“We’re No. 1…” at least in the post-spring rankings.
That’s what Penn State football fans can say Monday after Fox lead color commentator Joel Klatt unveiled his post-spring top 25 teams in College Football.
PSU earned the No. 1 ranking entering the summer, one week after adding Syracuse transfer WR Trebor Pena in the portal and continuing their search for an inside linebacker.
Portal Update: Penn State Lands Syracuse Transfer Trebor Pena
“They’re following the blueprint of the teams that just won the national championship,” Klatt said on The Joel Klatt Show. “You look at what Michigan did in 2023, what Ohio State did in 2024. Both of those teams had a core group of veteran players stay. They stayed, and they won a championship.”
Quarterback Drew Allar and safety Zakee Wheatley both announced they’d return to Penn State before the College Football Playoff. After the CFP, edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton, center Nick Dawkins, defensive tackle Zane Durant, and others followed suit.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“Both of those teams had veterans at quarterback, on both sides of the ball, were excellent at the line of scrimmage, and had chips on their shoulders from the ways they were bounced in the postseason in years prior,” Klatt said. “All of that is true about Penn State.”
Klatt pointed to Penn State returning Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, four starters on the offensive line and OC Andy Kotelnicki. Unsurprisingly, his main question mark was at wide receiver.
Klatt is a big fan of Pena and thinks PSU will be better at receiver with Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross. Another “hurdle” Penn State has is rising up and winning what Klatt would call “a matchup game” and taking the final step forward.
“I believe that Penn State is ready to take the next step with their veterans,” Klatt said. “Drew Allar leading the charge. I think he’s going to have a big, big year.”
PSU hosts Nevada Aug. 30 at Beaver Stadium to start the season.
