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The press conference, live from Beaver Stadium, will start at 4:15 and will be streaming live online via BTN.com. Our own Nick Polak will be live tweeting in person from our BSD twitter account, which we'll have below.
The official full press release announcing the hire of Franklin can be found here, but some highlights:
The Pennsylvania State University has selected James Franklin, a Pennsylvania native who is one of the nation’s most successful and dynamic coaches, as the 16th head football coach in its storied 127-year history...
...The enthusiastic and passionate Franklin led Vanderbilt University to unprecedented success in his three years as head coach, winning nine games in each of the past two years, and finishing in the Top 25 in consecutive seasons, both for the first time in school history...
From Langhorne, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb, Franklin’s enthusiasm and tireless efforts resulted in taking Vanderbilt to new heights over the past three years, posting a 24-15 record, including marks of 9-4 during eachof the past two seasons, capped by bowl victories. The Commodores finished the 2013 season with five consecutive victories, with wins over Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky in Southeastern Conference play, along with a win over Houston in the BBVA Compass Bowl. Franklin’s 2012 squad finished the season with seven consecutive victories and posted VU’s first nine-win season since 1915.
"Dr. Joyner and I have stressed that our No. 1 priority in hiring a new coach was to hire an outstanding leader for our football program, one who will continue our long tradition of student-athlete success on the field and in the classroom," Erickson said. "We have achieved that goal. On behalf of the University and the entire Nittany Lion Nation, I am proud to welcome James Franklin as Penn State's 16th head football coach.
"Coach Franklin's record of success is extraordinary, but even more impressive is his passion for not only the game of football, but also creating an atmosphere in which student-athletes can succeed. His character, work ethic, values and knowledge of the game make him an outstanding fit for our program and to lead our student-athletes."..
..."We launched this search with several priorities, but our primary focus was to identify someone who shared our commitment to integrity, academics and winning championships," Joyner said. "We have found that person in James Franklin. Coach Franklin is a highly regarded coach and tremendous leader, but more importantly, he shares the same vision for Penn State Football that we, and our fans, have for the program. His record shows that he takes great pride in the academic and athletic success of his student-athletes. We're thrilled to welcome Coach Franklin to Penn State."..
..."I can't tell you how excited I am to come home," Franklin stated. "I grew up watching Penn State football and now to be at the helm of such a storied program is a tremendous honor. It's important to me to be a part of a University that strives for excellence in everything they do. When football student-athletes come to Penn State, they have a unique opportunity to receive a premium education while playing at the highest level of competition.
"I'm incredibly excited to get to know the students, alumni, and fans who have demonstrated such loyalty to the University as a whole and to the football program in particular," Franklin added. "I've worked my way through every division of football and no other school boasts a fan base like we do. We Are...Penn State!!"
Some of the things we'll look for in the press conference are whether Larry Johnson will be retained (if you recall, Bill O'Brien immediately won over some detractors when he announced in his first presser that the DL coach would stay on the Penn State sideline), as well as what he intends to do right away to salvage this recruiting class.
What are some of the things you guys are looking for?
Edit: Nick's put BSD in twitter jail, so here's his feed in the meantime:
