James Franklin has become synonymous with polarizing over the years. He has his proponents and his cynics alike. Both factions, though, omit a ton of context when making their respective cases for or against him. The fact of the matter is that assessing Coach Franklin’s Penn State tenure is a very nuanced premise. Not just how it’s gone, but where it’s headed. So to cut through the nuance, muddled discourse around him, and the program as a whole under his custodianship, we at EssentiallySports did an exclusive interview with Penn State alum and College Football analyst Adam Breneman. This is somebody who can mobilize the Penn State faithful like no other, so his decree on the man sure holds weight.
In an ironic, twisted way, James Franklin’s been victimized by his own success. Setting high standards initially and then falling short of those standards in due course, until those standards solidified into al glass ceiling looming over his head and felt unassailable. Coach Franklin arrived on the PSU campus in 2014 and won the Big 10 by 2016. Near immediate reciprocation of the hopes placed on his shoulders. Couple this with his relatively successful time with Vanderbilt preceding this, and James Franklin was the cat’s meow. But, the (Nittany) Lions are big cats that gotta roar. Instead, they’ve had their tails between their legs since! Hardware hasn’t come by, and while Penn State has continued being in and around the AP Poll and CFP rankings, they’ve had an Achilles Heel- an inability to win in the biggest spots.
After losing in the Orange Bowl to Notre Dame, James Franklin’s infamous record against his contemporaries was smeared further. That loss doesn’t necessarily fall on him, but his fingerprints were once again present at the proverbial crime scene. Penn State under Coach Franklin is 3-20 vs Top 10-ranked teams. 1-15 against the Top 5, including 12 losses on the spin. So a B1G conference championship, a very stable traversal since and an apparent inability to win the big ones. With all this baked into the equation, where does Adam Breneman sit with regards to James Franklin? As part of his exclusive EssentiallySports interview, we asked him a double-faceted question. “Do you feel that the program is closer to the National Championship than ever? Is James Franklin the right man to lead PSU to glory?” Breneman answered in the affirmative. “No doubt,” he resounded, before proceeding to elaborate.
“This is the most consistent the Penn State program has been in a long, long time. Year in and year out, they’re in the national conversation. James Franklin has built this thing from the ground up — elite recruiting, top-tier infrastructure, and a real culture,” remarked Adam Breneman. That’s all objectively true. PSU has had sustained, positive seasons with Coach Franklin at the helm.
In an era where programs are trying to microwave their way to success via modern appendages like the transfer portal, he has embraced tradition and recruited largely via high school. Sure, you have the odd Trebor Pena coming through the portal to fix a position of need. But even that signifies how Franklin is adaptable and not stuck in his ways. But even with this said, Breneman did acknowledge those big-game struggles.
“The last hurdle is beating the elite teams in the biggest moments. But if you zoom out, Penn State is right there, and Franklin is the guy to get them over the top,” he said in summation. There’s a growing feeling around Happy Valley and nationally that 2025 is the year that they finally get over the hump. Get that monkey off their backs, and win the Natty. This is easily the most stacked team James Franklin has had at his disposal. Sure, they’ve lost their two best players in Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren. But the collective roster is in better shape than ever. It’s reflected in how analysts and media members have tipped Penn State for success this season. But at the crux of how they do shall be the quarterback. We at EssentiallySports also asked Breneman about QB1 Drew Allar, and his psyche in particular.
Adam Breneman is uber-confident in Drew Allar to bounce back stronger from the Orange Bowl
James Franklin’s modus operandi last season was simplicity. Stick to the Xs and Os and take care of the job, sans much flash or pageantry. This was often epitomized by Drew Allar. Who has one of the biggest repertoires of skills in the entire sport amongst quarterbacks. But he was playing as a bit of a game manager, coloring within the lines rather than unleashing his true might. Allar did give us a teaser of what he’s capable of in the Big 10 Championship vs Oregon. So when Penn State needed him to drop the prior MO and recreate that sort of magic in the Orange Bowl, people thought they were getting treated to a masterclass. Instead, what transpired was the inverse- a disaster class. 38 seconds of egregious QB play down the stretch that was enough to cost his team a spot in the Natty.
Not to flare any PTSD within the Nittany Lions faithful, but how Drew Allar finished that game really was difficult to fathom. Even his biggest skeptics felt sorry for James Franklin in that moment. We witnessed the dichotomy of a 5-star college quarterback, uber-skilled but raw. Immense highs and humbling lows. Performances and moments like that can be difficult to bounce back from. After all, these are kids. Extremely large, chisled ones in the case of Allar, but kids. So during his exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, we asked Adam Breneman a question along this very theme. “How would you advise a young player such as Drew Allar, who could be hard on himself after how his lapse cost his team last season?”
“Drew played like one of the best quarterbacks in the country last season. He was efficient, consistent, protected the ball, and showed real poise,” Breneman prefaced his take. Before delving into Allar’s “lapse”- an inexplicable interception to hand Notre Dame the game when he could’ve been safer, more mature and seen out the clock into OT. Breneman isn’t crying over spilled milk. Being a former high-end, All-American athlete, he realizes the game ebbs and flows. “The ending wasn’t what anyone wanted, but they still made the CFP semifinals — that’s a big deal. For Drew, it’s about recognizing how far he’s come, using the tough moments as fuel, and coming back stronger. He’s got all the tools, and the best is still ahead of him,” he said. Touche, Adam.
The 2025 season shall be a line in the sand for Penn State. They’ve approached a juncture where something’s got to give. Make or break territory, especially for James Franklin. It’ll really boil down to whether Drew Allar, and by extension the entire program, can shrug off their past woes and connect the dots. Everything he and they need is right there. This team really does have a championship pedigree. It’s about whether they can realize that pedigree. Adam Breneman sure will have his unequivocal support behind them. As will the entirety of Happy Valley. Elsewhere, EssentiallySports also did an exclusive interview with him about other topical affairs in the football sphere. Including the NFL Draft and it’s fallout.
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