e in their mid-20s and on their way up offensively, while A.J. Pierzynski

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. Kyle Singler Jersey . -- James Franklin grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, a strong-willed if not exactly strong-armed high school quarterback who believed he was good enough to play at Penn State. Joe Paternos coaching staff didnt exactly agree, and while Franklins arm led to him a decorated career at Division II East Stroudsburg (Pa.), his will led him to the place he wanted to be all along. Home. More than two decades after a futile attempt to draw Penn States attention as a player, the university hired the charismatic 41-year-old as its next head coach on Saturday. "Im a Pennsylvania boy," Franklin said, "with a Penn State heart." One charged with continuing the painstaking and sometimes painful rebuilding process started by Bill OBrien, who took over in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal more than two years ago. But OBrien bolted for the NFLs Houston Texans on New Years Eve, opening the door for Franklin, who breathed life into a moribund program at Vanderbilt, winning 24 games over three seasons and leading the Commodores to three straight bowl games. More will be expected here -- eventually. Thats fine by Franklin, who insists he didnt sign the six-year contract reportedly worth around $4.5 million a season to use the Nittany Lions as a stepping stone. Franklin littered his hour-long introduction with all the right touches. Wearing a blue suit with a blue-and-white tie, he called Penn State his "dream job" and dubbed Saturday "the best day of my life" before quickly amending it to the "third best" after his wedding day to his wife Fumi and the birth of their twin daughters Addy and Shola. Pointing to his family as they watched from the front row, Franklin described himself as having "two daughters and 95 new sons." Yet he knows the branches of the family tree run far deeper. He promised to reconnect the glorious past with what he believes is an ambitious future and vowed to have lunch with every provost and dean while pledging not to turn down any speaking engagement. "Well do everything we can to bring this community back together," he said, "and really take pride in this program." A pride still in the process of healing following the shocking revelations about Sanduskys criminal behaviour and the subsequent fallout that included Paternos unceremonious firing after 45 years at the helm. Then, there were the near-fatal NCAA sanctions that stripped the program of dozens of scholarships and barred the school from post-season competition for four years. As far as OBrien brought Penn State in two years, leading Penn State to a 15-9 record and ushering the Nittany Lions fully into the 21st century, much work remains to be done. The standard isnt to merely be competitive. Scanning a throng that dwarfed anything Franklin ever saw at Vanderbilt in a facility that in many ways rivals the jewels found in places like Alabama and Oregon, Franklin left little doubt as to his intentions. "Our plan is to go out and win a bunch of games," he said, "so we can stay here a long time." Its something Franklin insists he planned on doing at Vanderbilt, where he produced one of the more stirring turnarounds in recent college football history. The Commodores went 16-4 over his final 20 games, second only to Alabama over that span in the SEC. Vanderbilt won the final seven games of 2012 and the final five of 2013. And, Franklin led Vanderbilt into the final Associated Press poll each of the past two seasons, including No. 24 in the rankings released Tuesday. As impressive as Franklins credentials may be, Penn State athletic director Dave Joyner believes they put Franklin through the "most thorough vetting process of any search perhaps of any position at this university." One that included delving into rape accusations against four Vanderbilt players last June. Franklin dismissed all four players and a fifth Commodore who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of attempting to cover up the crime. Authorities have not implicated Franklin in any way and Joyner praised Franklin for his decisive action in what Franklin called "the most challenging thing Ive ever been through personally." Other challenges await. Theres the initial scramble to cobble together a recruiting class over the next month before National Signing Day and the assembling of a staff that will help the Nittany Lions take on Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan State in a new-look league that will add Maryland and Rutgers. Theres also finding a way to move forward while paying homage to the past. Franklin mentioned Paterno three times by name and recalled crossing paths with the college football Hall of Famer while out on the recruiting trail as an assistant at Maryland. "I walked in and had to show my I.D. and do everything I possibly could to get into the school," Franklin said. "Joe walked in and shut the entire school down. They had an in-school assembly, and I realized I had no chance. I really had no chance." Now Franklin finds himself in Paternos position, as the face of a program that has ceded some fertile recruiting ground to places like Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Franklin believes its time for the Nittany Lions to reclaim their territory. "When I say Penn State, that is the whole state," he said. "That is the whole state. We will recruit every corner of this state, every school of this state, every neighbourhood of this state." Theyre neighbourhoods Franklin knows well. While his path through the coaching ranks included stops at Washington State, Idaho State and Kansas State, Franklin always seemed to find his way back to Pennsylvania. Its the place he knows best, a place where he watched his mother work multiple jobs to raise a family. He inherited her work ethic when the coaching bug hit after six months trying to play in Europe. His career began by living in the basement of a friend, realizing the same mental toughness that helped him set records as a quarterback at East Stroudsburg would serve him well on the sideline and in the living rooms of the young men he wanted to lead. Franklins role at Penn State, however, will extend far beyond wearing a headset on Saturdays. Its a role the business-like OBrien did with a determined professionalism. Where OBrien was taciturn, Franklin is decidedly more energetic, a coach who has no problem getting by on five hours of sleep or glad-handing boosters, alumni, students and faculty alike. He pledged to "dominate" the state, but do it "the right way." A way that he thinks will provide a blend of Paternos scholarly paternalism with a brash new mindset that produces enthralling football on the field and graduates off it. "Were going to unite the coaches, were going to unite the community," Franklin said "and build this program where everybody wants it to be." Kevin Hervey Jersey . Marcus Olsson, 23, joins Blackburn on a free transfer from Swedens Halmstads. He made 139 appearances and scored 17 goals in his four years with the club. He earned his first caps for Sweden this month, featuring against Bahrain and Qatar. Patrick Patterson Thunder Jersey . Two weeks after suffering a concussion, Foles will start in place of Michael Vick, who is out for the second time this season with a hamstring injury. https://www.thunderrookiesshop.com/Devon-Hall-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season.There is a two-man race for the best fantasy catcher heading into the 2014 season; the battle being waged between the St. Louis Cardinals Yadier Molina and the San Francisco Giants Buster Posey. You can make an argument for Posey, who has more power and likely has a higher offensive ceiling, but hes also coming off a bit of a down season, during which he hit 15 home runs in 595 plate appearances. While Molina doesnt have the same power ceiling, only hitting more than 15 homers once in his career, hes hit over .300 in three straight seasons and can run a little bit, swiping 36 bases over the last five seasons. So, base-stealing provides an edge for a Molina. Who would have guessed? If you cant land one of the premier catchers, there are still some solid candidates on the next tier. Colorados Wilin Rosario has mashed 49 homers over the past two seasons, more than any other catcher, and hes just turned 25, so theres room for him to get better. Milwaukees Jonathan Lucroy has raised his offensive game in the past couple seasons, slugging 30 home runs and hitting .295 despite missing some time in 2012. There are a couple of wildcards at the position due for position switches. Minnesotas Joe Mauer is headed to first base while Clevelands Carlos Santana, whose 147 runs scored leads all catchers over the past two seasons, is looking at either designated hitter or even third base. While that might offer better longevity, its not as though Santana is going to play dramatically more even with a position switch. He was a half-time catcher last season onn his way to 642 plate appearances, so its not like hes due for an extra 100 plate appearances, but anything to reduce wear-and-tear behind the plate offers improved potential value and especially so in the case of Mauer, who has played fewer than 115 games in two of the past three seasons. Hamidou Diallo Jersey. . Some other notables include Baltimores Matt Wieters, who hasnt lived up to the hype, but does have 67 home runs over the past three seasons; Kansas Citys 23-year-old rising star Salvador Perez and the Yankees Brian McCann, a left-handed power hitter, who has slugged at least 20 home runs in six straight seasons and moves to a home park that caters to left-handed power. Should you be late to the catcher party and seek out value, Houstons Jason Castro and Washingtons Wilson Ramos are a couple in their mid-20s and on their way up offensively, while A.J. Pierzynski is coming off two of his most productive seasons. In two catcher leagues, consider the potential upside from young backstops who arent yet established. Replacing Mauer behind the plate in Minnesota, Josmil Pinto hit .342 in his first 83 major-league at-bats and San Diegos Yasmani Grandal has shown some pop when not sitting out a PED suspension. The Mets Travis dArnaud and Seattles Mike Zunino struggled in their first MLB seasons, but both entered the league with an impressive pedigree. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '