Penn State coach James Franklin speaks to Board of Trustees

Penn State coach James Franklin is clearly at home in front of the camera. The Nittany Lions' new head coach is also regarded as one of the top recruiters in the country. Joe Hermitt, PennLive.com

Signing Day, or National Letter of Intent Day, is almost upon James Franklin and his Penn State program.

Franklin, the former Vanderbilt coach who was named Nittany Lions' leader on Jan. 11, has been a very busy man the last few weeks.

His top priority has been recruiting. When Bill O'Brien left his PSU post to take the Houston Texans' job, Franklin hit the ground running on the recruiting trail.

He was able to keep all five of PSU's January enrollees committed to the school and has added several verbal commitments to the Lions' class, which stands at 24 heading into Wednesday's Signing Day.

With the finish line soooo close, I'm asking a key recruiting-related question every day. I kicked off the series with a look at possible big-name recruits headed the Lions' way.

Now I turn my attention to Franklin and PSU's former boss.

2. What are the biggest differences in the recruiting approaches of James Franklin and former Penn State coach Bill O'Brien?

Let's start with O'Brien, who only coached at PSU for two years. I don't know if you can really tie O'Brien to the 2012 class, given the fact that he really didn't have much time to work with that group.

Bill O'Brien coached at Penn State for two years before taking the Houston Texans job. His crowning achievement as a recruiter was landing blue-chip QB Christian Hackenberg in PSU's 2013 class. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Even though he was named the late Joe Paterno's successor early in January of 2012, O'Brien was limited in the time he could spend at PSU until early February. His New England Patriots were still preparing for a Super Bowl appearance with the New York Giants.

So far, the best players in the 2012 class have been running back Akeel Lynch, cornerback Jordan Lucas, wideout Geno Lewis, defensive tackle Austin Johnson and tight end Jesse James. Of those five, only two committed (Lynch, Lucas) after O'Brien was hired.

The 2013 class? A different story. O'Brien, who recruits told me was very direct and honest in his approach, was able to land a blue-chip quarterback, Christian Hackenberg, and one of the nation's top tight ends, former Cedar Cliff star Adam Breneman, in the group.

I think history will look back very kindly on O'Brien's time as a recruiter for PSU.

Not only was he able to land a difference-making QB (Hackenberg was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year), O'Brien convinced Hackenberg to come to State College when the program was facing staggering sanctions (no postseason appearance, limited scholarships) related to the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Franklin?

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, the key piece in the 2013 recruiting class, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year last fall. Joe Hermitt, PennLive.com

The man with suburban Philadelphia roots (Langhorne) had a reputation as one of the nation's top recruiters at Vanderbilit and nothing he has done since arriving at Penn State suggests otherwise.

He is aggressive, or some might say borderline-cocky. If you're looking for clear differences between the last two PSU coaches, I would say Franklin is a much more confident recruiter.

Here is one of the first statements Franklin made after accepting the PSU job: "We're going to dominate the state. That is the first thing that we're going to do.

"I believe in the high school coaches in this state,'' Franklin continued.

"I know how well [players are] coached and developed. I know how talented this state is as well. I know how important football is here. I think that's very, very important. So that is the first thing we're going to do. We're going to work very, very hard and put a staff together that will help us dominate the state of Pennsylvania.''

Dominating Pennsylvania won't be easy. Ohio State and Michigan have had significant recruiting success in the state and Maryland and Rutgers are now part of the Big Ten. In addition, I would have to think Franklin's statement will be remembered by Pittsburgh and Panthers head coach Paul Chryst.

I doubt Franklin cares.

He clearly believes he and his staff can go head-to-head with anyone for Pa. talent and win.

Since taking the PSU job, Franklin has landed eight verbal commitments, the biggest name being four-star wideout Saeed Blacknall, a one-time Rutgers verbal.

It's also worth noting that one of the Franklin verbals, athlete Koa Farmer, is from California.

THE RECRUITING QUESTIONS

THURSDAY: Are James Franklin and his staff zeroing in on any big names late in the game?

FRIDAY: What are the biggest differences in the recruiting approaches of James Franklin and former Penn State coach Bill O'Brien?

SATURDAY: What are the NCAA sanctions that Penn State and James Franklin still must deal with and how long will they last?

SUNDAY: What are Penn State's biggest needs heading into spring and summer practice sessions?

MONDAY: Which Penn State 2014 recruits have a chance to make the biggest impact in the fall?

TUESDAY: Who are the ones that got away in the Penn State 2014 recruiting class?

WEDNESDAY: Who are Penn State's top in-state recruiting targets for 2015?