James Franklin: Penn State football needs to rethink handling of opt-outs moving forward

Saturday’s 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl brought a frustrating end to the 2023 season for Penn State football. Beyond the fact that it was Penn State’s third loss against top-15 teams this year, the Nittany Lions were plagued by several late opt-outs and struggled to be competitive for much of the second half. After the loss, a frustrated James Franklin explained that it’s time to go back to the drawing board with how his program handles opt-outs.

Late opt-outs set tone for Nittany Lions in Peach Bowl

Compared to other top programs that fell short of the College Football Playoff this season, Penn State football had surprisingly few opt-outs leading up to the Peach Bowl. Heading into game week, the only formal opt-out was star DE Chop Robinson, although it was reported that CB Johnny Dixon would also not play. In the days leading up to the game, James Franklin touted the program’s attempt to “create an environment where really there’s no reason for any player to opt out.”

But the dynamic shifted drastically in the 24 hours prior to kickoff Saturday. In addition to officially disclosing Dixon’s status on Friday, we learned two hours before the Peach Bowl that LT Olu Fashanu and CB Kalen King would also not be taking the field against Ole Miss.

On the field, a potential springboard game into 2024 for Penn State’s young talent turned into a deflating defeat. The Nittany Lions’ defense was picked apart by the Rebels, allowing the most points (38), passing yards (394), and total yards (540) of any game this year. On offense, Penn State put up an impressive 510 yards, but struggled to keep pace with Ole Miss, and was outscored 18-8 in the second half as the Rebels pulled away.

James Franklin: Penn State football needs “to have some discussions” on how opt-outs are handled

After the game, James Franklin acknowledged the external factors that hamstrung Penn State football in the weeks leading up to the Peach Bowl. He seemed particularly frustrated when discussing the “moving parts” the Nittany Lions faced regarding player personnel.

“I don’t want this to come off the wrong way. I’m not criticizing, but it is what it is. It’s the reality,” Franklin said of the opt-outs. “I think about guys that did play in the game and how appreciative we are. But not only appreciative, there’s an opportunity to create value by playing in games as well.”

But Franklin took it a step further, noting that he and his staff will have to rethink how Penn State football handles opt-outs moving forward.

“Talking to some people, our guys playing against Ole Miss and playing well was also an opportunity, and these things — obviously, we need to have some discussions as a team in how we’re going to handle these things moving forward,” he said. “You look at last year’s game and this year’s game; it was different, and we need to have some healthy discussions about that as a staff and as a team and how we want to operate moving forward.”

Obviously, college football will look much different when Penn State football takes the field in 2024. We can only speculate how the expanded College Football Playoff will impact opt-outs in the New Year’s Six, as well as the other bowl games. The Nittany Lions’ top-10 recruiting class from 2022 will also be Draft-eligible next year, meaning players like Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen, among others, may have decisions to make come December.

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