The anniversary passed quietly Sunday at Penn State, without any celebratory cake or too many we-told-you-so’s, even from fourth-year football coach James Franklin.
Five years to the day that the Nittany Lions were hit with NCAA sanctions that many expected would cripple the once-dominant program for decades, if not permanently, Penn State is again, as their fans like to remind opposing teams at Beaver Stadium, Penn State.
While the penalties were gradually lightened — with the addition of scholarships, the reduction of the original four-year bowl ban and the restoration of the full 85-player limit a year ahead of schedule — few expected Franklin to get Penn State back into the national spotlight as quickly as he did.