James Franklin Articles - Page 2

Penn State football enters 2025 with national championship aspirations following its postseason run. James Franklin guided two College Football Playoff victories before falling to Notre Dame. But the target grows moving forward. The Nittany Lions are gunning for the top. Not just limited to preseason rankings either. PSU has Happy Valley fans envisioning a celebration […]

The Penn State football team made its first appearance in the College Football Playoff last season, and expectations for the program are even higher this year. The Nittany Lions are bringing back loads of talent, and most importantly, their quarterback is returning. Drew Allar is back for another season, and having an experienced QB is […]

Most people would call the SEC the king of college football, but there’s no question that the Big Ten has been right on their heels in recent years. Especially after the recent conference realignment, specifically the addition of Oregon, the Big Ten is loaded with powerhouses that should make for an action-packed 2025 season. Ohio […]

The Penn State Nittany Lions are in a strong position as head coach James Franklin and his players get ready for the 2025 college football season. The Nittany Lions have been an elite Big Ten team for years, but Franklin’s crew has stumbled against the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes for six consecutive years. […]

Penn State Football would see its season end in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, falling to Notre Dame by just three points. Still, expectations for the Nittany Lions are high. While they do not kick off their season until August 30th against Nevada, it is time to make some way-too-early bold predictions for their season. […]

The Penn State football team earned a valuable commitment on Wednesday as four-star tight end Pierce Petersohn announced that he will play for the Nittany Lions. Petersohn is a Minnesota native, and he was choosing between the Golden Gophers and Penn State. Minnesota didn’t do enough to keep the hometown kid home, so he will […]

Penn State football head coach James Franklin arguably has the best team he’s ever had coming into the 2025 season, with a loaded roster and the hiring of Jim Knowles at defensive coordinator. The Nittany Lions went on a massive run in the College Football Playoff last season. It was the first season of the […]

Penn State comes into the 2025 season as one of the best teams in the country. Head coach James Franklin has a loaded squad, and that’s despite losing Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren to the NFL. This offense gets Drew Allar, Nic Singleton, and Kaytron Allen all back, and then the defense has Dani Dennis-Sutton […]

Penn State football’s James Franklin took a controversial stance on the College Football Playoff. The first year of the new twelve-team field provided plenty of drama for the 2024 season. With more teams vying for spots, there were more resumes to choose from among the committee, all leading to a thrilling race down the stretch. […]

Penn State football would finish the regular season at 11-1, but would fall a game short of the College Football Playoff Championship after a three-point loss to Notre Dame. Penn State and James Franklin hope to return to the playoffs, as we look at the 2025 Penn State football schedule and give predictions. Last season, […]

Last season was the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff, and its design is perfect for teams like Penn State. The Penn State football team was always one of the better teams in the Big Ten during the four-team CFP era, but they could never find a way to get over the Michigan/Ohio […]

Penn State football will need to replace the decorated Drew Allar behind center soon. The Nittany Lions landed his potential replacement over the likes of Iowa and Utah on Saturday. Head coach James Franklin and company received a verbal commitment from four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone, Hayes Fawcett of On3 confirmed. Iowa and Utah weren’t the […]

Penn State football legend Saquon Barkley made a shocking offer to the top running back recruit in the Class of 2027. As the Philadelphia Eagles superstar celebrates his first Super Bowl win, the Nittany Lions are locked in on trying to win their first national title since 1986. James Franklin and company came awfully close […]

Penn State football head coach James Franklin praised Nittany Lions’ legends Saquon Barkley and Jahan Dotson for their Super Bowl 59 victory. The Philadelphia Eagles won their second championship in franchise history on Sunday in a dominant display against the Kansas City Chiefs. Barkley and Dotson were both significant factors in this game and collected […]

A long offseason awaits Penn State football after a crushing loss in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame. If the Nittany Lions had been able to hold onto their lead and win that game, they would have gotten a second crack at eventual national champion Ohio State, which beat […]

As the Penn State football team looks to dominate on the recruiting trail, they still have to recover from their College Football Playoff loss against Notre Dame in the semifinals. Part of recovering was the Penn State football team hiring Jim Knowles to be their defensive coordinator as he speaks about the possibility of the […]

Ahead of National Signing Day, several of the top programs in the country are expected to make one final run at the remaining prospects in the recruiting pool. In a pivotal 2025 offseason for Penn State football, the program has the No. 14 class in the nation, and No. 4 in the Big Ten according […]

Penn State football opened its biggest coaching position available on Monday. Tom Allen pulled the stunner by leaving his defensive coordinator post for Clemson. The now ex-DC jams from one College Football Playoff qualifier to join another. Allen’s move comes one day after star edge rusher Abdul Carter declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. So […]

As the Penn State football team lost to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, it adds another big loss to head coach James Franklin’s resume. There have been Penn State football team fans saying that Franklin should be fired due to his inability to win big games consistently as this was talked about by analyst […]

Penn State stepped under the bright lights, desperate to vanquish Notre Dame and advance to the national championship. A semifinals appearance in the College Football Playoff did not vindicate its past high-stakes failures. Put simply, Thursday night’s Orange Bowl was a program-defining game, and head coach James Franklin headed into the locker room with another […]

Penn State football’s heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Notre Dame highlighted a weakness that has plagued this program for much of this season. Head coach James Franklin’s team won the battle in the trenches Thursday night, rushing for 204 yards and three scores. Looking at that stat and comparing it to Notre Dame’s rushing total of […]

If one is not engaged in what is currently going on in college football and just happened to see Penn State’s name among the remaining four teams, they would assume the program had enjoyed a magnificent 2024-25 season. Though, as diehard fans know, it is far more complicated than that. James Franklin and his Nittany […]

The Penn State football team takes on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff (CFP) in what could be a frustrating night depending on the status of defensive end Abdul Carter. As fans lock in their predictions for the No. 6 Penn State football team against the No. 7 […]

As Penn State football takes on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff (CFP) on Thursday night, there have been some criticisms of head coach James Franklin. With people locking in their predictions for the Penn State football game, the school’s athletic director (AD) comes to the defense of […]

The Orange Bowl will host Penn State Football and Notre Dame on Thursday. However, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin has some skepticism towards the Fighting Irish. He explained to Brett McMurphy about how Notre Dame doesn’t have to play in a conference and the unfairness towards other school. “I think, again, this is no […]

Ahead of Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame, Penn State head coach James Franklin has provided an important, albeit murky, update on the status of star defensive end Abdul Carter. In dealing with an upper-body injury sustained during the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal win over Boise State, Carter is expected to be a game-time […]

Penn State football coach James Franklin is trying to enjoy the experience of having a team in the College Football Playoff. After two rounds, the Nittany Lions are one of the final four teams standing. Penn State’s football coach says there is a story underneath all of the football action. “I think that much of […]

Before the 12-team College Football Playoff, Penn State was often the perennial bridesmaid, never the bride. In recent years, the Nittany Lions have frequently been on the outside looking in when it came to the four-team playoff, while their Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan earned top-four spots. Now, with a win over Notre […]

Penn State football picked up a 31-14 win over Boise State in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl to advance to the Semifinals of the College Football Playoff, and James Franklin made an appearance on College Gameday to discuss the game. When Nick Saban got to ask a question, he started with a playful one. “You know […]

The key matchup most people were focusing on going into the New Year’s Eve showdown between Boise State and Penn State football was running back Ashton Jeanty versus the Nittany Lions’ defensive line. While that was definitely a difference-making battle, more fans clearly should have been talking about the two other impactful ball carriers in […]

Penn State has yet to silence its doubters, and it will not get the chance to until at least next week, but the team should be commended for the impressive effort it put forth against one of the best offensive talents in the country. The Nittany Lions stifled Ashton Jeanty and Boise State in the […]

The first round of the College Football Playoff took place last week, and a lot of people were disappointed with the results as there were a lot of blowouts. Now, the quarterfinals are set, and there are supposed to be some terrific matchups as the teams that originally had byes will be in action. One […]

Penn State football coach James Franklin is making the case that former coach Nick Saban should play a large role in College Football. Franklin wants Saban to be the game’s commissioner, per ESPN. “I think one of the most important things we can do is, let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking […]

Penn State football heads into the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State, playing its best football of the year. Head coach James Franklin’s team posted a dominant win over SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions now head into Glendale, Arizona, as the clear favorite against the No. 9 Broncos. […]

Boise State football running back Ashton Jeanty has been the key factor in every football game this season, and that thought is the same goes for Penn State head coach James Franklin. Ahead of their matchup at the Fiesta Bowl, the Broncos running back has had a historic season. He’s rushed 344 times for 2,497 […]

After Penn State made history with a Fiesta Bowl victory over SMU, head coach James Franklin talked about what he looked forward to most in Saturday’s matchup. Franklin wanted this kind of moment for his players, per The Daily Collegian’s Lyle Alenstein. “I want them to experience what it’s like to win a Big 10 […]

Penn State football has a chance to make program history after its dominant victory over SMU in the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions pulled no punches in Happy Valley on Saturday afternoon. Head coach James Franklin’s program overwhelmed the Mustangs from the start, pulling away to win 38-10. The No. 4 ranked team in […]

The No. 6 Penn State football team blew out the No. 11 SMU Mustangs in the first round of the College Football Playoff (CFP), 38-10, which was highlighted by a complete performance on both sides of the ball. As fans were speculating on the weather conditions impacting the Penn State football team, it looked like […]

The college football transfer portal has caused quite a stir this month due to the timing. It opened on December 9 and closes on December 28, which means the portal disrupts the team’s preparations for the College Football Playoff. That’s been a complaint from many coaches across the country, and Penn State football boss James […]