“I don’t usually talk about this publicly but my goal has been to be the first African American football coach to win a college national championship.” Yes, that was the goal of the Penn State Nittany Lions head coach, James Franklin. Was he successful in fulfilling his mission? Sadly, no. They were just a win away from bringing home the Natty. Now, while the HC is striving to write a comeback story, here comes a big win for Penn State from the transfer portal.

But first, let’s talk about the tragedy that unfolded on Franklin’s squad. Penn State lost 10 players to the NCAA Transfer Portal during the offseason. In the spring window itself, they have lost five players. And among them, Franklin’s heart pained a little more as the biggest losses came at linebacker and offensive guard. After the Blue-White Game, Franklin said that the team had lost a linebacker, “We did not anticipate losing.” So, who landed the Nittany Lions the bitter surprise? That was none other than their redshirt sophomore linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson. The young chap who is now committed to USC appeared in 17 total games over his two years in Happy Valley, including all 14 games in 2024. He compiled 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and half of a sack last season. Other than Robinson, Franklin lost linebacker Kobe King to the 2025 NFL Draft. 

So, the head coach had to take the matter into his own hands.  And the universe kindly obliged. While Franklin made it clear that he has been looking for help at linebacker, they finally received some good news, which, well, might not be so good for Bill Belichick.

On May 6, Tuesday, former North Carolina linebacker Amare Campbell committed to Penn State. Campbell immediately becomes a prominent presence within a linebacker room thin on depth. After all, his stats do all the talking. The 6-foot, 230-pound Campbell tallied 76 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks in just his second season with the Tar Heels in 2024. This is the second time that Campbell entered the portal. Back in December, he jumped but withdrew to stay for spring ball under debut HC Belichick. Now that he is in Franklin’s squad, how is he going to help?

The Penn State Nittany Lions have a tremendous defense on paper. They are on their way to write a new story with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who is going to roam around in Happy Valley with his highly-talented troop that includes Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant, AJ Harris, among others. With two years of eligibility remaining and being credited 2with 2 quarterback pressures, Campbell is in good hands. While their 2025 fate is relying on players like Campbell, Franklin, too, is leaving no stones unturned as he addresses the $20 million concerning reality.    

James Franklin looks beyond the $20 million headlines

On Monday, May 5, Franklin’s Penn State came with a pitch. Unveiling a seat plaque naming opportunity to Nittany Lion fans in a minute-long video, the staffers from Happy Valley sought support. “Your name. Our tradition. A legacy built together.” They have come up with an initiative to oomph up their excellence funds. The fans will now have a chance to put their names on the chairbacks of the team auditorium at the Lasch Building. The starting price for the plaques is a recurring annual donation of $10,000 for the front row seat, and it continues.

Franklin’s program is also focusing on scholarships and student-athlete support, to be in sync with the House vs. NCAA settlement. As athletic director Pat Kraft confirmed, the forthcoming changes will be significant as they open doors to increased scholarship. He shared, “I will say, everyone is discussing the $20.5 million and the rev share. But one of the biggest pieces to the House case is pulling the restriction of scholarships off.  That’s huge. That allows us to offer scholarships to all of our athletes if we could afford it. But as we’re out there raising money, we’re trying to let people know that’s as important as the $20.5 million.”

Penn State’s NIL collective has a gala event set for Thursday, May 8 evening. And James Franklin is returning to Philadelphia for that special day. Before that, he addressed the concerns surrounding their NIL collective. “I know there’s some frustrations or concern or lack of understanding about NIL. But I would say that this is one, to me, obvious positive of NIL. You have a lot of guys every year that are third or fourth-year players, and they’re trying to make the decision on whether they should leave early to go to the NFL or come back.” Unlike the old days, they now have enough fortune to take care of the players’ interests. The Nittany Lions are hungry. Will 2025 be the year they feast on a Natty?