ESPN analyst not buying Penn State football hype in 2024

Hope always springs eternal in the new year. Even after a disappointing end to the 2023 season, Penn State football enters January as one of the most discussed teams for 2024. James Franklin will again enter the season with something to prove, and the new 12-team College Football Playoff may finally give him his window to do it. However, one ESPN analyst thinks it may be time to pump the breaks on the Nittany Lions’ high expectations. This week, Heather Dinich explained why there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about Penn State heading into 2024. 

Dinich: Penn State football will be “good, not great” in 2024

It felt like Penn State football entered a short window of opportunity to make waves on the national landscape in the 2023 season. A roster ladened with NFL talent, a former five-star QB at the helm, and questions about at least one of the perennial Big Ten powers in Ohio State put the Nittany Lions in position to contend for the College Football Playoff. 

Instead, it was the same old story for Penn State. The Nittany Lions again fell to Ohio State and Michigan, not looking particularly competitive on the offensive side of the ball in the process. James Franklin finished with his fifth 10-win season, but a convincing Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss ended the year on a sour note. 

Despite coming up short, expectations are still high for Penn State football heading into 2024. Drew Allar enters his second season as the starter, albeit with new play-caller Andy Kotelnicki. The Nittany Lions were forced to replace its other two coordinators as well, but Franklin found strong candidates in Tom Allen and Justin Lustig. Several of the roster’s biggest stars will be in their third year on campus, and the new landscape of the Big Ten and College Football Playoff increases access to compete for a national title. 

However, one ESPN analyst thinks it may be time to pull back on the hype for Penn State this season. Writing in a collaborative bowl games overreactions piece this week, ESPN reporter Heather Dinich outlined many of the questions surrounding the Nittany Lions in 2024. 

“After flirting briefly with staff stability, there were changes again at the coordinator position, with defensive coordinator Manny Diaz leaving to become head coach at Duke, and Franklin hiring Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas, which should be an upgrade,” Dinich wrote. “How much of rookie quarterback Drew Allar’s struggles were a result of not having dependable receivers? How much did they have to do with his lack of accuracy? How much had to do with coaching? Probably a combination of it all.”

It’s not just the Big Ten that James Franklin should be worried about

Even with one of the most talented rosters of the James Franklin era, the path for Penn State football in 2024 won’t be easy. The Nittany Lions have a daunting mid-season five-game stretch bookended with Big Ten newcomers UCLA, USC, and national runner-up Washington, with matchups at Wisconsin and against Ohio State in between. 

But for Heather Dinich, the first challenge for Penn State comes much earlier in the season. The ESPN reporter discussed why James Franklin should first be focused on the 2024 season opener. 

“Penn State has had enough trouble with Ohio State and Michigan, and now it has to worry about Washington, USC, and UCLA,” she explained. “For most of Franklin’s decade leading the program, PSU has settled for being the league’s third-best team. With the Big Ten growing to 18 teams in 2024, even that could be a challenge. Penn State doesn’t only have to worry about beating the incoming Pac-12 powers, though. It should also be concerned about its season opener at West Virginia.

Penn State football already finds itself hovering around the top 10 in many of the way-too-early top 25 polls for the new season. With more than seven months between now and kickoff, there’s still plenty of time to see how this team takes shape heading into 2024.

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