WATCH: Coach Franklin sharing wisdom with freshman King Mack

This past Saturday night the Penn State football team opened the gates to welcome in the best fans in the world. As the Nittany Lions held an open practice in order to show what a true practice looks like and build up morale before the beginning of this season. During this session, rain began to fall and the Penn State media and fans stuck it out to finish up practice. One moment was caught on camera that stood out as an important reminder that James Franklin is more than just a recruiter as many believe.

WATCH: Coach Franklin sharing wisdom with Freshman King Mack

I believe that there is this false narrative that James Franklin is only a recruiter and when it comes to football he allows his coordinators to do most of the “coaching.” Most of these comments come from outsiders who truly don’t understand what goes into the Penn State football team. After Saturday’s open practice, the below video (provided by Mike Poorman) surfaced that shows that Coach Franklin will individually coach players up when necessary.

WATCH as James Franklin does some 1-on-1 coaching of King Mack near the soggy conclusion of Penn State Football’s practice Saturday night pic.twitter.com/QYlP2KWGVz

— Mike Poorman (@PSUPoorman) August 13, 2023

King Mack is a highly recruited defensive back from Flordia and he is a true freshman on the Penn State football team. In the video, it’s clear that Coach Franklin is providing his insight on what angle Mack should have taken on a previous play. Just one of several examples of Franklin being a hands-on coach.

What to expect from King Mack in 2023

King Mack will play safety at Penn State an area that is overloaded with talented players already. The Nittany Lions are legitimately four deep at safety with Keaton Ellis, Jaylen Reed, Zakee Wheatley, and Kevin Winston Jr. Although it appears that Mack is talented enough to see some level of playing time this season, I would expect his role to be more on special teams this season. If he can be a sound tackler on special teams and absorb as much knowledge from the veterans Mack will have a bright future at Penn State.

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