Analysis
The 2025 Penn State football season, which started with high expectations, has spiraled into an unprecedented failure, most recently resulting in the mid-season firing of Head Coach James Franklin. They currently hold a 3-4 overall record and a disastrous 0-4 start in their conference, the Big Ten. Their collapse has been both swift and extremely shocking, leaving many to wonder about the future of this program.
The season started with the Nittany Lions ranked the No. 2 best team in an AP Preseason Poll. With the return of their star quarterback Drew Allar, their electric running back room, and an all-star defense with two star players returning, expectations were through the roof. It was abundantly clear that this was James Franklin’s best shot at a national title.
Through the first three games, the season began promisingly with decisive wins against non-conference teams that showcased their highly productive offense and brick-wall defense. Easy wins over Nevada (46-11), FIU (34-0), and Villanova (52-6) put them at No.3 in the rankings heading into their infamous White Out matchup against No. 6 Oregon (Sept. 27).
Beaver Field, the 2nd largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, is considered to be one of the most electric environments in football. For an away team overlooking a churning sea of white made of over 100,000 Penn State loyalists, it’s safe to say that it’s a hard place to win.
However this was not the case against Oregon, where cracks began to show after a 24-30 double-overtime loss. Though a competitive game against a hard team, the loss exposed the team’s trouble to execute in high-leverage situations. This was followed by a 37-42 loss to UCLA and a big struggle on defense in what should have been an easy win for Penn State. The real downfall into chaos happened on October 11 with a humiliating 21-22 home loss to Northwestern.
The game was problematic for PSU’s season on multiple levels. Not only was it PSU’s second loss in a row being 20-point favorites in both, but it also came with a pivotal injury. Quarterback Drew Allar suffered a leg injury late in the fourth quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Allar, who was having a strong start to his season, struggled to perform behind the weak and inconsistent offensive line.
The next day, Head Coach James Franklin was fired after 12 seasons with the Nittany Lions, receiving a $49.7 million buyout, according to ESPN. Associate Head Coach Terry Smith took over as the interim for the remainder of the season.
In their next game away against Iowa, PSU continued the losing streak with a 24-25 loss, dropping the team to their current record. Statistically, Penn State holds a 35.7 PPG average, which ranks them 31st nationally. Under the surface, however, Penn State has struggled with finishing drives against quality opponents and falling short in key, high-stakes moments. The season of such high expectations has turned into confusion and disappointment, as hopes of rebuilding are at the top of everyone’s minds.
Alumni Opinions
I interviewed recent LCDS graduates that currently attend Penn State about their thoughts and feelings on the season. The questions were:
1. What are your thoughts on the current state of Penn State football?
2. What do you think has been the main contributor to Penn State’s failure this season?
3. Do you agree with the choice of firing James Franklin?
4. Where do you see the future of Penn State football going? (Short/long term)
Siena Colarusso ’25
1. I’m really disappointed with PSU football right now, especially as an upcoming freshman who was looking forward to a great year. I understand teams have some bad seasons or games, but seeing the amount of money they put into the football program this year just for them to do this bad is heartbreaking.
2. The main failure has been making big mistakes when it matters most and not giving 100% the full game.
3. I agree with firing Franklin. It wasn’t working at all, and hopefully it is the change we needed.
4. For this year, I don’t see us doing much better. But long term I think we can come back and do 100x better.
Erin Tate ’25
1. I came to Penn State for the football, and right now it’s taking a huge dump on its reputation. Our team blows and our fans are rude, spoiled brats.
2. There are so many reasons as to why Penn State Football has been declining, and firing the head coach mid-season is NOT going to fix anything. Drew Allar has been glazed since day one but all he can do is throw balls into the ground or perfectly to the other team.
3. James Franklin was the only good part of the PSU football team. He won the school lots of titles with a team that can’t actually play. Franklin got fired because major donors threatened to pull their funding.
4. Short term, the next 3-5 years are going to be rough and I don’t think I’m going to see a natty for the remainder of my time here.
Olivia Blocher ’25
1. I have been a Penn State fan since I was a kid, so to see my team struggling is really frustrating. I feel bad for Allar: he went from a top draft pick to now, who knows? They have also completely lost the support of the fans. It’s also frustrating to see so many recruits decommitting because that is how we build the future programs.
2. I don’t think we can blame any one person or few people for what’s happening, I think it’s a combination of a few factors. I think some of the coaching staff and players are just inexperienced and need to gain confidence. I think it doesn’t help to have some of our best players being out with injuries. I think just in general it’s a lack of play calling and coaching abilities, not just by Franklin but by all the staff.
3. As much as I liked Franklin I do think it was a good move. I think he did so much to build up the Penn State Football program into what it has been the last few years, but I think now it’s time for him to move on and go build another great foundation with another program. He is a skilled coach at building programs, but when it comes to maintaining it, that is where he falls short.
4. I think Penn State is going to hit a little bit of a downward stroke for now, but once we get a new head coach, Ethan Grunkemeyer gets more experience as QB, and our other younger players get more playing time, we will begin to build it back. I think it will take time because Penn State now needs to regain the support of the fans and rebuild its recruiting portal, but once they do, I believe they will be back to what they were in the past years.
Liz Haddad ’25
1. I think everyone has had really high expectations for the team going into this season, so that made the losses just hit a lot harder. And now with Drew Allar injured and Franklin fired, the morale is just low. I would say the state of Penn State football is kind of unstable and a little disappointing.
2. I hate to say it but the defense always does their job, but when it’s time for us to score, the offense just can’t.
3. I feel bad for James Franklin but I do agree with the choice of him being fired. I feel like in the past, he’s been known to not really show up for big games. Even though he led the team to a lot of successes in the past, I think it’s good for a chance and time to move on.
4. Short term, I don’t have much hope for the Ohio State game, but I could also see some victories against teams like Nebraska and Rutgers towards the end of the season. Long term it’s hard to say, but I think eventually the team will get back on their feet and once they have a new head coach too, eventually they will become more stable.
