Where is Penn State coach James Franklin in The Athletic's new top 25?: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for March 12 include James Franklin’s spot in The Athletic’s new college football head coach rankings, headlines of the day, and more.
Penn State tweets of the day
Longtime college football writers Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel of The Athletic have their new top 25 rankings of college football head coaches out ahead of spring practices for the 2025 season. Both put the 12th-year leader of the Nittany Lions, James Franklin, at No. 8. That’s a drop of one spot from Feldman’s 2024 rankings. But, Franklin moved up seven spots on Mandel’s, as he jumped from No. 15 to the eighth slot.
“He remains one of the toughest coaches to rank, with his 1-15 record against top-five teams,” Mandelw writes. “But it’s hard to argue he’s not a top-flight coach after leading Penn State to a 13-3 record and CFP semifinal. That gave Franklin three double-digit winning seasons in a row and six in the past nine years.”
Adds Feldman:
“He has had five top-10 finishes in the past nine years. Yes, he has had big headaches against Michigan and Ohio State, but he has a better track record of success than several coaches ranked above him here. The 53-year-old is 34-8 in the past three years.”
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Both writers have Georgia’s Kirby Smart at No. 1 and Ohio State’s Ryan Day at No. 2. But their top five parts ways from there. You can see their full lists at either the links above or via the tweet below.
Headlines of the day
Can a former Philadelphia area prep star bring some juice to Penn State’s 2025 pass rush?: Flounders, PennLive
Is the NFL Draft sleeping on Penn State corner Jalen Kimber?: Carr, BWI
What Else We Learned About Penn State Wrestling at the Big Ten Championships: Wogenrich, SI
Maryland DB Sean Johnson shares when he’ll visit Penn State and other contenders this spring: Snyder, BWI
Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant Chain Signs Lease for Downtown State College Location: Rushton, Statecollege.com
Key defensive recruit Keshawn Stancil confirms he’ll visit Penn State and five other schools this spring: Snyder, BWI
Former Penn State guard Will Fries signs 5-year deal with Minnesota Vikings: Hill, Daily Collegian
Quote of the day
“With the new landscape, and NIL. and now more of a rev share model, increasing athletic department revenue is going to be top of mind for every athletic department out there. This will be the tip of the spear and I think you’ll see this happening a lot more in the next couple of years.”
