Penn State football was at the podium for 2025 Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, July 23. Head coach James Franklin was joined by quarterback Drew Allar, offensive lineman Nick Dawkins, and safety Zakee Wheatley. Franklin and Allar also spoke to Colin Cowherd at the event for "The Herd."
Three of Franklin's players and two of women's volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley's players were named to elite preseason lists as well.
Here's everything you missed.
2025 Big Ten Media Days: One game at a time
Allar and Wheatley talked about their focus on the 2025-26 season on Wednesday.
For the quarterback, while there's excitement stirring over the future 2026 NFL Draft and his name being called, his primary goal is playing football and winning as many games as possible in his last season as a Nittany Lion.
Franklin's instilled a certain philosophy in his team for the coming season. Wheatley talked about how his head coach makes sure the whole team is focused on what's in front of them in the present moment — not letting past losses or future playoff odds get in the way of winning one game at a time.
2025 Big Ten Media Days: James Franklin's comments on his senior backfield
During his time at the podium with media, Franklin discussed how he plans to overcome tight end Tyler Warren's absence. In the process, he praised his two running backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who both decided to return to Penn State for their senior seasons, to his surprise. Franklin said he expects the two to have a special senior year, sharing carries and setting records like they have since their were freshmen.
On "The Herd," Franklin talked about Allar's growth in the offseason. The quarterback dropped 10 pounds, and though he wasn't completely irrelevant on his feet, he should be more effective in 2025-26. Of course, he has Singleton and Allen, but for someone who isn't a true dual-threat quarterback, Allar's run game won't be unnoticed.
2025 Big Ten Media Days: Players to watch
Franklin and Allar spoke highly of other Nittany Lions to media on Wednesday.
The passing game was upgraded in the offseason with transfers Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross, and Kyron Hudson. However, one young wideout particularly stands out to the third-year starting quarterback. Koby Howard, an incoming freshman from the class of 2025, was a four-star wide receiver and the No. 68 recruit in the position. Allar expects him to have some time on the field, despite being behind veterans and transfers who are expected to record the most minutes.
On defense, Zuriah Fisher was a name that came to mind for both Franklin and Allar. While all eyes are on Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton, the defensive lineman who suffered an injury in 2024-25 shouldn't be overlooked.
“Zuriah was going to play a big role for us last season, had a season-ending injury,” Franklin said. “No one’s talking about him,” Franklin continued, “there’s a lot of excitement about Zuriah being on the opposite side of [Dennis-Sutton].”
2025 Big Ten Media Days: Nick Dawkins on and off the field goals
Like Allar and Wheatley, winning games in 2025-26 is at the top of Nick Dawkins' To-Do list. With the level of talent and leadership that comes from Penn State's veterans and returners, making history is possible this season, according to Dawkins, and he's ready to accomplish that.
His off the field work is equally as important to the offensive lineman. In honor of his father Darryl who passed in Aug. 2015, he and his family founded the nonprofit Dawkins Family Foundation. The foundation provides underserved youth with necessary tools for their education, whether it's scholarships, supplies, or anything else they need to succeed.
"I think the greatest gift you can be given is your last name and it's your job to add more value to it," Dawkins said. "So, every time I wake up, I'm thinking 'How can I add more value to my last name? How can I make my family proud? And how can I make this Penn State football family proud?'"
2025 Big Ten Media Days: James Franklin wants schedule uniformity for fair College Football Playoff bids
To no surprise, Franklin found an opening to talk about the College Football Playoff format in the breakout session following his 15-minute opening time slot. Along with calling for Notre Dame to join a conference, he talked about his desire for the Big Ten and SEC schedules to be even.
He said that the nine-game conference schedule the Big Ten switched to might be the biggest mistake it ever made. Since the SEC did not follow suit and stuck with eight conference games during the regular season, Franklin believes that the automatic bids for the playoff picture is not fair given the Big Ten plays nine.
Penn State football earns top spot on college football preseason poll
Ahead of 2025 Big Ten Media Days, the Nittany Lions received some good news in regards to their preseason ranking. While Franklin made it a point to note that preseason lists really don't matter, it still has to feel good to be considered the top dog in the Big Ten.
According to cleveland.com's Preseason Big Ten Football Poll, Penn State is the No. 1 team in the conference just ahead of Ohio State and Oregon. The Nittany Lions received 11 first-place votes with a 1.60 average ranking and 435 total points.
Penn State women's volleyball setter Izzy Starck and right side Kennedy Martin named to watch list for Player of the Year
In a slight intermission with football coverage, women's volleyball earned some preseason recognition as well. Florida junior transfer Kennedy Martin and returning sophomore Izzy Starck were named to the 2025 Division I Watch List for Player of the Year Award. More Nittany Lions can join the list midseason, but for now the right side hitter and setter will represent the Penn State court.
Penn State football's Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Dani Dennis-Sutton selected to Big Ten Preseason Honors list
Allar, Singleton, and Dennis-Sutton were also named to an elite preseason list. The quarterback, running back, and defensive end were selected to the Big Ten Preseason Honors list. The three are considered as players to watch, and there's no doubt that they'll be impact players during the 2025-26 season.
James Franklin: Top three Big Ten coach ahead of 2025-26
Franklin also received some preseason recognition on his own. CBS Sports' Cody Nagel ranked all 18 Big Ten coaches and put Penn State's head coach third behind the Buckeyes' Ryan Day and Ducks' Dan Lanning.
"Franklin continues to push Penn State toward elite status despite ongoing debates about his ceiling," Nagel wrote.