Joel Klatt thinks Penn State is built like a CFP contender — and he’s right

The big knock against head coach James Franklin and his Penn State Nittany Lions is that they’ve never won the “big game.”

They dispelled that criticism against them somewhat in last season’s College Football Playoff, when they beat SMU and then Boise State before losing to Notre Dame in the CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Those were two big wins in big spots, but Franklin and the Nittany Lions ultimately didn’t hoist the trophy.

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt thinks that can change in 2025, though, and a lot of it has to do with PSU senior quarterback Drew Allar. 

The team itself, though, is stacked.

“I’m very high on this team. I think this team is going to be an excellent team. They’re following the blueprint of a team that can go and actually win a national championship,” Klatt said on the latest episode of his show (h/t On3).

Allar is the big name, but behind him in the backfield are two backs who both rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. Nick Singleton ran for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Kaytron Allen rushed for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns.

On defense, Dani-Dennis Sutton will lead the way on the edge. He notched 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception last season. Defensive tackle Zane Durant is returning for his senior season after notching three sacks last year, and Zakee Wheatley will be one of the best safeties in the nation. Last season, he had 57 solo tackles, one forced fumble, three interceptions and four passes broken up.

The Nittany Lions are talented, and that’s not even counting Allar. He threw for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns last year, compared to eight interceptions. He also rushed for 302 yards and six touchdowns.

Penn State also went and got him some weapons via the transfer portal. Of specific interest is Syracuse transfer Trebor Peña, who notched 941 yards and nine touchdowns for the Orange last season as a wide receiver.

“I think this is going to be a really good team,” Klatt said. “Part of that is is that they’ve replenished their wide receiver corps. They’ve got guys on the outside that I think are going to be very good and will improve Allar as he continues to improve.”

Franklin still has to go out and prove that he can win it all, but he has the pieces to do it this season at Penn State.