<!–>
Only four programs have entered the season as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll over the past 10 years: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State. However, FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt believes a new team should join that distinguished group in 2025: the Penn State Nittany Lions.
In his post-spring top 25, Klatt ranked Penn State as the No. 1 team in the nation, with Texas, Ohio State, Oregon and Clemson rounding out the top five. Penn State’s ranking at the top might come as a bit of a surprise to some. James Franklin’s team currently has the fifth-best odds to win the title (+800) and made it to the College Football Playoff for the first time in 2024.
However, Klatt thinks Penn State has something that no other program in the nation has heading into the 2025 campaign.
“They’re following the blueprint of the teams that have just won the national championship,” Klatt said of Penn State. “You look at what Michigan did in 2023. You look at what Ohio State in 2024. Both of those teams had a core group of veteran players stay. They stayed and they won a championship. Both of these teams had veterans at quarterback. They had veterans on both sides of the ball. They were excellent at the line of scrimmage. They had chips on their shoulders from the way they were bounced in the postseason in years prior.
ADVERTISEMENT
–>
“All of that is true about Penn State. They’re returning their quarterback, both running backs (Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen) and four players on the offensive line.”
In addition to the return of Drew Allar, Singleton and Allen, Penn State will also bring back defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (8.5 sacks in 2024), third-team All-Big Ten cornerback A.J. Harris, defensive tackle Zane Durant and highly productive safety Zakee Wheatley (96 total tackles in 2024). Sure, the Nittany Lions lost first-round talents in tight end Tyler Warren and linebacker Abdul Carter. But sophomore tight end Luke Reynolds was the top-ranked player at his position as a recruit in the Class of 2024, while Dennis-Sutton, Durant and the arrival of four-star freshman linebacker LaVar Arrington Jr. could conceivably make up for the missing production.
Michigan and Ohio State also showed that they could withstand losing elite talent ahead of their national championship-winning seasons over the last two years. The Wolverines saw defensive tackle Mazi Smith go into the NFL Draft in 2023 and the Buckeyes said goodbye to wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024.
As Klatt believes that the Nittany Lions have the veteran infrastructure in place to withstand the departures of Warren and Carter, he has an on-field concern surrounding Penn State, but he thinks the team addressed that hole in the offseason.
“My only question was at wide receiver for James Franklin,” Klatt said. “We saw how bad it was at wide receiver last year. In the loss to Notre Dame [in the Orange Bowl], they got zero catches from their wide receivers. Zero. Zero catches. That’s incredible. So, they brought in three wide receivers: Kyron Hudson, a redshirt senior from USC; Trebor Pena from Syracuse, an All-ACC wide receiver; and Devonte Ross, an All-Sun Belt receiver from Troy. Reinforcements, I think they’re going to be better at wide receiver.”
Texas & Ohio State in Joel Klatt’s Post-Spring top 5 teams
In terms of sheer production, two of those wide receivers (Pena and Ross) outperformed Penn State’s top-performing receiver in 2024, Harrison Wallace III. Of course, Pena and Ross arguably played against lower-level competition and, in the case of Pena, he had the nation’s leading passer throwing to him last year.
Entering his third season as a starter, Allar has shown flashes of promise and potential, throwing for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions to go with six rushing touchdowns last season. But there have been some questions about whether he can reach his top-end potential as he’s struggled in big games, throwing for only 135 yards in the CFP semifinal loss to Notre Dame last season.
Klatt doesn’t have those concerns with Allar, though. He recently ranked the Penn State gunslinger as his ninth-best prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, believing that he’ll have a really good year in 2025.
Penn State will need a good year from Allar if it wants to break the trend it’s had in big games under Franklin. J.J. McCarthy emerged as a first-round talent for Michigan in 2023, while Will Howard played lights out for Ohio State in its CFP run this past season.
Caleb Downs & Drew Allar in Klatt’s way-too-early top prospects in 2026 NFL Draft
Allar did total three touchdowns in a one-score loss to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game and got Penn State within a few yards of at least tying the game in the fourth quarter against Ohio State last season.
Considering how close all three of Penn State’s losses to top-five opponents were in 2024, Klatt thinks it’s just a matter of time before Franklin gets over the hump against a top opponent, as he’s 1-15 against AP top-five opponents in his time at Penn State.
“What we haven’t seen from Penn State is them rise up and win the game that I would call a matchup game, where they’re looking across and the talent is [equal] or they’re a bit of an underdog. Can they win that game? Up until this point, they haven’t,” Klatt said. “Can they? I think so. They beat SMU. They beat Boise State. But then they lose to Notre Dame. We see this in the Big Ten schedule, where they haven’t been able to beat the Michigans or Ohio States of the world. They were close.
“That’s the next step. I believe they will take the next step. I believe Penn State is ready to take the next step with their veterans and Drew Allar ready to lead the charge.”
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
<!–>
recommended
Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
–>
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
L.A. Kings GM opening: 13 possible candidates to replace Rob Blake
The separation was finalized last weekend but Rob Blake had been talking with Luc Robitaille about his future as the Los Angeles Kings’ general manager for months, if not longer.Blake, who was finishing up his contract, stepped aside upon mutual agreement after eight seasons. A fourth consecutive first-round loss to the Edmonton Oilers was difficult to go out on, but both sides felt it was necessary.Advertisement“I think at one point, we both realized and agreed that it was time to probably bring a new voice, just to get us to that next level,” Robitaille said during his news conference Tuesday.Now the Kings president will lead a search for a GM. Robitaille said it began Monday, and that the incoming GM likely will make the decision about the future of coach Jim Hiller.There is no stated timeline, but Robitaille said he […]
Inter emerge victorious over Barcelona, PSG oust Arsenal + LAFC given a chance at the Club World Cup!?
Subscribe to The CooligansChristian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros react to Inter Milan’s entertaining 2-leg win over Barcelona in the Champions League Semifinal. Was the tie the most entertaining CL semifinal ever? How were Inter and Simone Inzaghi able to come out victorious?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementChristian and Alexis then break down the other Champions League semifinal as PSG eliminated Arsenal. Luis Enrique’s tactical masterclass was too much for Mikel Arteta’s gunners. Do PSG have a shot at being Inter in the final?Later, Christian and Alexis recap the news that LAFC and Club America will face off on May 31st with the winner securing a spot in the Club World Cup!With a win, can this match set LAFC up financially for the next 5-6 years?(6:00) - Inter eliminate Barcelona, advance to CL Final(24:45) - PSG oust Arsenal, advance to CL Final(40:45) - LAFC to face […]
Tennis television coverage needs a new dawn. Can TNT’s French Open provide it?
Change rarely comes quickly to tennis media. Coverage of a Grand Slam tournament today doesn’t look all that different from 10, 20 or in some cases 30 years ago, despite huge technological advances. The camera angle slanting down from above, which can flatten the real shape of the players’ shots. Two familiar voices, likely stars from decades past, reciting the most entrenched ideas about the people on court. Post-match analysis from different voices in the same demographic, mostly looking ahead to the next match and divining what, if anything, the result means for the grand narrative of the tournament.AdvertisementAs many have done, another media network is vowing that it has found a better way. This time, it is Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the owner of TNT Sports and the new U.S. rights-holder for the French Open. WBD and the French […]
Lotyši mají v kádru na MS devět hokejistů z české extraligy
Osmadvacetiletý Tralmaks stihl v pondělí cestou do Stockholmu v Praze slavnostní vyhlášení Hokejista sezony, kde převzal cenu pro vítěze kanadského bodování. Ovládl ho s 51 body za 23 branek a 28 asistencí ze 48 utkání díky pětibodovému představení v závěrečné třetině posledního utkání v Mladé Boleslavi. Po dvou letech v Kladně měl v extralize namířeno do Karlových Varů, ale místo toho se bude ucházet o premiéru v NHL v Detroitu, s kterým uzavřel jednoletou dvoucestnou smlouvu.Z Česka se dostali do kádru také beci Janis Jaks s Robertsem Mamčicsem z Karlových Varů, Ralfs Freibergs z Hradce Králové, Markuss Komuls z Kladna, Kristians Rubins z Plzně, Kristaps Zile z Litvínova, který nově míří do Liberce, a útočníci Oskars Batna z Hradce Králové a Rihards Bukarts z Vítkovic. Jeho bratr a klubový spoluhráč Roberts se na svůj 12 šampionát nevydá. V sezoně se potýkal se zraněním a musel na operaci. Třebaže konce sezony stihl, v reprezentaci chybí. Ani jeden z bratrů už v příští sezoně ve Vítkovicích působit nebude.S výjimkou Tralmakse a Komulse mají všichni bronz z roku […]
Cicinho descarta Vini Jr e crava dois melhores jogadores do mundo hoje
O atacante Vinicius Júnior, do Real Madrid (Divulgação/Real Madrid) Eleito o melhor jogador do mundo pela Fifa em dezembro do ano passado após excelente temporada com o Real Madrid, o atacante Vini Jr já está abaixo de dois outros atletas atualmente como o grande atleta do futebol no planeta, na opinião do ex-jogador Cicinho. Em participação no “Jogo Aberto”, da Band, o comentarista deixou o astro do Real Madrid para trás ao revelar que o espanhol Lamine Yamal e o brasileiro Raphinha, ambos do Barcelona, são atualmente os melhores. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “O Barcelona tem, na minha opinião, os dois melhores jogadores do mundo na atualidade, que são o Yamal e o Raphinha”, avaliou Cicinho, sem citar Vini Jr. Com excelente temporada, os dois jogadores citados por Cicinho, no entanto, foram eliminados da Champions League já que o Barcelona foi derrotado […]
Aaron Gordon calls out Thunder’s physical play, says refs are missing fouls on Nikola Jokic after 40-point loss
The Denver Nuggets have two goals this postseason: Win games and keep star center Nikola Jokic healthy. They've been successful on both ends thus far, but the latter is definitely becoming a concern.Jokic has been a target for physical play throughout the playoffs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder have leaned in to that strategy. Following Oklahoma City's 149-106 win over the Nuggets on Wednesday, Denver star Aaron Gordon called out the Thunder's physical play on Jokic and asked officials to stop missing calls on the Nuggets' star.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGordon's full quote read:"If they're going to let them push him and shove him or put two hands on him, root him out, the knees, elbows, and all types of stuff they're doing to him that's not necessarily legal, there's not much that you can do. Jok got to play through it. If they're […]
Related
L.A. Kings GM opening: 13 possible candidates to replace Rob Blake
The separation was finalized last weekend but Rob Blake had been talking with Luc Robitaille about his future as the Los Angeles Kings’ general manager for months, if not longer.Blake, who was finishing up his contract, stepped aside upon mutual agreement after eight seasons. A fourth consecutive first-round loss to the Edmonton Oilers was difficult to go out on, but both sides felt it was necessary.Advertisement“I think at one point, we both realized and agreed that it was time to probably bring a new voice, just to get us to that next level,” Robitaille said during his news conference Tuesday.Now the Kings president will lead a search for a GM. Robitaille said it began Monday, and that the incoming GM likely will make the decision about the future of coach Jim Hiller.There is no stated timeline, but Robitaille said he […]
Inter emerge victorious over Barcelona, PSG oust Arsenal + LAFC given a chance at the Club World Cup!?
Subscribe to The CooligansChristian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros react to Inter Milan’s entertaining 2-leg win over Barcelona in the Champions League Semifinal. Was the tie the most entertaining CL semifinal ever? How were Inter and Simone Inzaghi able to come out victorious?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementChristian and Alexis then break down the other Champions League semifinal as PSG eliminated Arsenal. Luis Enrique’s tactical masterclass was too much for Mikel Arteta’s gunners. Do PSG have a shot at being Inter in the final?Later, Christian and Alexis recap the news that LAFC and Club America will face off on May 31st with the winner securing a spot in the Club World Cup!With a win, can this match set LAFC up financially for the next 5-6 years?(6:00) - Inter eliminate Barcelona, advance to CL Final(24:45) - PSG oust Arsenal, advance to CL Final(40:45) - LAFC to face […]
Tennis television coverage needs a new dawn. Can TNT’s French Open provide it?
Change rarely comes quickly to tennis media. Coverage of a Grand Slam tournament today doesn’t look all that different from 10, 20 or in some cases 30 years ago, despite huge technological advances. The camera angle slanting down from above, which can flatten the real shape of the players’ shots. Two familiar voices, likely stars from decades past, reciting the most entrenched ideas about the people on court. Post-match analysis from different voices in the same demographic, mostly looking ahead to the next match and divining what, if anything, the result means for the grand narrative of the tournament.AdvertisementAs many have done, another media network is vowing that it has found a better way. This time, it is Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the owner of TNT Sports and the new U.S. rights-holder for the French Open. WBD and the French […]
Lotyši mají v kádru na MS devět hokejistů z české extraligy
Osmadvacetiletý Tralmaks stihl v pondělí cestou do Stockholmu v Praze slavnostní vyhlášení Hokejista sezony, kde převzal cenu pro vítěze kanadského bodování. Ovládl ho s 51 body za 23 branek a 28 asistencí ze 48 utkání díky pětibodovému představení v závěrečné třetině posledního utkání v Mladé Boleslavi. Po dvou letech v Kladně měl v extralize namířeno do Karlových Varů, ale místo toho se bude ucházet o premiéru v NHL v Detroitu, s kterým uzavřel jednoletou dvoucestnou smlouvu.Z Česka se dostali do kádru také beci Janis Jaks s Robertsem Mamčicsem z Karlových Varů, Ralfs Freibergs z Hradce Králové, Markuss Komuls z Kladna, Kristians Rubins z Plzně, Kristaps Zile z Litvínova, který nově míří do Liberce, a útočníci Oskars Batna z Hradce Králové a Rihards Bukarts z Vítkovic. Jeho bratr a klubový spoluhráč Roberts se na svůj 12 šampionát nevydá. V sezoně se potýkal se zraněním a musel na operaci. Třebaže konce sezony stihl, v reprezentaci chybí. Ani jeden z bratrů už v příští sezoně ve Vítkovicích působit nebude.S výjimkou Tralmakse a Komulse mají všichni bronz z roku […]
Cicinho descarta Vini Jr e crava dois melhores jogadores do mundo hoje
O atacante Vinicius Júnior, do Real Madrid (Divulgação/Real Madrid) Eleito o melhor jogador do mundo pela Fifa em dezembro do ano passado após excelente temporada com o Real Madrid, o atacante Vini Jr já está abaixo de dois outros atletas atualmente como o grande atleta do futebol no planeta, na opinião do ex-jogador Cicinho. Em participação no “Jogo Aberto”, da Band, o comentarista deixou o astro do Real Madrid para trás ao revelar que o espanhol Lamine Yamal e o brasileiro Raphinha, ambos do Barcelona, são atualmente os melhores. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “O Barcelona tem, na minha opinião, os dois melhores jogadores do mundo na atualidade, que são o Yamal e o Raphinha”, avaliou Cicinho, sem citar Vini Jr. Com excelente temporada, os dois jogadores citados por Cicinho, no entanto, foram eliminados da Champions League já que o Barcelona foi derrotado […]
Aaron Gordon calls out Thunder’s physical play, says refs are missing fouls on Nikola Jokic after 40-point loss
The Denver Nuggets have two goals this postseason: Win games and keep star center Nikola Jokic healthy. They've been successful on both ends thus far, but the latter is definitely becoming a concern.Jokic has been a target for physical play throughout the playoffs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder have leaned in to that strategy. Following Oklahoma City's 149-106 win over the Nuggets on Wednesday, Denver star Aaron Gordon called out the Thunder's physical play on Jokic and asked officials to stop missing calls on the Nuggets' star.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGordon's full quote read:"If they're going to let them push him and shove him or put two hands on him, root him out, the knees, elbows, and all types of stuff they're doing to him that's not necessarily legal, there's not much that you can do. Jok got to play through it. If they're […]
Be the first to leave a comment