By Frank Bodani fbodani@ydr.com @YDRPennState on Twitter Penn State coach James Franklin, left, said this week that when recruits try to commit to him, he tells them no and encourages them to weigh their options. Still, highly regarded quarterback recruit Brandon Wimbush switched his commitment from Penn State to Notre Dame this week. (File Daily Record/Sunday News) James Franklin was all over the place during Penn State’s bye week. He went from trying to improve his vulnerable Nittany Lions to helicoptering his way to four high school games to hunkering down in his man cave to watch football and snuggle with his daughters. Of course, “Michigan Week” is at the forefront, with the Lions trying to recover from being trounced on homecoming. The turmoil-filled Wolverines await. However, recruiting has charged into the spotlight, too. That comes after New Jersey quarterback Brandon Wimbush — Penn State’s top recruit in its 2015 class — bolted from his verbal commitment this week to join Notre Dame. Another part of it is the announcement by Penn State recruiting class leader Adam McLean that he will now visit other schools before signing day. Then there’s the high visibility of Penn State’s next two games — primetime, nationally televised meetings with the struggling Wolverines and the surging Ohio State Buckeyes. Those are huge recruiting weekends for everyone involved. And there’s that helicopter thing, too. Franklin has been lauded (and also derided by some) for being a most bombastic recruiter, especially since taking over the Nittany Lions in January. His energetic, outgoing personality ratchets higher than most. So, last Thursday he was seen working the DMV — Washington, D.C., Maryland, northern Virginia — with a university-rented helicopter to avoid the awful beltway traffic and see recruits at multiple games in only a few hours…
Continue Reading: Penn State football hits a recruiting checkpoint
