“Big Game James” would need to stop being a sarcastic dig at Franklin.” Penn State’s dream of becoming the national champions hinges on James Franklin’s ability to win big games. Now, here is the thing: History has witnessed how James Franklin has choked almost every major game he has been in. But does that make him a bad coach? Not at all. Penn State’s 2024 natty conquest was a sight to behold. They toppled over SMU and didn’t even allow Broncos’ Ashton Jeanty to break Barry Sanders‘ record. However, in the grand scheme of things, is James Franklin even equipped well enough to take Penn State to a national championship showdown? Or will the Lions’ hunt for relevance get shut down under the effects of a mass exodus at home?

“He thinks they’re gonna lose a tight end, 2 offensive linemen, 2 receivers, 2 DBS, maybe a linebacker, and a quarterback. So, a mass Exodus.” Now Thomas Frank Carr brings up an interesting argument back on Blue White Illustrated. Carr points out that Franklin could lose major players from his 2025 roster even before his 2025 natty conquest begins. But here is the thing though: In the current landscape of college football, is this even something to write home about? “People are gonna leave, and people are gonna come in and the people that you keep are people that you keep because they decided, they chose, they made a conscious decision to stay,” Nate Bauer points out.

Maybe for once, people should stop thinking about college athletics like this 4-year cycle. Yeah, as Nate explains, it does parley “one year into the next into the next”. However, at the core, you have this one-year group that is going to stick around for that specific year. Some players are bound to call it quits and jump camps and Penn State and Franklin aren’t the only ones who get affected by it!!!

Take Alabama as an example. Crimson Tide faced 2 mass exoduses at the portal: The first one happened the instant Nick Saban announced his retirement. The second happened when Kalen DeBoer ended the season with an underwhelming run. Tide lost 10 massive players from their camp and subsequently their receiver room and O-line were in shambles!!

All in all, while it is true that Franklin could end up losing big-shot names, the cycle will repeat and he will get new blood to make up for it. Unless James Franklin’s mentality about recruitment dooms it all…

Big no to second chances

“To me, it’s, were we legitimately in it? Is the kid receptive? Is the kid open, and do you feel like you’ve got a legitimate chance to get him before Signing Day?” Has it ever crossed your mind why Penn State’s 2025 class looks so… underwhelming?

At the core, Franklin’s 2025 class has big names on the O-line: Malachi Goodman, Andrew Olesh, Lyrick Samuel, etc. All of them have been rated between the Top 10-50 mark. However, when you start getting into the nitty-gritty details, the lack of 5-star talent on the roster is quite alarming. 

Now no one has ever said you cannot build a winning roster out of 4s and 3s. You can. However, at the level on which Lions and Franklin operate, you need 5-star talent in the receiver room or at the quarterback level. But do we think this will instantly make Penn State bad? Not at all.

They will survive another season. However, will this make the Nittany Lions your 2025 natty winners? Not exactly…