James Franklin, Penn State football facing the most pressure in the Big Ten, according to analyst

It’s no secret that 2024 is the year that the Penn State football team has to come through with on-field results. Why 2024 is so different than the past few seasons, is due to the expanded College Football Playoff that will be in effect for the first time this fall. The Nittany Lions have to get into the twelve-team playoff this season or the season as a whole will feel disappointing. Now, an On3 analyst has ranked James Franklin as facing the third most pressure in the Big Ten in 2024.

This is the year for Penn State football. James Franklin needs to help the Nittany Lions elevate the play on the field to reach the first College Football Playoff berth in school history. Penn State has a couple of factors working in its favor this fall. First, they avoid Michigan in 2024. They do have to host Ohio State but avoiding Michigan who has been a known thorn in the side of Penn State will help.

The second piece that works in Penn State’s favor is a potential upgrade at offensive coordinator. The transition from Mike Yurcich to Andy Kotelnicki has taken place and we are less than 50 days away from seeing the results of the exciting hire.

Recently, Jesse Simonton of On3 has ranked all Big Ten coaches who are facing the most pressure in 2024. Ohio State’s Ryan Day and USC’s Lincoln Riley sit at the top of the list. But third overall is James Franklin who will face a tremendous amount of criticism if the Nittany Lions are unable to make the expanded CFP.

Can James Franklin and Penn State turn up the heat on 1 and 2 this year? pic.twitter.com/6vY9X1Q42i

— Blue White Illustrated (@PennStateOn3) July 14, 2024

Recruiting woes add additional pressure

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

One thing that Penn State fans have been able to count on during Franklin’s tenure is success on the recruiting trail. While the Nittany Lions have been able to land top prospects in certain areas, they have failed to secure top talent at quarterback and wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class. On top of that, many of the top prospects in Pennsylvania have left the state to play college football elsewhere.

James Franklin is known as a strong recruiter. But this cycle has been a challenge, over the past few weeks we have seen several top wide receiver targets slip away from Penn State. Matthew Outten (Virginia Tech), Lex Cyrus (South Carolina), and Taz Williams (Baylor).

On top of that, the Nittany Lions missed out on the No. 1 QB in PA Matt Zollers who chose Missouri. They also missed on legacy target Michael Carroll (Alabama) and the No. 1 TE Andrew Olesh (Michigan) this cycle as well.

While the sky isn’t falling in Happy Valley, recruiting is the key element of creating a championship roster. Currently, Penn State football holds the No. 17 ranked class in the 2025 cycle according to On3.