Despite the harsh Pennsylvania winter, James Franklin and Penn State football are already heating up for the 2025 season.

Franklin met with the media for Penn State football’s winter update, addressing a range of key developments for the Nittany Lions since the end of the season in Miami, from Jim Knowles’ hiring to Drew Allar’s mentality.

Here’s what we gathered from Franklin’s session at the stand in the Pegula Ice Arena.

On Super Bowl LIX

Franklin opened his session with a brief congratulatory statement to former Penn State players Saquon Barkley, Jahan Dotson, and Tariq Castro-Fields for their Super Bowl LIX victory with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. They became the first Nittany Lions to hoist the Lombardi Trophy since Grant Haley and Nick Scott with the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

“Really cool to be a part of this journey with these guys, all the way back from when we recruited them, so to see them having that type of success and on that stage is really cool,” Franklin said.

On Jim Knowles’ Arrival & Tom Allen’s Departure

Franklin released some clarity on Penn State’s acquisition of former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles for the same job in Happy Valley.

“It happened pretty quickly. What I think helped with this is we spoke a couple years back when the position was open. We already had pretty good familiarity with each other,” Franklin said.

Franklin highlighted his anxiety on officially getting Knowles’ deal done due to the massive wave of reports of the hire before the contract was actually signed. He credited Pat Kraft and Neeli Bendapudi for their support and unique flexibility when it came to inking Knowles and welcoming him to Penn State.

“I always have a list ahead of time,” Franklin said regarding his defensive coordinator search after Tom Allen took the Clemson defensive coordinator job. “I’ve been at places in my career where you have a dream list and they’re not really realistic. Your dream list at Penn State is realistic, specifically now with the support that we have.”

Franklin expanded upon Allen’s exit, citing that it’s a painstaking process to fill the position for anybody who departs from the coaching staff. He said that the program sifted through NFL and college candidates, ultimately landing on Knowles, who was on the initial shortlist.

On Ja’Juan Seider’s Departure & Running Back Room

Franklin spoke for the first time about former Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider departing from the program to take on the same role at Notre Dame. He described the untimeliness of Seider’s as “very detrimental,” saying that losing someone this late in the process of coaching carousels can be very costly when it comes to signing the best person for the job.

“You got to find that sweet spot of a guy that’s got enough experience, both in coaching and recruiting, at this level, and that we’re going to get the return on our investment quickly,” Franklin said. “We’re just not at a point as a program to come in and have to wait a year or two while we’re still developing somebody.”

Franklin said that offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will play an instrumental role in selecting the next running backs coach. Franklin said he’ll ensure the validation of the entire staff with the hire, as the program places an emphasis on its culture.

As a result of Seider’s departure, Franklin described the job as “arguably the most attractive running back job in the country.” Franklin credited this to the return of duo Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen for the 2025 season and recognized Allen’s first full healthy offseason of his collegiate career as a major alluring factor to the running back job.

“Every offseason, he’s had some injury that has really limited his offseason development,” Franklin said. “With him really having his first offseason where he’s been healthy, I think he’s really excited about what he can do, and I know we’re really excited.”

He added that the backs will also play a role in the hiring of their new coach.

On The Receiving Corps & Transfer Portal

Franklin stated that he felt the receiving group got better overall this year. He shifted his focus towards spring ball and said that the coaching staff will further assess the receiving room through winter workouts, spring, and the comments of the strength coaches.

Franklin continued on with a myriad of ideas regarding the transfer portal and its consequences on recruiting for Penn State and college football as a whole.

“We know how important the culture of the locker room is. So, [we] tell our guys don’t get intoxicated by talent, talent alone,” Franklin said. “That’s sometimes hard to do in a transfer portal when it opens and closes quickly, and more times than not the best players already know where they’re going before they ever go into the portal.”

Franklin said the coaching staff will “have to make some decisions” once the spring transfer portal opens.

On Spring Ball

Penn State football’s deep run in the 2024-25 College Football Playoff and hopes for another deep run this upcoming season puts Franklin and the coaching staff in an unfamiliar position regarding winter workouts and spring ball.

“You know, I do see us making some modifications to the spring game,” Franklin said. “I think the biggest modification we’ll make is very similar to what we did with Tyler Warren and Olu [Fashanu] two years ago, is we’ll modify specific guys rather than modify the whole program.”

He compared spring ball to teaching, saying that there are some people who require challenges at the highest level and there are people who’ve only recently arrived and need entry-level treatment.

“There’s some guys that still need a ton of reps, and there’s some guys that still have to get better,” Franklin continued.

Franklin concluded spring ball talk by saying that he’ll wait to talk about the spring game in more detail to ensure an understanding between the coaches, especially Knowles and other new hires, and school administration. He said he understands how much the spring game means to the overall Penn State community.

On The End Of The 2024 Season

Franklin highlighted that nobody took the way Penn State’s season ended harder than the players themselves. He said that it’s important to put into perspective that only one program goes home as national champions at the end of the day, and the Nittany Lions can only focus on learning and growing.

“Everybody is disappointed as you could be when it ends, but there’s also a ton to be proud of and appreciative of,” Franklin said. “But the most important thing is that we use every experience we have, both positive and negative, to get better.”