In 2024, CBS Sports named Ohio State head coach Ryan Day as its Preseason Coach of the Year. Now ahead of the 2025 college football season, it unveiled named Penn State football head coach James Franklin as its pick.
Shehan Jeyarajah said that Franklin is not only the most interesting coach across the country this season, but also the most important. He got a slew of still-eligible veterans to return back for their junior and senior seasons rather than declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. After a disappointing end to their 2024 season, the Nittany Lions face a daunting task just like Day had last year.
"Franklin is 125-57 as a head coach," Jeyarajah wrote. "The last step for him to take to cement himself among the greatest in the game is to win a national championship."
James Franklin headlines CBS Sports preseason CFB awards as its Preseason Coach of the Year
Just like Franklin this season, 2024 was a defining year for Day. As the Penn State head coach enters his 12th season with the Nittany Lions, now's the time to prove he can win it all once year removed from the program's first College Football Playoff appearance.
He has one of the most talented rosters in program history and one of the most experienced across the country. There's no reason why Franklin should crumble under pressure despite what recent history says. In fact, his road to the postseason is clear and it requires big wins in big games: Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana. If he and his Penn State team can prove themselves in the regular season, there should be no doubt looming over them in the postseason.
Penn State follows in Ohio State's footsteps in its journey to the national title
The Nittany Lions are currently No. 2 on the AP Top 25 Poll. That's the same position the Buckeyes were in last season and they went on to take home the national championship. The year before, future national title winner Michigan also started ranked second in the preseason.
While being tabbed the Preseason Coach of the Year places just another expectation on Penn State, it's also another piece falling in place matching the pattern of previous national title teams. If the 2025 season has a similar path, Franklin and the Nittany Lions will find themselves as CFP champions on Jan. 19, 2026.