James Franklin has been head coach of Penn State for almost 11 years now, and with the looks of it, he hasn’t achieved much in that time period. Apart from his 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year award, which, to be frank, is long forgotten. He has not much to showcase in terms of acquisitions for the trophy cabinet. He sure has produced some of the top players like Saquon Barkley, Abdul Carter, and Olu Fashanu. But the program is long awaiting silverware.
His 2024 season, in that regard, was a hit and miss. They lost the Big Ten championship game to Oregon and then lost the semifinal playoff game to Notre Dame. To be precise, they failed to translate their success in previous games and faltered when it actually mattered. Now, as they are entering the 2025 season, they do not have Abdul Carter, nor do they have Tyler Warren. The two most important players in 2024. How will James Franklin cope?
Jeff McMichael, talking on the ‘Big Ten Huddle’ podcast, analyzed the legacy that James Franklin has garnered and how his future will take shape in 2025. “Now that Ryan Day has won a national title, I think James Franklin has taken over as the coach with the most varied opinion on their coaching acumen. Coming into the year last year, I think Ryan Day had people saying, well, yeah, he’s definitely a good coach, but how good is he really, right? In big games, he can’t win them. He can’t beat Michigan. Well, he proved that, right? He went four and O in big games. So now it’s on James Franklin. He takes the mantle from Ryan Day and he’s often listed on the most overrated coach list“.
Well, Ryan Day certainly had his fair share of criticism and varied opinions, as in the 2022 season they lost by a margin to Georgia in the final, and also in 2020 when they lost to Alabama in the final. All in all, it looked like Ryan Day hasn’t got what it takes to win big games. But he proved everyone wrong finally in 2024. He might have lost the game against Michigan, but he won 4 straight big games after that and clinched the natty. James Franklin, it seems, needs to head in that direction or face the axe eventually.
FILE – Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) looks to pass against Ohio during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in State College, Pa. Penn State opens their season at home against West Virginia on Sept. 2. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File)
In the 2025 season, PSU has all the ingredients to make that dream a success. They have roped in a recruitment class ranked 10th nationally and 2nd in the Big 10. They have prospects like Brandon Smith, a 4th-ranked national linebacker. Then they have Caedam Wallace, a promising OT who is ranked 6th nationally. But, most of all, they have someone in Drew Allar who can lead the way and improve on his 2024 season. And despite all his criticism, he may be the top dog going into the season.
Drew Allar gets a challenge for the 2025 season
People can agree or disagree if Drew Allar had a good season in 2024 or not. But the most notable thing in him was his massive improvement. He improved on his last season as he finished with 1,000+ passing yards more than in 2023. His 3,427 passing yards and 302 rushing yards with 24 touchdowns rank him modestly at 16th position in college football QBs (ESPN). However, despite some of his woes, he may not be as bad as advertised.
Thomas Frank Carr of the ‘Penn State Football Illustrated’ provided his reasoning as to why Allar isn’t as bad as pondered. “Drew Aller is not as bad as Penn State fans think he is. He was good last year. He was a good quarterback. Almost everybody from a national perspective has him on their list, except Penn State fans, it seems. What he should be as a senior quarterback is all the things you’re saying in the chat are more accurate, i.e., not missing any layups; all those things I agree with you. The expectation this year is all that is fixed.“
What Thomas Frank Carr is saying is that the issues that we saw Drew Allar struggling with in the 2024 season may not be there anymore. His mobility and pocket presence were already good in 2024. Add that to his pre-snap alertness, and his accuracy in making decisions improved. You got yourself a QB who has everything to take PSU to their long-awaited glories.
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