By Chris Buchignani
We’re getting close. Penn State football opens camp today. James Franklin, his staff, and the players meet the press this Saturday for the annual Football Media Day. Other teams in the Franklin era have entered the season with lofty expectations, but not since before the 1999 season has the national hype around the Nittany Lions matched the local fervor. We all hope 2025 has a happier ending than that ill-fated ’99 campaign, which saw the team start 9-0 before dropping three games in a row. To escape the shadows of their past – both distant and recent – an experienced roster that boasts as much talent and depth as Franklin has ever assembled must play to its potential, which is good enough to win State’s first (claimed) national title since the 1980s.
Here are 10 storylines that will shape the most highly anticipated Penn State football season in a quarter-century…
The Last Dance: Penn State’s 2022 recruiting class, the highest-ranked haul of renowned recruiter James Frankin’s tenure, laid the foundation for the run of recent success that began with that year’s Rose Bowl crown. Anticipation for this season went to another level when many key members of that class passed up the NFL Draft or NCAA transfer portal to instead return for one more run in Happy Valley. QB Drew Allar, RBs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, OG Vega Ioane, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, DT Zane Durant, plus other key returnees like C Nick Dawkins and S Zakee Wheatley will form the core of a team sure to land in the preseason Top Five. For all of them, it’s now or never in 2025.
Big Game Boom or Bust: Look no further than your nearest comment section, social thread, or classic message board for the national consensus on James Franklin and Drew Allar on the biggest stage. Put charitably, neither has built a reputation for doing their best work under the greatest pressure. A late-September Whiteout against a likely Top-Five Oregon and a November road trip to Columbus offer two opportunities to rewrite the narrative. Will coach and quarterback view these contests as obstacles or opportunities? The answer will determine State’s destiny.
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Poach ‘Em: One new wrinkle in Penn State’s ongoing quest for its first win over Ohio State since the Obama Administration comes in the form of former Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, now serving in that same role under Franklin. In executing the bold move of plucking Knowles, with his sterling national reputation and championship imprimatur, from their fiercest antagonist, Franklin and Athletic Director Pat Kraft made clear that Penn State is all-in on this season. Now Knowles will put his sharp coaching mind – and insider’s view of how OSU plans for Penn State – toward the goal of bringing the title trophy back to the Lasch Building.
Legends and Leaders: When James Franklin told reporters at Big Ten Media Days that his team has the best personnel of any in his career, he made sure to note that also covered his coaching staff, and with good reason. Along with newcomers Knowles and running backs coach Stan Drayton, who brings championship coaching experience with Urban Meyer’s title teams at Florida and Ohio State, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki returns for his second season. Kotelnicki shrugged off potential head coaching opportunities to return, and the familiarity between coach and players should help his creative offense hit new highs in ’25. Everywhere you look on Franklin’s staff, you will find position coaches and analysts who are among the most highly-regarded in the sport. Great recruiters and developers of talent who give Penn State a massive edge over the competition. An added bonus for the Penn State faithful, the staff is jampacked with former Nittany Lion greats, making this quest for the top trophy a family affair.
In with the New: Penn State ended a terrific 2024 season on a sour note, falling a few plays short of a championship game appearance versus Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Any number of factors contributed to the outcome, but one stat line loomed above them all: zero catches by Penn State wide receivers. Not good enough; not even close. This prompted a wholesale makeover of the receiver room via the transfer portal. Former team captains Kyron Hudson of USC and Trebor Pena of Syracuse join Troy speedster Devonte Ross in donning the Blue and White this year. If this trio can thrive in Kotelnicki’s offense, the Nittany Lions may be headed back to Miami for another Orange Bowl, which hosts this year’s national title.
Winning Up Front: Football games are won and lost in the trenches. Dating back to the late Paterno era, and certainly through most of James Franklin’s career, subpar offensive line play has hampered many of Penn State’s most talented teams. Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein has engineered a remarkable turnaround over the last few seasons however, and this year’s group, which returns four starters from the 2024 playoff team, has a chance to do something remarkable – start five future NFL draft picks. Aside from quarterback Drew Allar, no personnel on this year’s team will factor into its success more than the big guys at the line of scrimmage.
Run for the Record: Senior running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will rely on all that elite blocking in pursuit of a truly remarkable accomplishment. This special pair of runners is already Penn State’s most productive tandem since the legendary duo of Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris, but with rushing totals that are well within their reach based on past performance, both could surpass Evan Royster to finish one and two, in some order, on the program’s list of career rush yards. A relentless ground attack will be crucial to team success, but the chase for these special individual honors should keep both star backs focused – and fans riveted – throughout the year.
Next Man Up: The Nittany Lions must replace NFL first-rounders Adbul Carter and Tyler Warren, two of the program’s best-ever at their positions. But from Penn State Letterman Deion Barnes’ defensive line room to Penn State Letterman Ty Howle’s tight end group – and pretty much everywhere else in State’s 2025 locker room – elite talent awaits only an opportunity. With few exceptions, any combination of on-field personnel will leave starting-quality talent on the bench. With the expanded playoffs stretching college seasons by three to five games, winning teams must be able to keep stars fresh and weather injuries. Penn State’s roster depth will prove a key asset in earning a spot among this season’s elite contenders.
The Big Ten Hat Trick: After the SEC dominated college football’s championship stage for the better part of two decades, the Big Ten’s traditional powers have reasserted themselves in recent years. First Michigan in 2023, and then Ohio State last year, won it all by following the same model – convincing a cadre of experienced, exceptionally talented players to return for an all-or-nothing title chase and then filling key gaps through strategic use of the transfer portal. Many now believe it is Penn State’s turn. When PSU joined the conference, most imagined the Wolverines, Buckeyes, and Nittany Lions as the Big Ten’s trio of banner carriers. Will State hold up its end of the bargain and complete the trifecta?
A Beaver Stadium Unlike Any Other: If the Nittany Lions are about to embark upon a season for the ages, perhaps it is only appropriate that it will feature a unique version of their lair that will exist for this year only. With the massive renovation project ongoing, Beaver Stadium’s west side will feature a makeshift press box and temporary stands, while other temporary seats will “fill in” the stadium’s open corners, opening up additional seating for would-be season ticket holders. The Beav has seen a lot of college football history since it moved across campus prior to the 1960 season. What better way to usher in a new golden era for the program than with an undefeated championship run headquartered in a version of its historic home that will vanish with falling confetti and parade down College Ave?
Chris Buchignani is cohost of The Obligatory PSU Podcast and The Obligatory PSU Pregame Show, entering its 10th season this Fall. He teaches a course on Penn State Football History for Penn State OLLI.
