James Franklin introduced his new coaching staff, an overhaul including eight of his nine assistants from Vanderbilt and seven from his previous two coaching jobs.
According to ESPN, Franklin introduced his nine-person staff Friday from Beaver Stadium. Eight of the nine coaches also serve multiple positions, except for Franklin and defensive line coach Sean Spencer.
"I feel like we have a really good plan," Franklin, 41, said in the press conference. "I'm really excited about the staff we've been able to put together.
"For me, I was looking for familiarity, guys I've worked with or known for a very, very long time. Guys that I trust and interact with the players, the community and also have a connection with Penn State from a lot of different perspectives."
Some players will be seeing their third coaching change, a transition that has even seen 18-year veteran defensive line coach Larry Johnson leave for Ohio State. Some players were on the team for Joe Paterno's final year and Johnson was the last member of that coaching staff.
"The players have embraced the change," Franklin said. "We want to build relationships and trust and chemistry and build stability with them. This program had stability for a very, very long time, and it's important to get back to that."
Franklin said starting positions will be up for grabs and the depth chart prior to fall practices will be determined by seniority.
"The most important thing is these kids all start with a clean slate and they have opportunity to earn starting jobs," he said. "There are no returning starters at any position... at any position. Every single day these guys are going to wake up and they're going to earn their job. We're going to create the most competitive experience we possibly can."
CLICK HERE to see all of Franklin's new additions to the coaching staff.
