Penn State football and women's volleyball are off to hopeful, but shaky starts to the season. After the Nittany Lions lost to Oregon in the White Out, more doubt is rising in head coach James Franklin's team. Katie Schumacher-Cawley's team is struggling to find its identity coming off a national championship-winning season as well. Meanwhile, Penn State's former tight end Tyler Warren is having an impressive start to his rookie NFL year that meets expectations and the hockey team is prepping to rise the occasion as well.
Here's everything you missed.
Penn State football starts 3-1 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten
The Nittany Lions started the 2025 regular season with three non-conference wins against Nevada, Florida International, and Villanova. Against the Wolf Pack, Penn State looked like it was ready to dominate with a solid defense and new layers to offense. Quarterback Drew Allar had an 84.6 completion percentage and the wide receiver room showed that the Transfer Portal gave the Nittany Lions the upgrades they needed.
After Nevada, though, the offense slowed and questions started surfacing. Allar had a 57.6 completion percentage and 55.2 percentage to finish the non-conference slate while the running back room has yet to standout. In Week 5 following Penn State's first bye week, the lack of star quality for the blue and white was clear. The Nittany Lions lost 30-24 in double overtime to Oregon.
The Nittany Lions are now 7th in the AP Top 25 Poll after being on the podium since the preseason.
Penn State volleyball starts 7-5 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten
Another team with national title hopes has yet to perform to standards. For Penn State women's volleyball, it needs to put the 2024 national championship win behind and refind the team's identity in order to move forward. In terms of starters, the Nittany Lions are young and setter Izzy Starck announced that she is forgoing the 2025 season due to mental health reasons. They are also lacking defensively and on serve-receive.
Against ranked teams, Penn State didn't record a win until Sept. 26 against USC. The Nittany Lions now have No. 1 Nebraska to face on Friday, Oct. 3 to open the month.
Tyler Warren starts rookie season with Indianapolis Colts on a high note
The former Penn State tight end has been a key piece to Indianapolis' offense in 2025. He opened the season with seven catches for 76 yards and followed it up in Week 2 with 79 yards on four receptions. His performance against Denver earned him NFL Rookie of the Week.
Drew Allar doubts stir and "Big Game James" surfaces once again
Following the loss to Oregon, Allar and Franklin immediately got the heat from media and fans who were disappointed in both Allar's performance under center and Franklin's coaching. Franklin was out-coached against Dan Lanning and he couldn't withstand the pressure of a big game. Similarly, Allar failed to rise to the occasion in the first three quarters of the game. His decision-making was off, he threw behind receivers and short multiple times, and his ability to rise from a 14-point deficit didn't mean much after throwing an interception to end the game in double overtime.
The consistency that Franklin and others are looking for from Allar (and the offense as a whole) isn't there. A fourth quarter comeback shouldn't be the usual, but Allar's slept in the first three quarters for the past few games now. His consistency needs to flip. Allar needs to lead the team, clean up his game, and make a statement. UCLA on Saturday is one opportunity to tighten things up in a game that Penn State should, without a doubt, win. From there, Allar needs to be on his A game the rest of the season, not his D+ game.
Football Transfer Portal changes and updates
The 2025-26 Transfer Portal is changing. The NCAA Oversight Committee recently proposed a modification to the new, one-window model that the NCAA Administrative Committee approved earlier in September. If the new proposal goes through, the Transfer Portal will be open from Jan. 2-16 and players in the championship will be allowed five days starting Jan. 20 to enter the portal as well.
Penn State hockey starts season with stacked roster in a stacked conference
The Nittany Lions have high expectations for the 2025-26 season after a historic year prior with their first Frozen Four appearance in program history. The Big Ten is becoming a hot spot in college hockey in terms of competitiveness, and Penn State is nearing the top of the seven-team conference. With Canadian Hockey League talent in Gavin McKenna, Jackson Smith, Luke Misa, Lev Katzin, Josh Fleming, Shea Van Olm, and Noah Collins, the Nittany Lions have a strong incoming class of freshmen. On top of them, two transfers, Mac Gadowsky and Kevin Reidler, add extra experience to the roster.
Penn State is currently the fifth ranked team in the country, according to the USCHO and USA Hockey Preseason Polls, and opens with a series against Arizona State Oct. 3-4.