What do you think when you hear the name James Franklin? Is it the head coach who went 13-3 in 2024 and made it to the playoff semifinals? Or is it the head coach who, in his 11 years at the program, has failed to win the national title? Whatever aspect you focus on, one thing is clear that Penn State has momentum after their last season, and James Franklin is also under immense pressure to make a title run. The question remains: Can he finally do the unthinkable?

Last year, despite Penn State finishing 13-3 and having players like Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren with them, one of the core group greatly underperformed. Their wide receivers were probably the biggest reason why Penn State lost its game against Notre Dame, as they finished the game with not a single catch. Harrison Wallace, Omari Evans, and Nicholas Singleton, none of them finished with a 1000+ yard season, which one needs to do to win a national title. But 2025 is supposed to be different, right?

Penn State brought in three wide receivers from the transfer portal, and all of them are as good as advertised. Kyron Hudson came in from the USC Trojans after receiving 462 yards last season. Then there was Devonte Ross, coming in from the Troy Trojans after an incredible 1.043 yard season with the team. Lastly came in Trebor Pena from Syracuse, who helped Fran Brown achieve a 10-win season and received 900+ yards. However, despite these additions, there’s still a problem in the receiver room.

“You lost to Omari Evans but you brought in Pena from Syracuse who’s a really really good piece, and the only place I’m worried about Penn State is wide receiver depth,” said Jake Crain who sat with Blain Crain, David Cone and Jake Butt, the former Michigan and Broncos tight end. Overall, the analysts keep Penn State top in their ranking, even above Ohio State; however, Jake, with his WR depth take, might be on to something.

Despite these three transfers coming in, Penn State also lost 6 of its wide receivers to the transfer portal. Amongst them were Omari Evans, who had a 415-yard season last year, and Harrison Wallace, who received for 720 yards. Both of these losses hurt Penn State, which would have the best wide receiver room right now if the two stayed. In place of them, we have Tyseer Denmark, who lacks experience and received just 28 yards last season, and Liam Clifford might be the only one with some experience last year. So, the issue is not about quality in the starters, but about quality in depth. That said, the WR room might not be the only worry for James Franklin.

More woes for Drew Allar as his 2026 NFL draft comes at stake

Last year, Drew Allar threw for 3,327 yards and was one of the highly sought-after QBs in the draft market. But James Franklin convinced him to stay back for one more season. While Allar is an incredible QB by all standards, his coming back was driven by pragmatism rather than NIL money. Since we saw many issues with him, like against Ohio State, he gave a costly interception with Penn State trailing 14-10 in the third quarter. Also, his Notre Dame game wasn’t great either, as he managed just 135 yards and gave that gut-wrenching interception with just 33 seconds left on the clock.

Jake Butt highlighted some of the similar concerns but expected Allar to overcome it with a caveat. “Going on the road drew Aller struggled against Ohio State, he’s from Ohio, he struggled, he hasn’t played his best game…there’s something I want to see it on the road against Columbus. And all of a sudden, he plays, he’ll make 40 million bucks, 50 million bucks, and will be a top five pick guaranteed.”

The concerns for Drew Allar are undoubtedly there, and the Ohio State game, where the Nittany Lions lost 20-13, was just one instance where Allar faltered. To be honest, we haven’t seen Allar rising in big games like against Notre Dame, Oregon, or Ohio State, and until he does that, the criticism will not end. In that spirit, this season’s on-road game against Ohio State will be crucial, and if Allar can deliver in that? Well, James Franklin’s name will already be on the national championship trophy.