the bank here. You think he cares at all who wins this week's game?

No. Because HE already won. Big time.

However, I sure hope Tucker either has signed or is getting close to signing his big contract. Because the Spartans were destroyed by Ohio State, 56-7, last week, and if they lose at home to Penn State, well, let's just say that a lot more people will start questioning if Tucker is worthy of such a gargantuan deal.

SEAN CLIFFORD TO START

Franklin confirmed Tuesday that Clifford is "back to normal" and is expected to start this week after missing most of the last game with the flu.

I'll state once again that I personally would still like to see Christian Veilleux get a series or two in Saturday's game, just so everyone can get a better look at what he's capable of, including the coaches.

I think Veilleux would do well, because ...

This is hard to believe, and I mean really hard to believe. But Michigan State ranks dead last in the country -- out of 130 teams -- in passing defense.

That is almost impossible to believe.

The Spartans are giving up 339.9 yards passing per game, which is an astonishing 33 yards more than the 129th-ranked team, New Mexico State.

That number would indicate Michigan State's pass defense is absolutely atrocious. It's a team in the Big Ten, a league not known for tremendous passing attacks, and yet still has been horrific defending the pass.

I am picking Penn State to win this game, based solely on this factor alone. Because the one thing the Nittany Lions do well is pass the ball, and the Spartans are absolutely awful at stopping it.

Honestly, it's remarkable that Michigan State is 9-2 with that kind of defense. Last week against Ohio State, C.J. Stroud completed 32-of-35 passes for 432 yards and six TDs against the Spartans.

And of course, this week's game is for the ugliest trophy in all of sports, the Land Grant Trophy.

SENIOR BOWL INVITATIONS

Penn State has had five players invited to participate in the Senior Bowl. They are:

• WR Jahan Dotson
• LB/DE Jesse Luketa
• DE Arnold Ebiketie
• S Jaquan Brisker
• CB Tariq Castro-Fields

RUDOLPH ENTERS TRANSFER PORTAL

Redshirt freshman safety Tyler Rudolph entered the transfer portal Wednesday. He came to Penn State as a 4-star recruit from Connecticut.

Rudolph appeared in the first four games this season and made six tackles. Sean Fitz from Lions247 reported that Rudolph had not been with the team since November.

SHREWSBERRY'S SON COMMITS TO LIONS

Basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry has landed a very familiar recruit, his son, Braeden, a 3-star shooting guard who committed to Penn State on Wednesday.

The younger Shrewsberry is a junior at State College Area High School this year.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER WITH RECRUITING

The Nittany Lions' class is currently No. 5 in the 247Sports rankings. That's outstanding, and certainly something every Penn State fan should be pointing to as a bright spot for the future.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that Ohio State is ranked No. 6 right now, with 16 commits to 25 for Penn State. The Buckeyes likely will finish ahead of Penn State when all is said and done. So even though this class is outstanding for Penn State, the bottom line is that the Lions' biggest rival in the division is recruiting just as well, if not better, so we need to keep that in mind going forward.

The Lions do have the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country coming in with Drew Allar. He provides a lot of hope for the future, as does elite running back recruit Nick Singleton.

But Ohio State has the projected Heisman favorite at quarterback, C.J. Stroud, for at least one more year, and also the previous No. 1 QB recruit, Quinn Ewers. It's important to point that out for context, because no matter how good Penn State's recruiting class is, you know the Buckeyes are going to be right there, as well, and that will always the team Penn State must be able to beat to achieve its goals.

Franklin is 1-7 against Ohio State, and the lone win came on a miracle play. Yes, the Lions always play Ohio State tough, but as we go forward with Franklin's lengthy contract, simply playing the Buckeyes tough is just not going to be good enough.

My concern isn't with the skill position recruits Penn State is bringing in. The concern, as it always seems to be with Penn State, is the offensive line. As of now, the Lions have only one 4-star O-line commit -- tackle Drew Shelton -- and a couple of 3-star guys.

Will that be good enough? That's one big question we'll need to keep an eye on with this recruiting class down the road.

Then again, I fully expect Penn State to tap into the transfer portal whenever necessary to try and fill gaps on the O-line.