Penn State football head coach James Franklin sat down with Josh Pate one-on-one Tuesday night for the "Josh Pate College Football Show." Franklin talked about how he approached the offseason after a disheartening semifinals loss, what new player and coaching additions bring to an already-experienced team, and how he views the criticism circling around the Nittany Lions.
"The expectations around here are always really high," Franklin said. "I mean last year, we finished a game before the national championship and people were [upset]. Most places would die to have that type of season. So, that's always the expectation here at Penn State . . . I feel really good about [last] season. You just feel like the way it ended, we had some opportunities, especially early in the game, that we didn't capitalize on that could've changed the complexion of the game. So, that's what frustrates you . . . It's tremendous motivation for the offseason."
James Franklin says Penn State has some of the best at each position in college football this season
Heading into the 2025 season, Penn State has nothing short of experience and talent. Franklin specifically pointed out how his team should have one of the best running back rooms, offensive lines, defensive lines, and defensive backfields in the country with Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Vega Ioane, Zane Durant, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Tony Rojas, Dominic DeLuca, Zakee Wheatley, and A.J. Harris.
At quarterback, the Nittany Lions shouldn't just have one of the best. They should have the best.
"Some of these guys, they have significant areas of weakness that you need to work on. [Allar] didn't really have that," Franklin said. "He has taken significant steps every year in terms of leadership, in terms of [his] understanding of the offense, in terms of chemistry with the wide receivers. With all of it, he's taken steps . . . He's moving better, he's more athletic . . . There's times when we need him to be aggressive and push the ball down the field. We have to call that, call the game that way a little bit more, and we need him to do it."
In the offseason, Franklin opened up about how he and the coaches approached it by putting a lot on the players. The installation was heavy, but it allowed him to see by the summer what was and wasn't working, and if he needed to add more or remove some things to make both sides of the ball run seamlessly.
Part of that was making sure the offense and defense, players and coaches alike, knew what was going on in all areas of the game.
"I want everyone to hear what the defense is being taught, what the offense is being taught because you can learn a lot that way across the ball," Franklin said. ". . . [Jim Knowles is] a little bit kind of a mad scientist and he kind of looks at things from a different lens, which I love. You don't want a whole bunch of people in the building that view the game the same way."
Franklin empahsized how he's encouraged Knowles to get more comfortable speaking up about what is and isn't championship-level play. For a defensive coordinator who's lived through it just last season and has been one of the best in his role over the past few seasons, that outlook of and experience in the game is what will take Penn State to a different level. One that's consistent, reliable, and ready to play in a championship game.
Wide receiver and tight end rooms are expected to have a major impact on the Penn State offense in 2025
As for the offense, it's one of the more advanced parts of the Nittany Lions' game. Wide receivers and tight ends have been questions, but in Franklin's mind, both of those rooms are running just fine.
"[Wide receivers are] going to be a big key to our success. That's why we were aggressive in the Transfer Portal," Franklin said. ". . . We need to make defenses to defend . . . the whole width of the field, the length of the field, and more than just one threat. We got to be able to spread the ball around so people can't say to themselves, if we stop this tight end or the running game, that they're going to have a hard time beating us."
Last season, that one target was Tyler Warren that opponents had to plan for aside from the run game. That won't be the case in 2025. Multiple talented wideouts who can make those big plays and connect with Allar consistently are one piece of the puzzle in expanding and increasing offensive complexity. The other is having reliable tight ends, and even without Warren, Franklin has that.
"We've had draft choice after draft choice for the last five years [at tight end]. We're back in a similar situation," Franklin said. "Khalil Dinkins will be another draft choice; Luke Reynolds is a guy that everybody was excited about, [and] he played for us as a true freshman last year; Andrew Rapplyea got hurt and miss the season, was going to be our third tight end last year. So, that room is rolling."
James Franklin says he's at Penn State for a reason and he embraces the expectations
Even with the pressure piling up on Penn State, it's not something Franklin didn't expect. The frustrations and disappointment following the Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame that sparked the endless conversations of doubt in the Nittany Lions doesn't filter into how he goes about coaching.
Just like any other time before, during, and after the season, improvement on the players end, his coaching staff's end, and his end is what he focuses on.
"You're constantly studying the game. You're constantly talking to people about things that you handled the previous year. You're talking about how do we go into this season. I'm on a walk the other day [and] I pick up the phone and call coach [Nick] Saban. [He's] been in this situation before [and] he had really good feedback, as you could imagine . . . A lot of times it's not that they're going to tell you anything different. They're reinforcing what you already know and there's value in that."
Last season didn't end how the Nittany Lions wanted, but the expectations, criticism, and conversations are exactly why Franklin's in Happy Valley.
"There's a ton of criticism and the head coach and quarterback are going to get it. That's the nature of the job," Franklin said. ". . . When you took the Penn State job, you knew what came with it. When you decided to be the quarterback at Penn State, this is what comes with it. You don't fill up a 107,000-seat stadium with normal people. Fans is short for fanatics . . . we embrace that. The best part about all of it? We're in total control. We're in total control to change the narrative, but I love that these are the conversations we're in. This is why I came to Penn State."