Why the Penn State hype is real in 2025

USA Today

2 days ago

The hype for Penn State football in 2025 is real, and it's spectacular. I have been following Penn State football for just over three decades now, going from a young sports fan watching Ki-Jana Carter and Kerry Collins blast their way to an undefetaed and unrewarded undefetaed season in 1994 to brekaing into the sports media world by covering Penn State football wiht some of my earliest press credentials, and there are a small handful of seasons I remember feeling the way I do about this team going into the new season. And it seems my giddiness is not unwarranted.
A week after Penn State was given the no. 3 ranking in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the Nittany Lions came within five points of being the preseason no. 1 in the AP Top 25. We have been here before with Penn State getting high national praise going into the season. The 1997 team began the year as the top-ranked team, and Joe Jurevicius was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's preview magazine. The 1999 team started off in the top three and rocked Arizona to start the year with a bang (LaVar Arrington graced the cover of that year's Sports Illustrated preview issue). The 2017 team looked poised for big things a year after a surprising run to the Big Ten title. But something about this season feels different to me.
If you check out on college football during the offseason, perhaps choosing not to think about the sport since the final seconds of Penn State's College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame ticked off, nobody can blame you. There are more important things to focus on from February through the dog days of summer. So you may have missed the fact that Penn State is set to bring back one of the most experienced and veteran-led rosters in the country, not just the Big Ten. It is a major reason why Penn State was primed to receive a high preseason ranking.
But maybe you missed when Penn State made efforts to bulk up one of its most questionable positions, wide receiver. It did so with a trio of transfer additions, two of which got a jump on things during spring football practices with Kyron Hudson from USC and Devonte Ross from Troy. On top of that, Penn State landed a transfer commitment from Trebor Pena, last year's fourth-leading wide receiver in the ACC. Together, the three new wide receivers combined for 2,446 receiving yards last season. If you take away receiving yards by players lost to the transfer portal or NFL and the running backs, Penn State had just 574 receiving yards coming back this season, so the extra receiver help was needed in a big way.
Of course, you cannot forget those running backs. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen each could have gone off to the NFL and been a draft pick in 2025. Either one could have opted to explore transfer portal options for a change of scenery and likely been a starter without having to split the role. Instead, both are back for another dynamic season behind one of the most experienced and deepest offensive lines Penn State has had in a long time. Singleton and Allen each have a shot to be Penn State's all-time leading rusher when this season is over, and it is probable the duo will occupy the top two spots on the list when all is said and done.
And of course, Penn State brings back Drew Allar at quarterback. Allar places much on his shoulders after the way last season ended, with an untimely interception that would be impossible not to linger on the back of anyone's head for the entire offseason. But Allar is back with plenty of support around him on the field, and he gets another year to work with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
Even with having to fill the shoes of All-American tight end Tyler Warren, Penn State has reason to feel good about its offense. That includes at tight end, where Luke Reynolds and Khalil Dinkins are more than ready to keep the offense chugging along and continue the impressive tight end development under this coaching staff.
The best part? I haven't even mentioned the defense yet.
Penn State has a championship-caliber defense
One of the biggest moves in the offseason came when Penn State broke the bank to lure defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State to Penn State. If nothing else, Penn State showed it was not afraid to pay top dollar for a hire it feels it needs to help the program take the next step. Knowles, coming from a national championship run with the Buckeyes, was a major move in the coaching carousel this offseason, and Penn State is giving him plenty of sharp knives in the drawer to work with.
Penn State does lose Abdul Carter, a high first-round draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but the defensive line should be in great hands with Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton each capable of being first-round picks a year from now. The secondary should also continue to make plays, with Zakee Wheatley and A.J. Harris among the best at their positions in the Big Ten this season.
Is this one of the best teams in the country going into the 2025 season, a year after coming within one drive of playing for a national title? It absolutely is. Penn State is in a position where there are far fewer questions to answer than other programs are facing.
Naturally, the biggest question will likely come back to James Franklin.
Is this the year James Franklin silences his critics once and for all?
Entering his 12th season as the head coach of Penn State, Franklin's critics are already equipped with the familiar bullet points on his resume. Franklin's record against top-ranked teams, notable teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and Orgeon, is impossible to ignore, and it is fair to mention in evaluating whether or not you believe this is the year Franklin and Penn State finally take that next step forward.
A giant step was taken last season with a deep playoff run. But now comes the hardest challenge yet, and one that Franklin and his program have tended to stumble on: live up to the hype.
Is this the year? If not this year, then when?
Kickoff is just a few weeks away. Like you, I am ready to follow this ride all the way to the end, for better or worse. All aboard the hype train. Admission is free for all, and passports are not required.
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