Jim Haslett's NFL Influence Can Push James Franklin, Penn State over the Top

Among Urban Meyer's rings, Jim Harbaugh things and everything that Mark Dantonio brings to the table, the Big Ten East has evolved into not only one of college football's top divisions but a constant game of catch-up among the league's top coaches.

That's why when Penn State announced its hiring of former NFL head coach Jim Haslett as a consultant on Wednesday, it was tough not to think about how it would affect the Nittany Lions' place in the Big Ten's pecking order.

It remains unclear just how involved Haslett will be and how much input he will have on the Nittany Lions' day-to-day operations, but based on a statement released by Penn State head coach James Franklin, the role appears to be significant:

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We are very excited to have Jim with our program. Jim has an outstanding football mind and invaluable experience that will be a tremendous resource. He has great knowledge of the game at the next level, and we plan to put that to good use. He will work with our offensive, special teams and defensive coaches and will be a fantastic sounding board for our staff.

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Haslett will have direct contact with members on both sides of the ball for the Nittany Lions, bringing 20 years of NFL coaching experience to the second-year staff.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

A native of Pittsburgh, Haslett appears to be a natural fit on a Penn State staff that was looking to increase its NFL experience.

Having most recently served as the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins from 2010 to 2014, the 1979 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year has spent 12 years in professional football as a coordinator, as well as six seasons as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2005.

Having yet to venture back to the college level since a three-year stint as an assistant at Buffalo from 1988 to 1990, Haslett's impressive resume should bode well in a Big Ten that is being influenced by the NFL more with each passing day.

Especially in the East Division, which currently boasts three potential first-round quarterbacks—including Penn State's Christian Hackenberg—and a coach who was one of the NFL's best as recently as last year.

ESPN.com's Todd McShay currently projects Michigan State's Connor Cook and Ohio State's Cardale Jones as top-10 picks in the 2016 NFL draft, while SI.com's the MMQB ranked Harbaugh as the 87th-most influential man in the NFL earlier this month, despite the former San Francisco 49ers head coach now calling Ann Arbor home.

With an October prime-time date with the Buckeyes and games against the Wolverines and Spartans to close the regular season, it will be impossible for the Nittany Lions to avoid the NFL's influence on the Big Ten in 2015.

Which is what makes the hiring of Haslett in Happy Valley so intriguing, as the Nittany Lions are not without professional prospects of their own.

Not only could Haslett help prepare Hackenberg for defenses he may face both this season and at the next level, but if you're looking to get the most out of defensive tackle Anthony Zettel, linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White, safety Jordan Lucas and four new starters on the defensive side of the ball, there are worse places to look than the 2000 NFL Coach of the Year.

"I am thrilled to join the Penn State football family," Haslett said. "James is one of the great, young head coaches in the collegiate game today, and he is leading this Penn State program in the right direction. The future is very bright for Penn State football, and I am excited to be a part of it."

It remains to be seen just how much a part of that future Haslett will be, whether he'll remain satisfied with his role as a consultant or look to return to the NFL as he did after his last one-year hiatus from the league in 2009, which he spent winning Coach of the Year honors in the UFL.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

But should he remain in the college ranks, his presence will be nothing but a positive for Penn State on the recruiting trail.

With the real possibility that Big Ten players will make up one-third of next year's first round, it won't just be on the field that NFL experience matters.

Meyer and Dantonio should only add to their already impressive resumes of developing pro prospects at their respective schools in the coming year, while Harbaugh's primary recruiting pitch has centered around his four years with the 49ers and the development of star quarterback Andrew Luck at Stanford.

"I think it does help that there has been NFL experience in our coaches' background," Harbaugh said on national signing day. "A lot of our players, that's one of their goals, to make it to the NFL. We don't discourage that. In fact, we try to teach it."

That rings true for most college staffs, including Penn State's, with Franklin having spent a season with the Green Bay Packers as a wide receivers coach in 2005.

But outside of Franklin's lone season as an assistant a decade ago, the Nittany Lions' staff lacks NFL experience, with most of the coaches having worked their way up through the college ranks before teaming up with Franklin at either Vanderbilt or Maryland, which ran a pro-style system under head coach Ralph Friedgen.

Adding Haslett—even if just as a consultant—changes that, for both the present and potentially the future.

Penn State may not have a staff as experienced as Michigan's is at the next level or with a track record of developing players as strong as Ohio State and Michigan State do, but Haslett helps bring legitimacy to a college world where NFL pedigree matters more now than ever.

And when playing catch-up, every edge matters.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.