Well the season once filled with great promise and a top-5 ranking, ended with Penn State football losing five of their last seven games. As Penn State awaits its bowl game fate, James Franklin signed a new 10-year contract and defensive coordinator Brent Pry has accepted the Virginia Tech head coaching position.

With the Blue & White faithful reeling, The Sports Extra Podcast sat down with Penn State alum Tom Hannifan. The broadcaster hosts a weekly podcast with QB Matt McGloin called Paydirt: A Penn State Football Podcast.

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College Coaching Carousel

With James Franklin’s new 10-year contract signed, sealed, and delivered, Penn State gained some security in its future. The $75 million deal was signed shortly before the final regular-season game of the 2021 season and locks Franklin down until 2031.

The primary goal of the contract? To continue to improve facilities up to the elite program standard and create more room in the budget for assistant coaches.

With a commitment to assistant coaches being a key focus for Franklin, it comes as a shock that the first coach to leave following the regular season is one who has been with him the longest. Brent Pry took the head coaching job at Virginia Tech this week. Pry and Franklin’s relationship dates back to when Franklin played for East Stroudsburg where Pry was an assistant coach. The pair have been together for the past 11 seasons, dating back to Vanderbilt.

While Penn State knows what the next decade should look like, other programs around college football were thrown through the wringer this week.

The Sports Extra Podcast breaks down the Oklahoma and Notre Dame departures and why Penn State fans should feel extra grateful this holiday season.

Quick Hits with the podcast

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Meet the voices behind the podcast: Allie Berube and Logan Reever. The Sports Extra Podcast is designed to bring listeners closer to the games, teams, and athletes they love. The podcast will dive deeper than the hosts can go on TV.

The Sports Extra Podcast releases episodes every Thursday. The goal is to talk about national sports with a local flair. Allie & Logan bring guests on each week to share their perspectives on sports.

You can catch The Sports Extra Podcast presented by abc27 each week. The team drops new episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or right here on abc27.com.