It’s no secret Penn State is one of the top contenders to bring home a college football national championship in 2025. Head coach James Franklin has assembled one of the nation’s top coaching staffs and paired it with elite talent across the board.
Fans and media members have been saying it all offseason, but at Big Ten media days, Franklin gave his thoughts.
“Are there more conversations that are going on at a national level about Penn State? Yes, and we appreciate that, and we embrace that, and it’s a sign of respect people see all the hard work that a ton of people have put in,” Franklin said. “But let’s also be honest … preseason polls and rankings, what do they mean? They don’t mean much.”
Indeed, the college football world has taken notice. Penn State is a consensus top-five team, ranked No. 1 by experts like Phil Steele, Joel Klatt and ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, and sitting fourth in national championship odds, just behind Texas, Ohio State and Georgia, per FanDuel.
Franklin said he and his program are focusing on “the (polls) that happen at the end of the season,” and his players echoed that sentiment.
“We appreciate it all, but at the end of the day, good noise, bad noise, it’s still just noise,” center Nick Dawkins said. “What matters is what we believe in, what we believe in ourselves and what we’re going to continue to do.”
Despite being the center of attention throughout the preseason, the Nittany Lions are insistent on sticking to their process, a common theme throughout Franklin’s tenure with the university.
Entering his 12th season with the self-proclaimed best personnel he’s had — and fresh off a semifinal appearance — Penn State, and James Franklin, seem poised to finally break through. But that doesn’t change the team’s fundamental principles.
“The expectations in Happy Valley are no different. The expectation of Penn State is always to win the national championship,” Franklin said. “That’s why I came here. That’s why the players went there. We finished a drive away from (making) the national championship last year and people were pissed. It’s not like people were happy with our season last year.”
Franklin referenced losing coordinators on all three sides of the ball last offseason — defensive coordinator Manny Diaz landed a head coaching job at Duke, Mike Yurcich was fired during the season and special teams coordinator Stacy Collins left for the same role at Boise State.
This year, Franklin’s optimism is bolstered by continuity on the coaching staff. While the Nittany Lions lost defensive coordinator Tom Allen to Clemson, they retained offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig. The addition of Jim Knowles to the defensive coaching staff is seen as a significant upgrade, and many believe it gives Penn State one of the most talented coaching staffs in the country.
Franklin cited that continuity as a reason for bullishness in 2025, and he also returns many starters who passed on the NFL draft to make one last run at a championship. With so much staff and roster retention, the Nittany Lions don’t have to waste time installing new schemes or getting players up to speed, allowing them to focus solely on taking the next step.
So far this offseason, the pieces have been falling into place. The training regimen has gone according to plan, and the Nittany Lions’ have remained relatively healthy after an injury-riddled 2024 season.
“Anybody can talk about winning national championships, it’s about your actions that are going to lead you to those opportunities to be in those types of games,” Allar said. “And I think we’ve done a great job in setting the tone since the winter.”
