James Franklin makes history with final top 25 of 2024

The year may not have ended with the Nittany Lions hosting a National Championship trophy, but with the conclusion of the 2024 season, James Franklin can now look back on what was one of the most successful seasons in Penn State football history.

Following Monday night’s national title victory from Ohio State, the AP Poll released its final rankings for the 2024 season on Tuesday. Penn State came in at No. 5, the program’s highest finish of the James Franklin era. Since Franklin took over in Happy Valley 11 years ago, the Nittany Lions finished as high as No. 7 twice (2016, 2022).

The result also marks the first time Penn State football has finished in the top five since 2005. The Nittany Lions held an average ranking of No. 6 throughout the season, the program’s highest since 1999.

BREAKING: Final College Football AP Poll👀https://t.co/oyF5JdBCYF pic.twitter.com/98UDyu76pI

— On3 (@On3sports) January 21, 2025

The Coaches Poll was equally high on Franklin and his squad, putting the Nittany Lions at No. 5 in its final rankings.

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The rankings serve as a period on what was ultimately one of the most successful seasons in Penn State football history. The Nittany Lions won 13 games for the first time ever, exceeding the 12-win seasons of 1973, 1986, and 1994. The program’s first College Football Playoff appearance helped cap off a run of 34 wins over the last three seasons, the most in school history.

“Well, obviously, it was a tremendous experience for our guys, and they know they can play with anybody,” Franklin said of the season following the Nittany Lions’ Orange Bowl loss. “There’s a lot of young guys in that locker room who played. There’s a bunch of young guys that just were able to experience it. It’s an experience that they’ll remember for the rest of their life, this season and how it went.

“And there’s going to be a ton of guys coming back for next year that are going to be hungry and are going to be motivated for more. They’ve gotten a taste of what this feels like and, what it looks like and what it smells like.

“We’ll all be better for it, including myself. We’ll be better from this experience because there’s so many guys in that locker room that have a chance to come back and use this as fuel and experience to get back here next year and the years after that.”

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