Penn State day at Big Ten Media Days is over; catch up on everything you missed here
LAS VEGAS — The Penn State portion of the three-day Big Ten Media Days event is in the books. Lions coach James Franklin, quarterback Drew Allar, center Nick Dawkins, and safety Zakee Wheatley all met with reporters and talked on the Big Ten Network on Wednesday at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. And, Blue-White Illustrated was on hand to cover it all. Below, you can find links to all of the coverage you may have missed, in addition to video interviews.
Complete Big Ten Media Days recap from Blue-White Illustrated
07/23/2025 07:54:18 PMCatch up on all of the day’s stories below:
4 things we learned about Penn State football at Big Ten Media Days
James Franklin: Penn State’s trenches, transfers, and tough talk
Will Penn State ever play Pitt again? James Franklin didn’t rule it out, but some things would need to change in college football first
Penn State’s Drew Allar: Playoffs are ‘the standard now’
Everything Penn State coach James Franklin said at the podium during Big Ten Media Days
3 Penn State player thoughts from Big Ten Media Days: On outside expectations, a Lion needing more buzz, and more
James Franklin: “The only rankings that matter are at the end”
James Franklin’s roundtable has wrapped
07/23/2025 06:15:18 PMWe’ll have much more coming, including video, throughout the evening.
How can Penn State make gains on special teams in 2025?
07/23/2025 06:05:16 PM“We got all of our guys back,” Franklin said. “We got our snapper back, we got our kickoff specialist guy back, we got our field goal guy back. We have our punt returner back. We have our punter back. There’s a ton of value in that. No one’s talking about that. There’s ton of value in that. Having Justin Lustig back, who I think is arguably the best special teams coordinator in the country, him in year two, how much further we are in year two, I thought last year laying the foundation for how we want to do things. I thought he did a phenomenal job. The culture, the standards, the expectations. Did a phenomenal job.
“I thought last year, we did a really good job of playing sound on special teams. You could make the argument in the Minnesota game, maybe that’s a game that we won. You tip your hat to special teams. But we also, and there’s value in this: We didn’t lose games because of special teams, right? I think we’re in a position now in year two, where not only could we not lose games in special teams, but we got a chance to win a few more games because of special teams, or have a wider margin of wins because of special teams. I think we got a chance to use special teams and our talents and our structure to make that a differentiator for us this year, I believe.”
James Franklin on Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen
07/23/2025 05:59:32 PM“Nick has been one of the most consistent players in terms of his preparation that I’ve been around in my career. But one of the things I’m most excited about is that Katron Allen has never had an off-season. Has always had a lingering injury from the season. This is the first off-season he’s ever had. He’s faster, he’s stronger, he’s more explosive than he’s ever been. He’s got a chance to put the country on notice. The combination of them is going to be a problem.”
What did Penn State learn from its 16-game schedule in 2024, and how will it use it in 2025?
07/23/2025 05:45:48 PM“I think it changes how we approached after the season. We had to take some time off where we probably would have already been in winter workouts by that point, how we practice in terms of reps, especially with our most experienced players, games, how we rotate players, because I always felt like you needed to have at least two and a half deep at every position. So if it’s D-tackle you got two tackles, you better have five that you feel like you can win, right? I think now you’d better have a three-deep in every position, because you’re talking about a possibly 17-game season. So, all these things kind of factor into it. It’s you’re up in a game late, and it’s 21 points you got to lead by. And you normally would go one more drive with the starters and get them out. Because, again, you want to be healthy for the fourth quarter. You want to be healthy late in the season. And then, not only that, your development of your twos and threes have always been important. It’s more important than it’s ever been.”
Franklin on getting Jim Knowles to run his defense
07/23/2025 05:39:13 PM“Obviously, when you have a chance to get a guy who’s been a head coach, who’s been a high-level defensive coordinator in multiple places, who you can make the argument has had the best defense in college football over the last two years, has just been part of a national championship, is from Pennsylvania, is from Philadelphia. Obviously, it’s a big get. And he’s been awesome. You know, you don’t say a whole lot, and when he does speak, he speaks quietly. You gotta kind of lean in. He’s a little bit of a mad scientist. I’m excited.”
Franklin on his record against AP top 5 teams and what people say about it
07/23/2025 05:35:49 PM“Excited about the opportunity,” he said. “”Can’t control the past, excited about the future. I also respect and appreciate that we’re one of those programs that they’re having that conversation about. Yeah, we’re excited about what we’re going to be able to do this year and the steps that we’re going to be able to take. We’ve had a program that 99% of the programs in the country would die to have and love to have, but there’s obviously room for growth.”
What needs to happen for Penn State to be better in ‘bigger games’?
07/23/2025 05:33:45 PM“No, we got to play well against really, really good teams. That’s that’s what it comes down to. I think there’ll be moments where we’re going to have to step up and make great plays. There’s moments we’re going to have to make great calls. We’ve been one of the most consistent programs in college football over the last nine years, and specifically the last three years, there’s another step to take for us, and we recognize that, embrace it. And the good thing and exciting things is we’re gonna have opportunity to do that this year.”
James on going to Kinnick and Iowa and dealing with the noise
07/23/2025 05:32:26 PMThey try to replicate it in practice the best they can. Cannot have drives backed up in bad field position. “We play in a lot of good venues in the Big Ten. That’s one of them. Got a ton of respect for that program. That will be a challenge.”
Updates are coming from James Franklin’s podium session
07/23/2025 05:24:06 PMThey’ll start at 6:30 p.m. ET or so here.
Everything Penn State coach James Franklin said at Big Ten Media Days during his podium session
07/23/2025 05:00:55 PMA new story is live looking at what Franklin had to say during his time at the dais. Click here to read it.
New story: 3 Penn State player thoughts from Big Ten Media Days: On outside expecatations, a Lion needing more buzz, and more
07/23/2025 04:42:01 PMWatch Drew Allar at the podium
07/23/2025 04:35:47 PMHere’s nearly 15 minutes of his time in front of reporters in Las Vegas on Wednesday:
Watch James Franklin’s full podium interview at Big Ten Media Days
07/23/2025 04:05:31 PMYou can view it below.
The players’ roundtable interviews are over
07/23/2025 04:02:23 PMA couple of quick takeaways:
–They’re all aware of and appreciate the outside expectations, but like James Franklin said at the podium, they don’t really care about them inside of the Lasch Building. However, they’re impossible to ignore, which the guys acknowledged, but it’s not their focus.
–Allar was as poised and confident as he’s ever been in an interview session. That transferring to the field more consistently is part of the next step in his improvement process.
–Wheatley feels like a leader not just of the secondary and defense but as the team, as well. He feels like he’s in the best spot of his career and ready to take advantage of it.
–Nick Dawkins raved about the Lions’ offensive line depth and said it will help keep them fresh for what they hope is an even longer season in 2025 then they played in 2024.
Drew Allar on his approach to the season
07/23/2025 03:36:56 PM“Like Coach Franklin said, there’s a lot of unfamiliar business, and that’s part of the reason I came back,” Allar said. “There was a lot of things I wanted to accomplish individually and then also, more importantly, the team stuff. There’s a lot of things that we came close to last year, but didn’t get the job done. So having one more go like that, and just doing everything that I can to prepare myself for those moments, and not taking any of these moments for granted, because I only have, what, six, seven months left until out of eligibility, so not taking the day for granted and just really enjoying all these last moments with coaches.”
Nick Dawkins on the White Out
07/23/2025 03:34:59 PMThe White Out game is a spectacle. It’s a show. When it’s a home game like that, and you have all the fans, it’s just football when you get between the sidelines. You don’t feel the externalness of it. But when you run out on the field and see the spectacle, there’s no words for it.
That’s it from James Franklin
07/23/2025 03:00:52 PMMore news to come in a bit from the players at their podiums.
Franklin on replacing Tyler Warren’s production
07/23/2025 02:57:41 PM“Tyler was a special player,” Franklin said. “Two years ago I sat in the meeting room with our TEs and Theo and Tyler were deciding what was going to happen and who was going to come back. Theo declares, Tyler comes back, and obviously has an unbelievably memorable season. We had a unique situation at running back. I thought it was going to be the same deal and one of those guys would declare and the other come back. They both came back. We have two great running backs. Penn State from a historical standpoint at the running back positon, there’s been a ton of really good players. They’re going to play a big role in that. Khalil Dinkins is a guy not a whole lot of people are talking about but should be. Andrew Rappleyea, Luke Reynolds, there are three guys we think will be very productive. And then at receiver, that’s been the big conversation. We went out in the portal and brought in three really productive players. What we hope to do is spread that ball around to all of those people. It makes us more difficult to defend.”
Does Penn State feel the pressure because of the expectations?
07/23/2025 02:55:56 PM“We embrace that. We’ve earned that. There are a lot of people excited about us. But these are always the expectations at Penn State. We had what a lot of people would consider a really good season last year. But it didn’t feel that way. Because the expectations at Penn State are really high. The conversations are happening nationally, and we appreciate that, but it hasn’t changed because that’s always our expectation.”
More Franklin on Allar
07/23/2025 02:54:14 PMHe calls him a throwback recruit for how he went about things after committing to Penn State. “He’s gotten better every single year in every single area,” Franklin said. “He can make every throw on the field, has shown he can hurt people with his feet, and has really made tremendous strides as well as a leader. He’s made significant leaps every year. We expect him to make another significant leap this year. I’m a big Drew fan.
Franklin on Drew Allar
07/23/2025 02:53:45 PM“Since 1956 he’s one of two FBS quarterbacks with 800 plus completions, 50 plus touchdowns and 10 or less interceptions,” Franklin said. “Done a phenomenal job of protecting the football in terms of touchdown and interception ratio, we expect that to continue this year.
Franklin starts with plenty of thanks, then highlights his players
07/23/2025 02:52:56 PMFranklin gave a shout out to the Big Ten, the Penn State leadership, and more before talking about Drew Allar, Zakee Wheatley, and Nick Dawkins who are here today.
James Franklin will be live in moments
07/23/2025 02:46:13 PMHe’s coming up after this commercial break on Big Ten Network.
We’re now one coach away from James Franklin
07/23/2025 02:31:31 PMWashington coach Jedd Fisch talks next. Then, James Franklin will be live from the podium on BTN at 3:45 p.m. ET. Fisch jokes that, since it’s the Huskies’ second year in the Big Ten, he no longer has to wear a name tag around this event. He’s also making the Big Ten should get automatic bids to the Playoff argument, as well.
Oregon’s Dan Lanning is up now
07/23/2025 02:23:57 PMHe notes that the Ducks have the same coordinators for the third year in a row. “We have a brand new team and brand new challenges. I have confidence in this group because I see them work,” he said.
James Franklin is up in 45 minutes
07/23/2025 02:04:36 PMSo far, PJ Fleck of Minnesota and David Braun of Northwestern have filibustered enough to take just one question at the podium. Luke Fickell of Wisconsin is up now.
When will Penn State be on BTN?
07/23/2025 11:16:17 AMHere are the times to know according to the Penn State football communications staff:
James Franklin at the podium — 3:45 p.m. ET
Penn State players on the set — 5:30 p.m. ET
Franklin on the set — 7:30 p.m. ET
Big Ten Media Days podium speech schedule
07/23/2025 11:13:37 AMThe times listed below are when each coach will be live on BTN from the podium. The players with each follows that. The list is courtesy of On3’s Pete Nakos:
Minnesota — P.J. Fleck (2:30 p.m. ET) — DB Koi Perich, DL Anthony Smith, RB Darius Taylor
Northwestern — David Braun (2:45 p.m. ET) — RB Joseph Himon II, DL Anto Saka, QB Preston Stone
Wisconsin — Luke Fickell (3 p.m. ET) —QB Billy Edwards Jr., CB Ricardo Hallman, C Jake Renfro
Oregon — Dan Lanning (3:15 p.m. ET) — LB Bryce Boettcher, TE Kenyon Sadiq, OLB Matayo Uiagalelei
Washington — Jedd Fisch (3:30 p.m. ET) — RB Jonah Coleman, CB Ephesians Prysock, QB Demond Williams Jr.
Penn State — James Franklin (3:45 p.m. ET) — QB Drew Allar, OL Nick Dawkins, S Zakee Wheatley
Previous Penn State Big Ten Media Days coverage from BWI
Catch up on anything you may have missed so far below:
5 things we’re watching for when Penn State goes at Big Ten Media Days today
It’s Penn State day at Big Ten Media Days; here’s everything you need to know
Why are Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas? A Joe Paterno reference, and more Day 1 takeaways
3 things we won’t learn about Penn State football at Big Ten Media Days this week