James Franklin, Penn State embrace high expectations for 2024

James Franklin understands that this year is a little different.

Franklin, entering his 11th season as Penn State’s head coach, took the podium at Big Ten media days on Wednesday and answered questions from a crowd of national reporters at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The final question he fielded is one Franklin and the Nittany Lions will try to answer this fall: how does Penn State, in a changing Big Ten, take the next step?

To steal a line from Franklin after the 2018 loss to Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have been great, but not elite in his tenure. They’ve had five seasons with at least 10 wins. They won the Big Ten championship in 2016. They’ve made five New Year’s Six bowl appearances.

But 2024 presents a new and welcome opportunity for Franklin’s program: it’s the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions would have made a 12-team CFP under its new format in six of the last eight seasons. Many are familiar with that fact.

Still, Penn State never reached the four-team CFP in Franklin’s first decade at the helm. Franklin owns a 1-9 record against Ohio State and a 3-7 mark against Michigan. The Nittany Lions have been close to getting over the hump, but have fallen short on an annual basis — disappointing fans with high hopes and spawning an unwanted narrative around Franklin and the Nittany Lions that they can’t get it done when it matters most.

Franklin knows better than anyone of the expectations this team is taking on in 2024.

“You’re talking about a program where you can win 10 or 11 games, and people are not happy or satisfied. That’s inside the Lasch Building, and that’s outside the Lasch Building. We totally get that, and we embrace that. Our players understand that when we recruit them. Our staff understands that when we hire them. And as the head coach, I embrace all those things.

“Week in and week out, the Big Ten is arguably the best conference in all of college football. I’ve been fortunate to be a head coach in the SEC as well as the Big Ten, so I’ve got a good perspective on that. And adding the four new schools makes it even more challenging.

“For us, we have to play our best when our best is needed most, in the biggest games and in the biggest moments. When you look at us, specifically last year, we did some phenomenal things. But that’s the step we need to take.”

In terms of taking that next step, Franklin said having a returning starter at quarterback in Drew Allar helps. Allar had a self-described “good, but not good enough” first season running the offense last year. Franklin hopes new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will make life easier on Allar, open things up and creatively find a way to generate explosive plays.

Around Allar, the other “pieces of the puzzle,” as Franklin said, have to factor in if the Nittany Lions are going to reach their goals. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have to be dynamic. The offensive line has to open holes and protect Allar. The tight ends, led by Tyler Warren, have to provide a reliable presence. And the wide receivers, most glaringly, have to improve.

“That’s been the big question mark really since last year,” Franklin said of his wideouts. “We’ve got a ton of confidence in those guys. They have a huge chip on their shoulder. They’ve had a great summer. We’ve got a ton of confidence. But we’re going to have to play well early and build confidence and carry that confidence throughout the season.”

The path to the CFP won’t be easy. The Nittany Lions don’t have to face Michigan or Oregon. But they open their 2024 season in a hostile environment at West Virginia on Aug. 31. They also travel to USC (Oct. 12) and Wisconsin (Oct. 26) and host UCLA (Oct. 5), Ohio State (Nov. 2) and Washington (Nov. 9) at Beaver Stadium.

But standing at the media days podium, 38 days away from the start of a pivotal campaign, Franklin reiterated that he and his players “embrace” the pressure that comes with it.

“We’re excited about those opportunities,” Franklin said. “It starts for us at West Virginia in Morgantown.”