Penn State has consistently been on top of preseason lists all this time, even with just 2 months left to its first kickoff. The vibe at Happy Valley is energetic and focused on one thing: to finally lift the National trophy. Some say that the Nittany Lions have never looked this good, and James Franklin has a clear shot at the playoffs and even the National Championship. They are easily returning as one of the strongest teams in college football. Veteran coach Urban Meyer singled out a key trait of the team that is Franklin’s biggest advantage over other big-name programs.
The Nittany Lions’ 2025 team is stacked on both sides of the ball. On offense, Drew Allar returns for his last CFB season and is looking significantly better than his 2024 version. Also returning are Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen–the country’s best rushing attack at the moment. On the defense, Franklin is armed with Jim Knowles as his DC. Knowles comes to Penn State as a National Championship-winning DC. It’s all lining up for the Nittany Lions to break free of their past woes and at least appear at the National Championship game. Urban Meyer included the Nittany Lions among his top 3 best rosters in college football.
The other teams are Ohio State and Texas, who are emerging as the only worthy competitors for Penn State. But, Franklin’s roster has an edge over the two. Meyer said in a July 1 appearance on CFB ON FOX, “They have more seniors. Think about this… the difference between a fourth-year player and a rookie or a freshman is night and day. You’re coaching grown a– men. That’s a men’s locker room compared to a young person. So watch out for Penn State, man.” Penn State is returning with 14 starters. On the offensive side, 7 of the 9 starters are seniors. And on Defense, 3 of the 5 are returning seniors. The Buckeyes and Longhorns, this time, are going to be led by Julian Sayin and Arch Manning, who are both playing as sophomores.
The most important change-makers for Penn State are in this equally important category. Drew Allar isn’t just returning as a talented QB. He’s returning as a seasoned, experienced starting QB. And so are Allen and Singleton. They’ve been on the grind for 3 years now, and are arguably in the best spot in their careers to unleash their might. James Franklin has a good chance of seeing multiple players from this lot go as top-round draft picks next year. The HC has built a culture that enables these crucial players to continue their belief in PSU football and forgo their chances of development anywhere else.
James Franklin is high on developing NFL-worthy talents as Penn State’s own
Transfer portals call for shakedowns in college football every year – that too twice. Penn State lost 15 players to the portal. But the damage was not very problematic for Franklin. His WR room needed immediate retooling, for which he went to the portal and got Kyron Hudson, Devonte Ross, and Trebor Pena. In fact, these additions have added stability to the WR room, which was a disaster last season. But James Franklin’s biggest win is that he managed to keep his most important players with him at Penn State.
“I’m very proud,” the HC told Big Ten Football, when asked about his success at retaining Allar, Allen, and Singleton. “I also think they recognize, you know, we’re a program. We don’t live in the portal… We’re going to invest in our own. We’re going to invest in the retention of our own roster. And I think there’s also an aspect that those guys see the value of that… We have two guys again drafted in the first round in back-to-back years. And both of those guys were recruited to Penn State, stayed, and were developed at Penn State the entire time,” Franklin said about the culture in his team.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked Penn State’s returning production as 6th in the Big 10. The low ranking is in light of the weight of the departures of Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren. The quality of the returning offense, however, was calculated to be at 72%. Allar is entering his 3rd season as QB1 for Penn State, and is a player worth watching out for in the 2025 season. He also has high odds to end up as a top draft pick by the time he wraps up his collegiate career.
The Nittany Lions in 2025 are coming as experienced men, in sharp contrast with those that have rookies or juniors leading their fronts. Can this one factor stand as James Franklin’s trump card, that will finally lead him to achieve his long-awaited dream this year?
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