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Penn State head coach James Franklin's Big Ten Media Day Roundtable

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby: Thomas Frank Carr07/24/25ThomasFrankCarr
James Franklin Penn State Football On3
Penn state head coach James Franklin at the Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas. (Photo: Greg Pickle BWI)

Penn State head coach James Franklin sat down with reporters on the second day of Big Ten Media Days to discuss a variety of topics about his team and the upcoming season. You can see the full press conference below, or on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel.

Big Game conversation comes up quickly with Penn State’s head coach

Penn State made the college football playoff semifinal last year and was moments away from a championship game berth. Despite that, the questions of big games hound Franklin because his team failed to beat Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame during that run. He was asked about those games again on Wednesday evening.

“We’ve got to play well against really, really good teams,” Franklin said.

“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’re going to have to handle being on the road and dealing with it with the attendance in the crowd, and that will be a factor in it as well. 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.”

Lions backfield “going to be a problem”

Franklin was asked about Penn State’s star duo of rushers, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. He highlighted Singleton’s consistency and Allen’s newfound athleticism after an offseason of strong work in the weight room.

“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 Kaytron 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.”

More quotes coming next week

The team begins its 2025 season in earnest a week from today when the team reconvenes for training camp. We’ll have media day video and press conference quotes once the team opens the doors of Holuba Hall next week. Follow along at Blue White Illustrated for all of your Penn State football content!

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