Imagine pulling up to Beaver Stadium on a crisp April afternoon, expecting the usual Penn State spring game fanfare—tailgates buzzing, fans getting their first glimpse of the Nittany Lions, and that sweet, sweet taste of football after months of offseason blues. Now, imagine stepping in and realizing the spectacle ain’t what it used to be. Feels different. Something’s missing. Well, Penn State HC James Franklin just made sure of that. And yeah, fans might not love what they hear.

Penn State’s annual Blue-White Game has been a Happy Valley staple for decades, an event that bridges the gap between the long, cold offseason and the hype of fall football. But thanks to the chaos that is modern college football—transfer portal madness, NIL shenanigans, and the never-ending tampering drama—James Franklin is making some significant changes. And let’s just say, not everyone’s going to be thrilled.

During his press conference on Tuesday, Franklin confirmed that the spring game will happen, a contrast to some programs that outright canceled theirs. He explained his reasoning, stating, “For me to, at any point, sit here and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to have a spring game,’ I don’t think that would make sense for a ton of reasons,” adding, “The university schedules a ton of fundraising events around the spring game. A lot of people are in town, like a homecoming for the spring.” However, he noted, it’s going to look very different.

“There’s some things that we will not do,” Franklin said. “The game will not be televised for some of the reasons we’ve already discussed. I could see it being maybe a little bit shorter. One of the things that I don’t think we’ll do is a halftime.” Yeah, you heard that right! No television broadcast. Shorter game. No halftime.

“Because there’s been years where we’ll have 75,000 people out there and we go to halftime for 20 minutes and the parking lot becomes more attractive than the second half—the tailgating,” Franklin said. “So probably we will condense it down a little bit, maybe a little bit shorter quarters, maybe no halftime.”

Franklin is stripping things down, and it all ties back to a growing trend across college football. The transfer portal era has turned spring games into a scouting event for rival coaches, leading teams to either modify or scrap them altogether. Matt Rhule at Nebraska started this wave, and now the ripple effect has hit Penn State.

Penn State fans who were hoping to sit back and watch the game from home? Tough luck. If you want to see what the 2025 Nittany Lions look like, you’re going to have to be there in person on April 26. The move is strategic—keeping the game alive for fans and recruits while limiting exposure to potential poaching. It’s a frustrating reality, but it’s one that Franklin believes is necessary in today’s cutthroat recruiting landscape. Spring football ain’t just about keeping things under wraps—it’s also about setting the tone for the season ahead.

James Franklin puts drew Allar on notice after past disasters

And if there’s one player who’s about to feel the heat in Happy Valley, it’s QB1, Drew Allar. The Penn State QB1 is entering his third year as Penn State’s starter and had a solid but unspectacular 2024 campaign. He improved, no doubt. But when the lights got real bright, when the stakes hit playoff-or-bust levels, the dude crumbled. Penn State’s offense last season? Efficient, sure. Safe, absolutely. But in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame? Disaster. Absolute nightmare fuel.

With 38 seconds left in a tied game, Allar threw a boneheaded interception on his own side of the field, gift-wrapping the game-winning score to the Irish. If that wasn’t bad enough, his last play of the game was an errant lateral that sailed out of bounds, sealing Penn State’s fate. Instead of battling for a national title, they got literally sent packing. And James Franklin? Oh, he hasn’t forgotten.

“[Drew Allar] needs to take another step this year, which I think he’s done every single year that he’s been here,” Franklin said. “When it comes to his mobility, he needs to take another step. When it comes to his leadership, he needs to take another step. In terms of his completion percentage … in terms of his Touchdown-Interception ratio. It’s really all of it.” Translation? Step up or step aside.

James Franklin’s patience with Allar is wearing thin, and it’s not just about one bad game. It’s about his record against top-tier teams. It’s about the fact that, under Franklin, Penn State has consistently hit a wall when faced with elite competition. And if this team is really going to contend for a natty, Allar has to evolve from game-manager to game-changer.

James Franklin kept it real: “Me and Drew have had some conversations with [QBs coach] Danny O’Brien. Those conversations will stay between us. But I would say, just being transparent with you, I don’t think it’s one specific thing. It’s all of it. That’s the thing that’s exciting about Drew.”

The good news? Drew Allar isn’t in this alone. Penn State’s backfield is stacked with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen—college football’s version of Sonic and Knuckles. That ground game should take some of the weight off Allar’s shoulders, but, the success of the 2025 season is riding on him. For James Franklin, this spring ain’t just about tweaking a game format or avoiding poachers in the transfer portal. It’s about setting a tone. This is a team that has the pieces to make noise in the College Football Playoff, but only if the quarterback play matches the talent around him.

Drew Allar’s got the skills. He’s got the reps. Now it’s time to see if he can finally shake off the demons and show up when it matters. Another stumble… well, let’s keep our fingers crossed.