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Where is James Franklin in On3's list of the top 25 college coaches?: Newsstand

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel04/24/24GregPickel
James Franklin Penn State Nittany Lions Football on3 (Photo by Steve Manuel)
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin assess his team during the 2024 Blue-White Game (Photo by Steve Manuel/BWI)

Penn State news, notes, and updates for April 24 include a new top 25 ranking of college football’s best coaches, 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

On3 national college football columnist Jesse Simonton has published his annual ranking of college football’s top 25 coaches. We start today’s rundown there. Eleventh-year Penn State head coach James Franklin checks in at No. 13. He was No. 10 on last year’s list.

“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.”

Georgia’s Kirby Smart leads the way at No. 1. LSU’s Brian Kelly, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian round out the top five in that order. The only other Big Ten coaches ahead of Franklin are USC’s Lincoln Riley at No. 9 and Oregon’s Dan Lanning at No. 11.

Headlines of the day

Penn State post-spring questions: Are the Nittany Lions reloading on the O-line, or rebuilding?: Flounders, PennLive

The three biggest questions about the Penn State defense heading into summer training: Carr, BWI

At the NFL Draft, Penn State Seeks to Make a First-Round Splash: Wogenrich, SI

Penn State spring progress report: Questions answered, created at defensive end: Bauer, BWI

DE Chop Robinson lights up scouting report as athletic freak: Hill, Daily Collegian

What’s behind Penn State cornerback Audavion Collins’ big year two jump? He and Terry Smith explain: Pickel, BWI

On3’s NFL Mock Draft: Who gets to fleece some team so it can take J.J. McCarthy?: Staples, On3

Quote of the day

“Audavion has made the biggest gain of anyone in the room from where he was at the end of last season to now. He’s a night and day different player. He’s the most consistent guy out there, [and] he’s putting days together and his consistency has been just incredible. I’m super excited where he’s at. He’s a tough, hard-nosed kid that has a chip on his shoulder, and he plays that way every day, and like I said, of all the guys in the room, he’s had the best for spring.”

—PSU assistant coach Terry Smith on second-year cornerback Audavion Collins.