After drawing so close to the College Football Playoff title game in 2025, Penn State continues to draw attention as a chief contender in 2026. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach joined the list of national media that’s high on the Nittany Lions, elevating them to No. 1 in his most recent college football rankings.
ESPN’s Schlabach ranked Penn State atop his post-spring top 25, ahead of Clemson, Texas, Georgia and Ohio State. The Nittany Lions were No. 3 in Schlabach’s postseason rankings in January but climbed the list after a productive offseason of retention, hiring and portal acquisitions. Schlabach noted the addition of three new receivers to Penn State’s roster, including Trebor Pena, who caught an ACC-best 84 passes at Syracuse last season.
“After finally turning the corner under coach James Franklin in 2024, the Nittany Lions look loaded for bear this coming season,” Schlabach wrote.
It’s a common theme regarding Penn State football, which won a school-record 13 games and made the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. But after a loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, the Nittany Lions pivoted quickly to their 2025 roster.
Penn State retained the bulk of its offensive talent, notably with third-year starting quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and five offensive linemen with starting experience. The Nittany Lions also added those three receivers, with Kyron Hudson (USC) and Devonte Ross (Troy) acclimating during spring practice.
Faced with replacing defensive coordinator Tom Allen after one season, Franklin turned to the Ohio State staff, hiring Jim Knowles from the Buckeyes. Penn State scored one offensive touchdown against Knowles’ defenses the past two seasons.
Knowles will return to Columbus with the Nittany Lions on Nov. 1. ESPN’s Schlabach said Knowles might be Penn State’s “most important offseason addition.”
Further, Penn State is drawing comparisons to Ohio State and Michigan, which won the past two CFP titles largely through roster retention. The Nittany Lions also brought back plenty of defensive talent, notably with defensive linemen Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton and defensive backs A.J. Harris and Zakee Wheatley.
Ohio State recently had 14 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, a number the Nittany Lions could approach at the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. Sports Illustrated recently listed Allar as the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the 2026 draft.
“Both of those teams [Ohio State and Michigan] had a core group of veteran players stay,” Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt said in naming Penn State as his No. 1 team post-spring. “They stayed and they won a championship. Both of those teams had veterans at quarterback. They had veterans on both sides of the ball. They were excellent at the line of scrimmage. They had chips on their shoulders from the way that they were bounced in the postseason in years prior. All of that is true about Penn State.”
Penn State opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 against Nevada at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions play three non-conference games and have a bye week before hosting defending Big Ten champ Oregon on Sept. 27.
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