James Franklin Is the Big Ten's Under-the-Radar Celebrity Coach

A first pitch at Yankee Stadium, a lecture at a global conference, innovative recruiting tactics and a nonstop stream of local headlines during a period when college coaches are typically public hermits.

If this was describing the offseasons of Michigan's Jim Harbaugh or Ohio State's Urban Meyer, chances are you've already heard this story—the one about the Big Ten coach who's extended his stay in the spotlight well past signing day and into the eve of August's training camp.

But in the case of James Franklin, the Penn State head coach's offseason celebrity has gone relatively unreported, even as he's seemingly been everywhere—except for in hiding—for the past four months.

Unlike Harbaugh and Meyer, Franklin doesn't have the benefit of being a celebrated new hire or the defending national champion, but that hasn't stopped him from parading around Pennsylvania and its surrounding areas as a valued billboard for his Nittany Lions program.

Coming off of a 7-6 debut season in Happy Valley that ended with a win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, Franklin has proved to be every bit as forward-thinking as his conference counterparts, capitalizing on his own unique personality throughout the spring and summer.

Twitter may not react to Franklin's tweets with the same enthusiasm that it does for Harbaugh, but perhaps that's because his appeal can't be captured in 140 characters or less. Such was the case back in March, when the second-year Penn State head coach delivered a TED Talk, a nonprofit program based on "ideas worth spreading."

Participating in the same global conference that has seen speeches from Jimmy Carter, Monica Lewinsky, Tony Robbins and various leaders from technology, entertainment, design, business, science and global issues go viral, Franklin established himself as the thinking man's Big Ten coach, one whose reach extends far beyond the the football field.

"Today's an opportunity for me. We believe, I believe that every time I get an opportunity to talk to somebody, they're a Penn State fan," Franklin said during his lecture titled "Why we need core values."

"And if they're not, by the time I get done talking, they better be."

Over the course of his speech, which ran for 14 minutes and 21 seconds, Franklin discussed the beliefs of the Penn State program under his direction, including relationships, work ethic, competition and sacrifice. But it wasn't the content that mattered as much as it was that opportunity, the chance for Franklin to attach his face to an outside-the-box vehicle that would only raise the profile and reputation of the Nittany Lions.

The same could be said about the former Vanderbilt head coach's presence at Yankee Stadium on April 28, where he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

Franklin's appearance was meant to serve as a promotional tool for the Pinstripe Bowl but doubled as one for his own program as he donned a No. 42 Penn State baseball jersey during warm-ups and a pregame chat with Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

"Awesome experience," Franklin told PennLive.com after the pitch. "The Yankees are first-class. I've learned so much interacting with them throughout the bowl and this experience. The details, the excellence in everything they do—it's very similar to what we're doing at Penn State."

Franklin wasn't the only Big Ten coach to throw out a first pitch in the Bronx this offseason, as Meyer did the same on May 8. But by being the first, Franklin allowed the Nittany Lions to wisely associate themselves with arguably the most iconic franchise in all of sports, a move that can only help with his "accept every opportunity" approach.

But with his second annual 12-stop caravan tour, not all of Franklin's offseason has been football's version of shaking hands and kissing babies. The Penn State headman has made moves that should lead to direct results on the football field, including last week's hiring of former NFL head coach Jim Haslett as a consultant.

The same can be said for Franklin's first-ever Friday Night Lights camp, a recruiting tactic originated by Meyer at Florida, which he has continued since arriving at Ohio State. Last Friday, the Nittany Lions hosted their own version of the event inside of Holuba Hall, inviting and evaluating several of the nation's top prospects while simultaneously treating them to as much of a game-day-like atmosphere as recruiting restrictions will allow.

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

Although Franklin's endeavor into the Friday Night Lights territory has yet to result in any direct commitments for Penn State, it still lays claim to the nation's sixth-ranked recruiting class for 2016—just ahead of both Michigan State's and Michigan's respective classes.

And with seven months to go until national signing day, it's a safe bet Franklin's recent tactics will pay off for his program in one form or another. His results on the recruiting trail would indicate as much—now it's only a matter of time before the Nittany Lions' on-field play does the same.

"There may be better-looking coaches in the Big Ten, there may be smarter head coaches in the Big Ten," Franklin said during his TED Talk. "Nobody's going to outwork me. Nobody's going to outwork us. That's something that we can control.

"The more days that we win in the offseason, the games will take care of themselves."

If that proves to be true this fall, one can only imagine what Franklin's offseason will look like a year from now.

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.