Penn State Suffers an Unexpected Setback to Non-Power Conference College as James Franklin Gets Taste of His Own Medicine
Ain’t no tale better than a karma tale. And right now, James Franklin is living in one. Penn State’s head honcho, the man with the million-dollar contract and the offseason power moves, just got hit with a dose of poetic justice. Just a week after prying defensive mastermind Jim Knowles from Ohio State, Franklin is watching his own guy pack up and head out—but not for a bigger gig, not for the SEC, not even for a Power Five program. Nope. One of Penn State’s top recruiters is taking his talents to AAC.
Penn State Football’s Recruiting Coordinator for Personnel and Recruitment, Khalil Ahmad, is leaving Happy Valley to join KC Keeler’s staff with the Owls. Now, on paper, this might not seem like a gut punch. After all, Temple ain’t exactly a national power. But here’s the thing: Ahmad was one of Franklin’s key recruiters, a man with deep ties across the Mid-Atlantic who helped Penn State land some serious talent. He had a hand in bringing in guys like Malachi Goodman, Jahmir Joseph, and Braswell Thomas. This ain’t just some random staffer bouncing for a new job—this is a key chess piece getting swiped off the board.
