The Penn State Nittany Lions finally caught a break 36 days after firing James Franklin. Interim head coach Terry Smith picked up his first win of the season against Michigan State over the weekend. State College wants the second-generation Penn State alum to be its long-term head coach. However, there is one thing besides quality wins that might prevent him from becoming that.

The glaring problem? Plenty of decommitments. Coach Smith has support from his players and Penn State fans, many of whom are eager to see a hometown coach succeed. However, recruiting issues crept up after James Franklin’s firing. 17 of Penn State’s committed recruits flipped their commitments when the news dropped that Franklin was gone. A bunch of future stars basically said, “Peace out.”

The departures were not

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