Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538407
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he attention is nice enough for the Penn State football program. Head coach James Franklin won't argue otherwise. Throughout the start of preseason camp, rankings have consistently placed the Nittany Lions among the best teams in college football this sea- son. Serving as the unofficial kickoff to Big Ten Media Days, Cleveland.com re- leased its annual preseason poll for the conference in late July, slotting Penn State at No. 1 and naming Franklin its coach of the year. Soon after, the Nit- tany Lions landed at No. 3 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, then entered the ring at No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25, barely edged out by Texas for the top spot. As if ESPN naming Penn State its post-spring No. 1 hadn't already made it clear, expectations for this group cannot go much higher. The Nittany Lions return a core of experienced players whose story arc spans the past three seasons: 2022 as a redemp- tive campaign following two years of struggle, 2023 as a foray into primary contender status, and 2024 as the year in which PSU finally cracked the Col- lege Football Playoff code. But with the 2025 season nearly at hand, none of that matters. What does matter is what's directly in front of them. Bringing back a group that has experienced playoff games — both victories and shortcomings — Penn State is motivated to surpass its previous achievements. Just as impor- tant, it has a blueprint for how to get there. Focusing on the areas in need of improvement, both individually and across all three phases of the game, the Nittany Lions have drawn on past ex- periences to better understand what's required. Inspired by recent examples of teams that have used disappoint- ment to fuel future success, they be- lieve they've been building toward their ultimate goal since walking off the Orange Bowl field on Jan. 9 following a season-ending loss to Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotel- nicki has seen that approach take hold. "Head down, let's get to work — that's what the mentality has been for the guys," he said. "I don't know that we ever had to try extra hard to get them to believe those little things we preach are the difference. I think they knew that. I know they do. "The margin for error in each one of those games now is real, real small. You've got to make sure you're on the right side of it. … What you're training your guys to do — those little things matter." What doesn't matter? Last season's accomplishments, for starters. They may provide a confidence boost, but Penn State will be 0–0 with a blank slate when Nevada visits Beaver Sta- dium on Aug. 30. Everything from the winter, spring and summer now shifts toward new goals, with a fresh gauntlet of op- ponents ahead. Those goals will only be attainable through week-by-week execution. Without that, the preseason rankings and expectations — internal and external — will mean nothing. As often as he's been able, Franklin has hammered home the message as the hype has risen around his team. "We want to spend our time working on the things that are going to allow us to do what we want to do this year, starting with Nevada, and creating the habits and behaviors that will get us there, not spending a ton of time talk- ing about goals," he said. "There's a place for it, but we're focused on what we need to do to have the type of sea- son we want to have." Senior quarterback Drew Allar, a leader of that effort, identified those areas this summer. "I think we all came back for a reason," he said. "Everybody has dif- ferent personal goals, and I think we all wanted one more go at it together. … We have a lot of leaders who came back. We have a lot of leaders on both sides of the ball, and on special teams. "I think we're doing a great job of driving everybody in our class to push themselves to get to that next level, and also bringing the young guys along. It's about showing them the way. But also, we didn't come back just to come back. We have to be working on a different level. We have to be intentional about what we're doing." Penn State has carried that mindset through the spring and summer and into preseason camp. Determined to reap its rewards, the Lions will con- tinue that process as the games begin. Now comes the stretch of the cal- endar in which expectations mean nothing. From here on out, execution is what counts. ■ James Franklin has dismissed the significance of Penn State's high ranking in various preseason polls. "We're focused on what we need to do to have the type of sea- son we want to have," he said. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Let The Games Begin