Penn State wrapped up a successful 2024 season with a narrow loss to national runner-up Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Despite the defeat, the Nittany Lions ended the season ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll—the highest finish in James Franklin’s 11 years as head coach.
Building on that momentum, Penn State has retained most of its eligible talent heading into the 2025 season. While the departure of standout linebacker Abdul Carter was expected, the early NFL Draft declaration of Kobe King came as a bit of a surprise. Even so, the Lions’ strong core has made them a buzzworthy team in early discussions for the 2025 season.
Notably, The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel stirred excitement by ranking Penn State as his No. 1 team in his way-too-early Top 25 for 2025. This high praise has added fuel to the growing optimism surrounding the program.
Here’s a quick roundup of what people are saying about Penn State as they prepare for the 2025 campaign:
Friday’s Top Headlines
“Way-Too-Early Top 25 Rankings for the 2025 College Football Season” – Stewart Mandel, The Athletic
“2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Rankings” – Mark Schlabach, ESPN
“Way-Too-Early 2025 College Football Top 25: Our Rankings and Where Penn State Lands” – Johnny McGonigal, PennLive
With the 2024 season officially behind them, Penn State looks poised to make waves in 2025, and national experts are already taking notice.
