Coming off a season that was both exhilarating and stomach-churning, James Franklin enters 2025 with more scrutiny on him than ever. A year ago, Franklin took his $85M job at Penn State to a career-high 13-3 mark and a College Football Playoff semi-final berth, a truly massive achievement by any standard. Now, the pressure is at an all-time high. Commentators such as Paul Finebaum aren’t being subtle, calling out Franklin’s inability to perform well under pressure and suggesting a pattern of late-stage meltdowns..
The rumors are growing louder: this is the year Franklin’s career could be defined. One anonymous Big Ten coach summed it up bluntly, “If they can’t fix their big-game issues with this roster, it’s not going to happen.” But Urban Meyer, at least, is getting worked up over Penn State as a legitimate national player, stating that they have one of the greatest rosters in the nation. And now, the chatter about James Franklin and his status with Penn State is building to a fever. On the most recent episode of “STATE of STATE,” Tom Hannifan interviewed veteran PSU reporter and professor Mike Poorman to explore what Franklin’s future could hold.
It’s 2025, and Franklin is ready to begin his 12th year in charge. The town is buzzing with expectation, the sort that Poorman says he hasn’t witnessed since the mythical seasons of 1982 and 1986. But here’s the catch: excitement is off the charts, but there’s this nagging sense that Franklin has something to prove. “I like to phrase it as I think Penn State can credibly contend for the national championship this year,” Tom puts forward. “But I’m always so curious if, in town, there’s a boomer bust feel surrounding this team and James Franklin.” Poorman recalls Franklin’s initial press conference, portraying him as a “kid” at the time, brimming with raw emotion and energy.
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Orange Bowl-Notre Dame at Penn State Jan 9, 2025 Miami, FL, USA Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami Hard Rock Stadium FL USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xSamxNavarrox 20250109_szo_om2_0028
Even Franklin noted in a recent press conference that under his watch, some Big Ten teams have cycled through six head coaches while he’s been a steady presence at Penn State. Franklin is now the eighth-longest tenured coach in college football, and only Dabo Swinney among the longer-tenured coaches has won a national championship. Tom adds, “It does feel to me that it’s not going to be a riot if James Franklin can’t get over the hump to a national championship, but there is this feeling from the outside looking in that Penn State is certainly going all in.”
Penn State’s administration, particularly athletic director Patrick Kraft, is embracing the new world openly. They’re willing to spend the NCAA maximum on revenue sharing with $20.5 million today, increasing to $30 million in future years.
On the staff and roster retention side, Franklin has maintained his core staff intact, and the program is prioritizing retaining players from going through the transfer portal. While Penn State doesn’t throw NIL money around like Oregon or Georgia, they are methodically investing in a path to the top. Thus, Poorman states, “If Penn State does not win the national championship, but even goes 10 and two and makes two rounds of the playoffs, I think folks will be happy to be happy about James in that scenario.”
Penn State’s been knocking at the door for years, but somehow always fell short in the big games. And particularly against heavyweights such as Ohio State, Michigan, and now Oregon. Last year, they finally achieved that breakthrough to the CFP semifinals, falling by the narrowest of margins to Notre Dame. That run, coupled with the return of marquee quarterback Drew Allar and the stacked backfield, has the fan base abuzz, yet realistic in how difficult it is to win everything. National pundits are forecasting Penn State to be a top seed and go deep again, but even the most optimistic of analysts view them as likely to come up just short of a championship.
Drew Allar’s final shot before the NFL
The scrutiny of Drew Allar entering this year is intense. Perhaps even a bit unfair, but that’s what occurs when you’re a five-star QB at a program wanting to finally make a push. Everything is in position, but ask ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and pretty much every pundit in existence, and the only thing that’s keeping this team from living up to its potential is whether or not Allar can finally come through in the clutch. To this point, Allar’s mark in those games under the spotlight isn’t significantly better.
Following last season’s beating by Notre Dame, during which Allar delivered a game-sealing interception, his mark in Top 10 games is 2-5, and Franklin’s as a head coach is 4-20. Van Pelt states, “How’s Allar done in the biggest games? I just find it interesting how the rep that he arrived with, that he’s going to be the guy, because he’s going to be different than the guy we didn’t like, because he couldn’t win the big game. He hasn’t done it yet, or hasn’t won the biggest game.” The expectation isn’t simply that Allar can control games or produce stats. But he needs to be the reason Penn State comes out with a big win.
This is Allar’s last opportunity before the NFL Draft. He’s got talent all around him, and Penn State is again looking to make a playoff push. But the specter of failure in the past, particularly against top-ranked programs like Ohio State and Oregon, still hangs over the program. Each marquee game this season will be a test of whether Allar can at long last “be the guy” and quiet the critics.
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