Where does Penn State coach James Franklin rank among his Big Ten peers?: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for March 26 include Big Ten head coach rankings, headlines of the day, and more.
It’s time to dive into Tuesday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with a look at where each Big Ten coach ranks in comparison to his peers. On3 national college football columnist Jesse Simonton lists Ohio State’s Ryan Day, USC’s Lincoln Riley, and Oregon’s Dan Lanning as the top three coaches in the new-look conference. The criteria for the rankings are as follows: “While career achievements are taken into account, college football has become a sport that’s constantly changing, so recent performance (wins, recruiting, working the transfer portal, hiring assistants, producing NFL Draft picks, etc) is weighed much more heavily than what you’ve done in the past.
Simonton slots 11th-year leader of the Lions, James Franklin, at No. 4.
“Franklin is 21-5 the last two seasons, yet Penn State is viewed as an underachieving program because it cannot beat Ohio State (seven losses in a row) or Michigan (last win in 2020),” Simonton writes. “Franklin has also burned through offensive coordinators with the Nittany Lions, but he looks to have finally landed on the perfect fit in Kansas’ Andy Kotelnicki.
“Still, that’s a projection. But the opportunity is there for the program to take the next step under its veteran head coach. Franklin has recruited at a Top 15 clip and returns a stacked roster in 2024 — just in time for the expanded playoff. If he can start winning some games against Top 25 teams (5-10 the last three seasons), then Penn State might actually contend for a conference title again.”
Headlines of the day
Cael Sanderson in His 40s, Eyeing Gable’s Record: How Many More Titles Can Penn State Wrestling Win?: Jones, Statecollege.com
Penn State realizes highs, lows, and future plans in new start: Bauer, BWI
Five reasons to believe Lions’ wide receiver situation will improve: Giger, DKPittsburghSports
2026 Ath. Matt Sieg on Penn State: ‘They definitely make sure my family and I feel the love’: Snyder, BWI
What a journey for Penn State football star-turned-NASCAR pit crew member Brown: Bohls, Austin American-Statesman
Will Carter Starocci and Greg Kerkvliet return to Penn State wrestling in 2024? They have their initial answer: Pickel, BWI
Why Cael Sanderson’s Penn State wrestling dynasty rolls on — with no end in sight: Cobler, CDT
Quote of the day
“I really liked getting to sit in on the meetings and get a feel for what they’re running defensively, along with how the coaches talk to the players and the terminology they use. also loved when we were sitting in on the team meeting they had some of the newcomers get up and sing a song in front of the team. It was a good way to start the day with a laugh and you can just tell the whole team has a special bond with one another. Being up close to practice was great, too. All the guys were very competitive and got some good work in.”
–2026 athlete Matt Sieg on PSU following his recent visit to campus.
