Penn State Nittany Lions land in perfect spot on first Coaches Poll entering critical 2025 season
James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions enter the 2025 season as an expected force to be reckoned with. Returning key starters on both sides of the ball, few teams have the proven production, veteran leadership, and elite athletes to beat them head-to-head. The initial top-25 Coaches Poll reflected the upside of what everyone […]
James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions enter the 2025 season as an expected force to be reckoned with. Returning key starters on both sides of the ball, few teams have the proven production, veteran leadership, and elite athletes to beat them head-to-head. The initial top-25 Coaches Poll reflected the upside of what everyone envisions.
While Franklin’s Nittany Lions aren’t No. 1 overall, landing third behind the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes isn’t a bad consolation prize. It’s understandable since the Buckeyes are coming off a National Championship-winning season, though it’s a little debatable as to how the Longhorns are more qualified than either Ohio State or Penn State. Arch Manning’s name matters, but his on-field impact has yet to be seen.
Penn State finished with 1,525 points, landing just 40 behind the Buckeyes and 81 behind Texas. Georgia and Notre Dame rounded out the top five. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, while every subsequent position is worth one less point until the 25th spot.
At the core of their own championship efforts is the return of quarterback Drew Allar. The senior passer could’ve wound up as the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he instead opted to continue developing and earn more wins at Happy Valley.
Franklin then parlayed that into bringing running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and defensive linemen Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton back. Each should’ve been a fairly high NFL draft pick.
Allar significantly improved his accuracy last year, completing 66.5% of a career-high 394 attempts. His 3,327 yards were a massive jump from 2023 as well, though his 24 touchdowns to eight interceptions were a less impressive ratio.
He hit a hot streak to end the regular season before struggling to make a big impact when it mattered most against Oregon and Notre Dame. Those are the moments he’ll have to show growth in throughout the 2025 season.
Penn State 2025 Schedule
- Week 1: vs. Nevada
- Week 2: vs. FIU
- Week 3: vs. Villanova
- Week 4: Bye
- Week 5: vs. Oregon
- Week 6: at UCLA
- Week 7: vs. Northwestern
- Week 8: at Iowa
- Week 9: Bye
- Week 10: at Ohio State
- Week 11: vs. Indiana
- Week 12: at Michigan State
- Week 13: vs. Nebraska
- Week 14: at Rutgers
