James Franklin Sets Penn State's 2024 Mission Statement: 'Play Our Best When Our Best Is Needed Most'

Franklin says the Nittany Lions have discussed how to prepare for playing a 17-game season.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin speaks to the media during Big Ten Football Media Days. / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State coach James Franklin took the podium at Big Ten Football Media Days on Wednesday and told it like it is. The Nittany Lions have been oh, so close to the elite threshold of college football for nearly a decade, missing the mark the last two seasons by just two games. With an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024, there are no more excuses for Franklin and the Nittany Lions. The moment is now.

“For us, we’ve got to play our best when our best is needed most, in the biggest games and the biggest moments,” Franklin said. “And I think if you look at us, specifically last year, we did some phenomenal things. That's the step that we need to take.”

This fall marks six years since the great-to-elite comments Franklin made after a 2018 loss to Ohio State. And it was a speech, not a rant, Franklin sternly clarified for a reporter at Lucas Oil Stadium. But not much has changed since Franklin said after a 2018 loss to Ohio State, “We are not an elite football team yet.”

Franklin hasn’t beaten the Buckeye since. Meanwhile, Michigan jumped both programs to claim a national championship last season.

“There are guys that embrace that we're at a place like Penn State, where we've been able to consistently, for the most part, win 10 to 11 games, but that's not the expectation of Penn State," Franklin said. "They chose Penn State just like I chose Penn State — to compete for championships. And we embrace that.

“We are one of the few programs in the country where you can win 10 or 11 games and people are unhappy.”

As the College Football Playoff expands this season, qualifying isn’t Penn State’s only goal. While Franklin has built his philosophy around a “1-0 mentality,” the coach and the Nittany Lions also have looked ahead.

“We’ve been talking to our team a lot about understanding the difference of a possible 17-game season. You’d better understand what that means,” Franklin said during an interview with Big Ten Network. “And then not only, OK, what do we have to do to get into the playoffs but what can we do to get into the playoffs and be in an advantageous situation: [whether it's] a bye Week 1 or whether it’s a home game in Beaver Stadium to start the [playoffs]. You want to put yourself in the best position possible to not just make the playoffs but put yourself in an advantageous situation so you can go be successful in the playoffs.”

Franklin said that “having a returning starting quarterback obviously helps with that.” There were moments in 2023 when Drew Allar appeared to be the star quarterback Penn State recruited him to be. In his starting debut against West Virginia, Allar threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, looking exactly like the Josh Allen replica so many scouts predicted. But Allar had big-game struggles, like his 70-yard performance against Michigan and his 18-for-42 showing at Ohio State. 

The Nittany Lions return one of the nation’s top defenses this fall, so there’s no dodging it. The ball is in the court of Allar and new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to finally take the Nittany Lions from great to elite by qualifying for a playoff debut.

“The big thing for us is explosive plays,” Franklin told Big Ten Network. “We did some really good things last year offensively but we were not explosive enough. And if you study Kansas [where Kotelnicki previously worked], not only were they explosive but they did it a ton of different ways: run game, pass game, quarterback run game, different things that make it really difficult and challenging to defend.”

Penn State opens the 2024 season at West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.

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Seth Engle has covered Penn State football and men’s basketball for the past four years, most recently serving as the football editor of the Daily Collegian. His work has appeared in the Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PennLive, Centre Daily Times and more. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @bigsengtweets.