Penn State isn’t even a month removed from the Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame that ended its debut run in the College Football Playoff. But anticipation is already building for the team’s 2025 season at a rate that hasn’t been seen in the James Franklin era. The Nittany Lions will enter the new season as one of the championship favorites, but there are still realistic concerns about next year’s team.
Here are some early reasons to be excited, but also two reasons to be skeptical, about Penn State football’s 2025 campaign.
Excitement: Penn State has arguably the country’s best coordinator duo
Franklin’s most recent addition to the program has pushed excitement about Penn State’s 2025 ceiling to new heights. Jim Knowles has a clear case as the best defensive coordinator in college football, and Penn State paid him as such, a reported three-year deal worth $3.1 million annually. The Nittany Lions have consistently boasted one of the nation’s stingiest defenses (No. 7 in total defense in 2024, No. 2 in 2023), but Knowles has the kind of mind that can take the unit to another level, especially in big games.
In each of Knowles’ last two years at Ohio State, the Buckeyes have ranked in the top three nationally in total defense, including a No. 1 finish (254.6 yards allowed per game) during their 2024 national championship run. The Nittany Lions have also seen firsthand how tough a Knowles-led unit is to score against. They have scored just one touchdown against Ohio State over the past two seasons.
Add in the fact that offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is back for Year 2 in Happy Valley, and Penn State has established coaching expertise on both sides of the ball. In Kotelnicki’s first season with Penn State, the team averaged more than 200 rushing yards and 33.1 points per game, deploying one of the most creative, aggressive and multi-faceted offenses in the country. And with a large group of offensive returners in 2025, there’s reason to believe the Nittany Lions could be even better at scoring the ball next season.
Previously, Knowles was one of the few coordinators out there with the schemes and talent to stop a Kotelnicki-led offense. Now, the two well-respected minds will lead Penn State alongside Franklin, who also has a variety of up-and-coming names elsewhere on his staff. Expect to see plenty of teams struggle with Penn State’s play designs in 2025.
Concern: Penn State has major questions at wide receiver again
Talent-wise, there’s only one area of Penn State’s current roster that stands out like a sore thumb, and it’s not a new concern. The Nittany Lions will simply need better production from their wide receivers in 2025, something they largely didn’t get in 2024. Tyler Warren, the ultimate security blanket at tight end for quarterback Drew Allar throughout 2024, is gone, as are Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans, the team’s top two wide receivers.
Since the days of Jahan Dotson, KJ Hamler, DaeSean Hamilton and Chris Godwin, Penn State has seen various overhauls of its receiving unit. It will get another in 2025. For the time being, the room will be headlined by two transfers, former USC Trojan Kyron Hudson and former Troy Trojan Devonte Ross, along with returner Liam Clifford and some younger talent, including Tyseer Denmark.
There’s a good chance Franklin expresses interest in more wide receivers in the spring transfer portal. But right now, the room has no guarantees. Considering the offense will also be replacing the nation’s best tight end, with Khalil Dinkins, Luke Reynolds and Andrew Rappleyea expected to fill Warren’s void, there will be major questions about Allar’s pass-catchers entering 2025.
When combined with Kotelnicki’s mind, a strong run game and veteran quarterback previously helped mask a lack of talent in the passing attack. But until Penn State proves otherwise, there are reasons to be concerned about its talent in the wide receiver room.
Excitement: Penn State returns veterans across the roster
Quarterback talent and experience can often define a program’s title hopes. In Allar, Penn State will have a fourth-year passer who has stacked 29 starts, including three College Football Playoff games. Allar’s return for 2025 means another opportunity for him to take some leaps. The Nittany Lions would greatly benefit from Allar improving his decision-making and footwork. In itself, a veteran quarterback is a major reason for excitement about Penn State’s 2025 title hopes. The experience doesn’t end there, though.
Elsewhere on offense, five starting offensive linemen will be back, including sixth-year center Nick Dawkins and two right tackles (Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci). Both legs of Penn State’s dominant rushing duo, Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, will return to Beaver Stadium after totaling 1,000-plus rushing yards each in 2024. Even players like Reynolds, Rappleyea and Clifford returning will bring a touch of continuity to the passing game.
Losing Abdul Carter, Kobe King, Jaylen Reed, etc. will create some holes for Knowles’ new defense, but there are still plenty of returning defensive pieces with clear breakout potential. Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant will become the premiere pieces of Knowles’ defensive line. Linebacker Tony Rojas, safety Zakee Wheatley and cornerback A.J. Harris are also ascending players.
The last two national champions have been Big Ten teams that returned a collection of NFL-level, veteran talent for one last ride. Penn State has a few holes to patch, but it’s clearly following the same run-it-back formula that worked for Ohio State and Michigan — a reason to be highly optimistic about next year’s Nittany Lions.
Concern: Penn State’s 2025 schedule is more challenging
Compared to the Nittany Lions’ 2024 slate, the 2025 schedule brings increased difficulty. Last year Penn State faced two ranked teams prior to the postseason. In 2025, it’s scheduled to face all three of the other Big Ten teams that ranked in the top 10 of the final AP Poll of the 2024 season (Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana).
Since three losses likely would end its playoff hopes, Penn State will have to beat at least one of the Ducks, Buckeyes and Hoosiers, all of whom made the 2024 playoff bracket. Fortunately for Franklin, the Oregon and Indiana matchups will be in Beaver Stadium. Even outside of that three-game gauntlet of conference teams, there are some sneaky challengers for the Nittany Lions. UCLA, a road opponent, ended the 2024 season on a 4-2 run. Iowa, another road game, has consistently deployed one of the country’s best defenses. Even Nebraska, the penultimate opponent on Penn State’s 2025 schedule, could present some issues following its recent 7-6 season.
When Week 1 vs. Nevada arrives in August, Franklin and the Nittany Lions will have an elite coaching staff and veteran roster. But there will still be some challenging head-to-head matchups for Penn State as it seeks to return to the CFP and push its postseason success at least one step further.
More Penn State Football
What it costs to run the Penn State football team
Two Penn State football freshmen earn 5-star rankings
Penn State’s next big hire? A contracts expert for the revenue-sharing era
Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_ or Instagram @dmadersports.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
