For many, this is the best team Penn State has had since James Franklin took over as coach in 2014, and Franklin came about as close to saying that without fully saying it.
“This is the best combined personnel that I think we’ve had at Penn State,” Franklin told reporters at Big Ten Media Days. When I talk about personnel, I’m talking players and staff. From a depth, from a talent standpoint and from an experience standpoint, so we’re very excited about that.”
It’s hard to argue with Franklin, and that’s because of the quality of players and staff that PSU has at its disposal.
THE PLAYERS
Penn State won a school-record 13 games in 2024 and made it to the College Football Playoff semifinal. The program brings most of that team’s key contributors back for 2025. Offensively, PSU returns players such as Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. On defense, Penn State has Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant and Zakee Wheatley, among others, returning.
Multiple players– especially Allar, who could well have been a first-round pick this year’s Draft– would have been justified in going pro. But as Franklin mentioned Wednesday, this program has “unfinished business” after losing a heartbreaker to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl/College Football Playoff semifinal.
Now, all there’s left to do is finish.
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THE STAFF
PSU lost two key members of its coaching staff this winter. But to his credit, Franklin and Co. upgraded at both positions. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen left for Clemson, and all Penn State did was hire arguably the best DC in the country, Ohio State’s Jim Knowles, for the job.
When RB coach Ja’Juan Seider left for the same position at Notre Dame, it took Penn State less than a week to hire Stan Drayton– maybe the best RB coach of all-time— for the job.
Now, all there’s left to do for Penn State is to put it all together.
