The weight room inside Penn State’s Lasch Building was filled with the sounds of clanking metal, grunts and the occasional cheering from teammates as the Nittany Lion football team worked out in front of the media on Monday afternoon.
“We’re at the point in the summer, right now, peaking from a strength and power standpoint,” strength coach Chuck Losey said. “We’re going to evaluate the guys next week, just to see what we’ve done over this cycle, and then we’ll be ready for fall camp.”
Fresh off a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance and 13-win season, Penn State’s staff and players know how close the program was to achieving its ultimate goal. One more reception, one more tackle or one more play could’ve made the difference in a 27-24 Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame, and the team has been operating with that mindset throughout the offseason.
They’ve been using those memories to power their offseason conditioning as they prepare for a highly anticipated 2025 season. Television screens display the words “CHAMPIONSHIP MINDSET, CHAMPIONSHIP THINKING and CHAMPIONSHIP HABITS” as they pump iron.
To reach a championship, Penn State has changed its offseason training regimen, and it’s paying dividends.
“By the time we got to spring ball, and even got to post-spring ball, after last season, we weren’t where we were from a benchmarking standpoint the season before that,” Losey said. “So my goal was, by the time we finished testing and evaluating in the summer, was for us to be ahead of schedule, which is where we are.”
A shortened spring ball period and elevated intensity throughout the summer has allowed the Nittany Lions to recover from a grueling 16-game slate while still gaining strength in preparation for the fall.
Director of Performance Science Andrew Nelson, who’s “more on the data side of things,” said his role involves measuring speed, agility, quickness, strength and power. He believes the team is in better shape than it was last year, his first season on staff.
“Obviously, work should accrue over time, right? And that’s like, a big philosophy that I have, is I try not to just do things in the moment, but make everything a building block of greater things to come,” Nelson, a former Nittany Lion offensive lineman, said.
Those building blocks have fallen into place nicely this offseason, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated seasons in Penn State history.
Lifting intensity typically ramps down in the fall in preparation of the season, allowing players more energy to expend in game situations. Because of this, summer is a crucial period for physical development, so the staff had to retool its plan.
“I think a lot of it had to do with our management and the way we went around about spring ball this year,” Losey said. “Credit to coach (James) Franklin, credit to all the coaches; we went into it with a great plan. We executed the plan from a management, player load standpoint, and we came out of spring in a really good spot so that we could just kind of hit the ground running.”
Last year’s squad dealt with several major offseason injuries, followed by more key players missing time or playing hurt throughout the year. Franklin previously spoke about the team being as banged up as he could remember, partially due to the length of the season.
Heading into the 2025 campaign, the team is in a better spot health-wise. Part of the offseason conditioning involves injury prevention, and Losey believes it’s been a success on that front.
“My main objective is to get them to build up their body armor, make them bulletproof going into camp, so that they can get everything installed that we need to to have a successful season,” Losey said.
Both Nelson and Losey credited Franklin’s vision and spoke highly of the cooperation it took to revamp the training plan.
“We have a strong relationship. We’re like-minded; we have the same goals,” Losey said. “I don’t take that for granted. I’ve got a ton of appreciation for that. I know what this profession has been. I have an idea of where it is right now. I know what’s out there, and I’m just so appreciative to have the opportunity to come to work at a place like this every day.”
Joel Haas is a freelance writer covering Penn State football.
