James Franklin has brought back Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen for 2025 and they have a chance for redemption against Ohio State and Oregon.

Penn State’s 2024 season is in the review mirror and with Ohio State grabbing the crown with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame in Atlanta on Monday night, the same goes for the rest of college football. In his 11th year leading the Nittany Lions, James Franklin led the program to a 13-3 record, its first College Football Playoff appearance, two CFP wins including a Fiesta Bowl victory and all three of his losses were to the top three teams in the final AP poll of the season.

Yet, despite 2024 being the program’s first top-five AP poll finish since 2005, it wasn’t enough. Franklin needs to get over the hump and take away the twinge of irony in his nickname “Big Game James.” The good news is, in 2025, he should have the roster to do it.

While Penn State lost superstar Tyler Warren and Abdul Carter and is currently undergoing a search for a new defensive coordinator after Tom Allen left for Clemson this offseason, the Nittany Lions are loaded with veteran returners that Franklin kept out of the NFL draft and transfer portal. Drew Allar will lead a group of seniors that includes Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant, and Zakee Wheatley, all back for their final season of eligibility.

Even with a DC change, the biggest turnover on the roster – no surprise – is at wide receiver. After the entire wide receiver room finished the Orange Bowl with as many catches as you or I (unless of course, you’re Tyler Warren reading this), both Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans departed the program and entered the transfer portal. Those losses put a ton of pressure on Franklin’s pre-playoff portal additions, Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross, who will lead a young and revamped group.