Penn State following successful model

PennLive via Trib Total Media

In Penn State’s post-Orange Bowl locker room — between the tears, yelling or thousand-yard stares — it was clear the 2024 team felt it was capable of winning a national championship.

Junior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was among those seemingly most impacted by the loss, seeking solace from former Penn State star pass rusher Chop Robinson.

But now, a few weeks after the loss and with the Nittany Lions having time to refocus, Dennis-Sutton has been at the forefront of what has become an all-in push toward 2025. He — alongside fellow class of 2022 signees Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and Zane Durant — announced their returns for next season.

Monday, James Franklin went out and made the official hire of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, taking the Philadelphia native away from national-championship- winning Ohio State.

Franklin and athletic director Pat Kraft did so by making Knowles the highest-paid coordinator in college football, a whopping $3.1 million annual deal, in a move as aggressive as they get.

Knowles led the country’s top-ranked defense in 2024 on the way to a win over Notre Dame in the title game.

Thus, it’s clearer than ever: Penn State saw the potential thanks to the ground laid in 2024 and has done everything it can to keep a championship window open in 2025 and beyond. It’s taken significant financial commitment, alignment between Franklin and the administration and a buy-in from fans and donors who may not have fully believed in the past.

It’s impossible to guarantee a national championship, let alone a win on any given weekend, in college football. But it shouldn’t be dismissed that this model has been followed before, close to home for Penn State, and ended with success.

The bulk of Ohio State’s 2024 national championship production came from a group that featured three graduate students and 11 seniors such as star defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. The Buckeyes also added significant pieces via the transfer portal, such as quarterback Will Howard, safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins.

The 2023 Buckeyes group, which finished outside the four-team College Football Playoff, made a commitment to run it back in 2024 and make it to the promised land. Sure enough, they did.

Michigan’s 2023 championship team set that standard first, though. After the 2022 team fell to TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinals, much like Penn State, the Wolverines reloaded with much of their in-house talent, especially up front, and added key spots in the portal.

Michigan was buoyed by six graduate students, seven seniors — such as running back Blake Corum and defensive lineman Kris Jenkins — and five transfers, including starting tight end AJ Barner.

That team wound up dominating its way to the 2023 national title, finishing 15-0 with a 34-13 win over Washington in the national championship. The Wolverines were built on running the ball and playing suffocating defense, not too dissimilar to Penn State these days.

As it stands, Penn State will operate with a key group of roughly 17 players who will have played college football for at least four seasons in 2025. Franklin and Co. also have pulled in six transfers so far who could contribute in a significant capacity.

There are still 215 days until Penn State opens next season at an under-renovation Beaver Stadium against Nevada. But the pieces already have started to fall into place in Happy Valley to replicate what a pair of Big Ten rivals have done in recent years.

Over those next 215 days, plenty of eyes around the college football universe will be on Penn State, and expectations will be their highest yet in Franklin’s 12th year at the helm.