James Franklin's two years at Penn State have been interesting to say the least. There have been some highs and there definitely have been some lows, but one thing that should be universally agreed upon is that there is talent on the Nittany Lions roster.

There's no doubt that Franklin can recruit and he's proven that ever since he's set foot on Penn State's campus. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked seventh in the 2016 ESPN recruiting class rankings with nine ESPN 300 recruits committed.So, there is talent on the roster now and there is talent on the way to State College. However, getting talent to a college football program is just one piece of the pie. Preparing the players to compete and win looks to be what is plaguing the Penn State program at this time.Now, one could argue that Franklin needs his type of players to run the type of schemes he wants to on the field. I can see that argument, but when I see talent, I see talent.In a 2010 interview with ESPN after Franklin was named the new head coach at Vanderbilt, he described his offensive scheme as the following:"Our base is going to be what I've done in the past. People ask, 'What kind of offense do you run?' Well, we run a multiple offense. We're going to do some spread things, some West Coast-based things. We're going to do some option. We're going to have all those things in our offense, and our decision is to figure out what the strengths are of our personnel we have now and what are the weaknesses. Then you figure out how we can build on our strengths and how we can hide our weaknesses."We're going to do whatever we can to take advantage of the skills we have that particular year and not force-feed a scheme down this team's throat that may not fit. We're going to do whatever we need to win and play an exciting brand of football."Is that why Franklin allowed John Donovan to be so conservative in his playing calling this season, because he was trying to mask the weaknesses of some of the personnel (offensive line) on the Penn State offense? Could be I guess, but I think everyone can agree that the Nittany Lions offensive line has been better this season. With the improvement of the offensive line and the addition of a dynamic running back in Saquon Barkley, the Penn State offense should have been better in 2015, but it wasn't.The Nittany Lions ranked 108th in yards per game (344.3) and 100th in points per game (23.7). That's simply not good enough with the weapons Donovan and Franklin had at their disposal this season.So, a change needed to be made and Franklin made it, relieving Donovan of his play calling duties last Sunday. Donovan's been a very polarizing figure since the Penn State offensive struggles began, which was after last season's opener against UCF in Ireland.Franklin's decision to fire Donovan means that Franklin is serious about turning Penn State into a perennial power once again. A national search is now on for a new offensive coordinator and if it doesn't work out this time I think it's safe to say that Franklin and his staff will be packing their bags as well.Here is a list of possible candidates that could come in and make an immediate impact on the offensive landscape at Penn State.* Frank Cignetti Jr., St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator - Cignetti has a pretty extensive college football background having coached at Fresno State, Cal, Pitt, and Rutgers. According to Shane Lunnen from victorybellrings.com Cignetti coached a 2004 Fresno State offense that scored over 50 points in four consecutive games, which has only been done by three other teams.* Sean Lewis, Bowling Green offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach - This is my personal favorite for Penn State's new OC. The Bowling Green offense has been one of the most explosive offenses in the nation this season. They're third in passing yards per game (387.8), fourth in points per game (44.0), and they've averaged 566 yards of total offense per game this season. Lewis is a young and energetic coach and played and coached in the Big 10 (Wisconsin).* Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky offensive coordinator - Along with Lewis this is another hot young name that everyone is talking about. Helton has helped the Hilltoppers explode onto the scene. They rank 6th in the country in passing yards per game (361.7) and fourth in scoring (44).* Pep Hamilton, former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator - For some reason a lot of writers seem to think Hamilton is in the mix here. Hamilton was the former OC at Stanford when Andrew Luck was there and then came along with Luck to Indy. I don't think you'll see Hamilton as the next OC in Happy Valley, but I included him because he's on everyone else's list.* Darrell Dickey, Memphis offensive coordinator - Dickey has done some nice things with the Tigers offense this season. Memphis ranks 14th in the country in passing yards per game (324.3) and seventh in scoring (42). I don't think Dickey would be a bad choice at all for Penn State.* Mike Locklsey, Maryland offensive coordinator/interim head coach - I've been hearing this name as well. Locksley's name has been thrown around a lot lately because of his coaching ties to Franklin when they were both assistants together at Maryland. Nothing against Locksley, but I don't like it. I think the PSU offense needs someone outside of the Franklin tree with a fresh, young mind that isn't afraid to take some risks.