Penn State Storylines at Big Ten Football Media Days

The Nittany Lions arrive in Indianapolis with playoff potential and questions for James Franklin to address.

Penn State coach James Franklin watches during the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Coaches and players from coast to coast are in Indianapolis for the 2024 Big Ten Football Media Days, a three-day event that begins Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium. James Franklin and his accompanying trio of Penn State football players — defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas (Ellies), safety Jaylen Reed and tight end Tyler Warren — are scheduled to meet the media Wednesday.

While the conference’s media days are an annual tradition, this year’s edition will operate under novel circumstances with four former Pac-12 teams hailing from the West Coast. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti is likely to have his hands full with questions regarding conference expansion on Tuesday. But by Day 2, the questions should become more football specific.

Here are five looming storylines for the Nittany Lions ahead of Big Ten Media Days.

In-state recruiting

Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class is far from a disappointment. The Nittany Lions have received commitments from 22 prospects, including six 4-star recruits, across 11 different states. There are, however, some disappointing qualities. The most significant has been the team’s inability to land the top players in Pennsylvania, of which Franklin has a remarkably strong track record.

Over the previous three recruiting cycles, Penn State earned commitments from two of the state’s top three recruits: Nick Singleton and Drew Shelton in 2022; Jven Williams and Ta’Mere Robinson in 2023; Cooper Cousins and Quinton Martin Jr. in 2024. In the 2025 class, 4-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett is the team’s top in-state prospect at No. 8 in Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports.

The Nittany Lions have expanded their recruiting territory to states such as California, Kansas and Arkansas this cycle but also have strayed from dominating the state. Franklin will likely be asked whether this is intentional with an expanding conference or if there’s another reason for the recent slip.

Beaver Stadium renovations

The initial work of Penn State’s $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium, set for completion in 2027, has begun. Construction has started at Gates A and E and in the South end zone, where a new “super ribbon” scoreboard is being built. Despite the exciting changes coming to one of college football’s premier attractions, not everyone is happy.

Penn State Trustees Anthony Lubrano and Jay Paterno spoke out against the renovation plan in an article published by the Wall Street Journal in July. Lubrano and Paterno believe the project conflicts with the university’s economic situation. 

Franklin has unsurprisingly voiced support for the renovations, which should benefit recruiting for the Nittany Lions’ 31 varsity programs and open the door for year-round events within Beaver Stadium. But why does he believe such an investment is worth it?

Playoff expansion

The opportunity for a College Football Playoff berth has likely never been brighter for Penn State, which would have qualified in six of the past eight seasons had the postseason operated under a 12-team format, as it will in 2024.

The depth and experience should be there for the Nittany Lions, but a difficult schedule, headlined by a home game with Ohio State and trips to West Virginia and USC, could stand in their way. As training camp nears, Franklin could give his thoughts regarding Penn State’s ability to perform in an expanded Big Ten and whether he believes this year is playoff or bust.

RELATED: James Franklin says a larger playoff would have changed Penn State "dramatically."

Wide receivers

Even with the departure of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and arrival of Tom Allen, the Nittany Lions’ defense is loaded and should be among the nation’s best this season. For a second consecutive year, though, all eyes are on the offense — specifically the wide receivers — to carry Penn State to its first playoff appearance.

Last year made anything but a strong first impression for wide receivers coach Marques Hagans. It’s no question; he’ll need to flip a switch in 2024. It will be interesting to hear from Franklin if Hagans has improved things in the wide receiver room under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

Captains

Penn State is nearly a month away from its Aug. 31 season opener at West Virginia, but Franklin has yet to publicly name his team’s 2024 captains. Wednesday will give him another opportunity to do so. Some names to consider: J-Thomas, Reed, Warren, linebacker Dom DeLuca, linebacker Kobe King and center Nick Dawkins.

Other news: Penn State was ranked No. 3 on cleveland.com’s annual Preseason Big Ten Football Poll, trailing only Ohio State (1) and Oregon (2). Michigan, the reigning national champion, and Iowa round out the top five, respectively. Since the Big Ten does not conduct a preseason poll, the cleveland.com media survey serves as a de facto proxy poll.

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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.