The fickle nature of college football recruiting is understood by coaches across America, which is why they do everything in their power to prevent unpleasant surprises from spoiling things at the finish line.

For Penn State coach James Franklin, that effort required a late-night long-distance phone call roughly seven hours before letters of intent were slated to arrive at the Lasch Building on Wednesday; the start of college football's Early Signing Period.

Let's allow Franklin to set the stage...

"So there I am in my boxers, having a heated discussion and selling on why this makes sense," Franklin said Wednesday afternoon.

Coveted running back recruit Noah Cain and his parents were on the other end of that conversation. The four-star prospect planned to announce his college commitment at approximately 10 a.m. CT in Frisco, Texas, and that public pledge would be broadcast on national television.

While analysts and fans awaited an answer from Cain, Franklin thought he already had one.

"Noah committed to us a few weeks ago," he said. " (I) felt pretty confident about that until last night. I get a call at 12:05 and it's Noah, mom and dad, and they want to have a discussion, and the discussion is coming off like they have not made their decision yet."

Ja'Juan Seider, a first-year Nittany Lions assistant who spearheaded Penn State's pursuit of the IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) standout, also became involved in the discussion. Dialogue carried into Wednesday morning.

"This is a big decision guys are making," Franklin said. "And I think when you wait until the end, you start getting pulled in a thousand different directions, so we get that,"

Cain felt himself being pulled in one particular direction: toward Austin, home of the Texas Longhorns.

“I was honestly a Texas lean this morning," he told 247Sports. "Waking up, I’m going to Texas."

The Longhorns were long-term contenders in Cain's widespread recruitment, which dates back to early 2016. Prior to his arrival at IMG Academy, Cain established himself as a name to know in the 2019 class on Texas high school fields, starring for Denton Guyer through his sophomore season.

Though he considers Baton Rouge, La., his hometown, Cain has spent considerable time in the Lone Star State. And that's exactly where he was Wednesday when it was time to reveal collegiate intentions.

Nearly 1,500 miles away, Franklin searched for confirmation; cautiously optimistic after his back-and-forth with the Cains.

"He had some questions there at the end, but we were pretty confident," Franklin said.

Based on Cain's recollection of early Wednesday, that may have been overconfidence.

“I didn’t make my decision until about 9:45 this morning," he said. "I was actually leaning toward Texas this morning right before my decision.”

Considering this timeline, Cain was ready to reach for a Texas hat in front of a national audience within 30 minutes of his television appearance. But along the way, a notion gnawed at him internally.

"Something kept telling me — God just kept telling me — ‘be different, don’t follow the crowd’," Cain said.

When the camera went live, there were five hats in front Cain, who was seated alongside family members wearing shirts with "Team Noah" sprawled across. Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee logos were represented in the assortment, but this was a two-way battle.

Then, after nearly three years of recruiting developments went down to the wire, Cain tried something "different". With the placement of a cap on his head and a few ensuing sentences, he and Franklin both finally knew Penn State was the pick (video of PSU staff reaction can be seen in the tweet below).

A look inside the #PSUsigningDay war room as @therealnoahcain shared his college decision on ESPN. ??#WeAre19 pic.twitter.com/0U4IrvD4cq — Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) December 19, 2018

"This isn’t the most popular decision but I think in three years, I’m gonna definitely appreciate it and benefit from it," Cain said. “... I wasn’t afraid to be different. I was just looking at all the things that factor in. I just wanted different scenery, (to) get away, be on my own grind and be focused. I’m trying to be three (years) and out. It’s not about what the best city is, what the best off-the-field (opportunities are), but on the field — the best decision for me. That’s what Penn State presented.”

He used the "three and out" phrase three times during an interview that spanned two and a half minutes. When you become a Power Five priority before your sophomore year — in the state of Texas — serious NFL aspirations come with the territory.

“That’s the plan for me — get my degree in three and a half years and get to the league," Cain said. "I feel like I can be a first-round pick at Penn State. I feel like they’ve already established that culture.”

Even after Cain put on the Penn State hat and made flattering comments about the program, Franklin wasn't fully relieved.

"Most times, guys have already sent their paperwork in when they are even making an announcement; it's already been in at 7 (a.m.)," he said. "I think we had all of ours in by 8:37 this morning. The one we were waiting on was Noah. When he announced — even after he announced — I was like, 'Get the paperwork in, get the paperwork in.'"

Approximately two hours after Cain declared plans, Penn State issued public confirmation that his letter of intend was received.

A lengthy process required late soul-searching, but it led to Happy Valley, where Cain will arrive next month as an early enrollee. He'll be joined in June by fellow top-10 running back recruit Devyn Ford, and they'll follow a five-star prospect from the 2018 cycle (Ricky Slade) into the Nittany Lions backfield, which may or may not feature yet another former five-star talent (Miles Sanders).

“I’ve just got to go in there and earn the team’s respect," Cain said. "Go in there, bring what I bring to the table, and not really worry about (being) ‘Saquon 2.0’. I’m not worried about Saquon; I’m worried about myself and what I’ve got to do. My job is to help the team win, (achieve) individual goals and win a national championship.”

He believes his Wednesday decision — along with those made by 17 other prospects in a recruiting class ranked 10th nationally in the 247Sports composite — helped push Penn State closer toward title contention.

“I feel like the team we have next year, the recruiting class we have right now, we could definitely do that," Cain said.

Another reason why Franklin should sleep better tonight.

247Sports recruiting analyst Damon Sayles, of GigEm247, contributed to this report.