People act like teams don’t take years to win a natty. How long did it take Michigan? Even Clemson? Glory doesn’t come easy, and James Franklin is someone who knows this feeling all too well. There is absolutely no doubt that James Franklin isn’t capable of building 10-win teams. He has done it at PSU time and time again.

However, when the conversation shifts to beating 10-win teams, the Nittany Lions always falter and find themselves stuck in the endless cycle of “good, but not great.” With every passing year, the pressure mounts, and the question gets louder: Can James Franklin ever actually win the big one and bring a national championship back to Happy Valley?

Well, they might. “We all committed to come back,” Nick Singleton said, speaking for himself and his running mate, Kaytron Allen. “We want to win a national championship before we enter the draft. So, that’s our mindset.” When the draft was announced, the biggest fear in Happy Valley was the loss of talent. The Nittany Lions lost Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren.

But fate had other plans James Franklin’s other top stars. Nick Singleton, Drew Allar, and Kaytron Allen all decided to come back for one last hurrah! This move gives Franklin plenty of breathing room.

Why? Well, last season alone, Singleton and Allen were a two-headed monster, combining for over 2.2k total yards and 20 touchdowns. You can call these 2 men the heart and soul behind Franklin’s offense. Now, when you thought this recipe couldn’t get any better, you get Allar added to the mix.

Often called a “system QB”, Allar has proven time and time again that he is anything but that. When it comes to making his shots count, Franklin can easily rely on #15 to get the job done. With almost every starter coming back to push Penn State into the Top 5 or 6, Happy Valley could easily go from “let’s have a good season” to” championship or bust.”

Can James Franklin make it work?

Now, as much as we’d love to stay all positive about the developments at Penn State, the ghosts of Franklin choking big games keep coming back to haunt us. You see, PSU has the firepower with Singleton, Allar, and Allen. And if all that wasn’t enough, Franklin goes out to make a home-run hire to make sure that the Nittany Lions’ Top-10 defense becomes even better.

$3 million out of pocket, and Jim Knowles is in. With this monster of an architect, if Franklin STILL loses to the Bucks or Oregon, do you have any clue how bad it’ll look? With so many analysts putting their dimes on PSU winning the natty, Franklin has zero room to disappoint.

And if we sum it all up: “This is the season James Franklin’s entire coaching career could be judged by… If they can’t change their big-game problems with this group, it’s not happening.”