Penn State football coach James Franklin is giving a powerful admission about the team's 2024 season. While Penn State made a national semi-final in the College Football Playoff, a lot of fans were still frustrated about how the campaign turned out. Franklin understands that frustration.
“I mean, we finished No. 5 in the country last year, and a good portion of (our fans) are pissed, right?” Franklin said this summer, per The Athletic. “It’s one of those types of places. I don’t want that to come off the wrong way. We embrace that, and we understood that when you decide to come and play at Penn State that comes with that, when you decide to coach at Penn State that comes with that. So I guess what I’m saying is we’re kind of under these expectations every year, and we’ve been one of the most consistent programs in the country, and I’m proud of that.”
Penn State lost to Notre Dame in the CFP, to end its 2024 campaign. The Nittany Lions won 13 games.
Penn State football hopes to win again in the College Football Playoff
Franklin has yet to win a national championship at Penn State. The Nittany Lions and their fans want the program to compete for titles nearly every year. While coaching the team, Franklin has struggled to win big games in the Big Ten against teams like Ohio State and Michigan.
“You got to be able to be as consistent as you can possibly can be, which is really hard, and we’ve done that as good as anywhere in the country,” Franklin added. “But you also have to find a way to win the big ones. And I totally recognize that. I totally embrace that.”
Franklin is embracing big expectations once again for the 2025 season. The team returns quarterback Drew Allar, as well as several other key players.
“You’re in the game before the national championship, depending on your perspective, 99.9 percent of people in the country and programs in the country would say that is elite,” Franklin said. “But again, when the standard and the expectation is a national championship, it’s different. It’s different at a place like Penn State.”
Penn State opens its 2025 season on August 30, against Nevada.
