James Franklin wants outsiders to know 'how special this place is' thanks to HBO on campus

It was rumored weeks ago that Penn State was going to be on a show resembling HBO’s Hard Knocks except from a college football point of view.

The show would span over one week and feature four different teams across the country.

This week, HBO is in Happy Valley with Penn State. And on Tuesday, during his press conference, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin spoke about having HBO and all the cameras around the program:

https://twitter.com/audsnyder4/status/1179076424227069952

JF on HBO on campus::
"I want to make sure everyone in the United States knows how special this place is. ..The most important piece is allowing people to know our players and staff. We have great people here."

— Rich Scarcella (@nittanyrich) October 1, 2019

https://twitter.com/audsnyder4/status/1179077495523614720

Franklin isn’t naive to the fact that a show like this can be a distraction. After all, we’ve seen it with NFL teams over the past few years and all the media hype behind it. However, the Nittany Lions coach is looking at it through a more positive lens.

It sounds as though he is somewhat using it as a potential recruiting tool. If young prospects around the country get to watch a show featuring Penn State and how great it is for a week, wouldn’t that heighten their interest in playing for Franklin altogether?

The Nittany Lions host Purdue this Saturday for a noon kickoff on ESPN.