James Franklin’s legacy on the line in 2025, says Big Ten coach

Expectations are higher than ever for Penn State football as we are now within 100 days of the start of the 2025 season. But the higher stakes mean much more is on the line for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions this fall.

According to some of Franklin’s peers, the 12th-year head coach’s entire legacy could very well be on the line this year. In Athlon Sports’ annual anonymous survey of Big Ten coaches, it is clear around the conference the pressure is mounting in Happy Valley in 2025.

“This is the season James Franklin’s entire coaching career could be judged by,” one anonymous coach said. “If they can’t change their big-game problems with this group, it’s not happening.”

Franklin, Penn State can rewrite the narrative in 2025

Penn State football quarterback Drew Allar. © Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Penn State is 34-8 since the start of the 2022 season. However, the Nittany Lions are 2-7 against top 10 teams and 0-6 against top five competition over the last three years. Since Franklin’s 2014 arrival in State College, Penn State football is 1-15 against top five teams, including 12 consecutive losses.

But 2025 has the potential to be a narrative-changing season for the Blue and White. The Big Ten’s coaches widely view the Nittany Lions as one of the top teams in the conference – and the country – entering the year.

“This is the best roster in Franklin’s time there, and they’re probably a favorite to win the league entering the season,” another coach said.

“They’re national title contenders because of the backfield,” said another. “It would be hard to find a better overall group than [Drew] Allar and the two backs [Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen].”

We won’t have to wait long to see if Franklin and the Nittany Lions can flip the script this fall. After three non-conference tune-up contests to start the season, Penn State welcomes Oregon to Beaver Stadium for a likely top-10 showdown on September 27.

You can read everything that anonymous Big Ten coaches had to say about Penn State here.

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