Will James Franklin be the next head coach to win his first national title?

Expectations are rising for Penn State football in 2025 after coming up one win shy of playing for a national title. The pressure is also rising for head coach James Franklin, who believes his program will grow from the experience of the College Football Playoff run and competing for a Big Ten title last season while ultimately falling shy of some of the biggest goals for the season. With the roster coming back and the likelihood of receiving a lofty preseason ranking, Penn State could be in a position to make a run for a potential national championship next fall. So it should be no surprise Franklin is widely considered to be one of the most likely coaches to be next in line to win his first national championship.

USA TODAY Sports writer Blake Toppmeyer highlighted the six college football coaches he believes are among the next in line to follow in the footsteps of Georgia’s Kirby Smart, former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, and Ohio State’s Ryan Day as recent first-time national title winners. Not surprisingly, Franklin is among the six coaches noted by Toppmeyer.

“The Nittany Lions lost each of their three toughest games last season. Also, Penn State must replace defensive standout Abdul Carter and offensive standout Tyler Warren,” Toppmeyer says. “Making the playoff seems probable, but a national championship? “Big Game James” would need to stop being a sarcastic dig at Franklin.”

Franklin’s history against top-ranked teams is well-documented at this stage of his career, much to the chagrin of the head coach entering his 12th season in Happy Valley this fall. Penn State’s schedule will face some stiff challenges in the regular season with a road trip to Ohio State and a home game against the defending Big Ten champion Oregon Ducks, but Penn State has some good reasons to believe there will be a shot at big…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/james-franklin-next-head-coach-010032294.html

Author : Nittany Lions Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-18 01:00:00

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