Penn State Football: Grading the Nittany Lions New Coaching Hires

Penn State coach James Franklin made of college football's boldest hiring statements this offseason.

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jim Knowles looks on from the sideline during the Blue-White spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Time and time again, Penn State has found itself in marquee matchups only to come up short. Penn State coach James Franklin’s record is 4-19 against AP top-10 teams and 3-10 when he has a top-10 team, as ESPN noted after the Nittany Lions’ Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame. 

Though that record wasn’t entirely the catalyst, Franklin made hires this offseason to address those shortcomings. The Penn State football coach didn’t make the sweeping changes of last year, when he hired three new coordinators, but Franklin also made the most high-profile staff hire of the college football offseason.

How successful was Franklin? Here are my grades for Penn State’s 2025 coaching hires.

RELATED: Grading Penn State's acquisitions from the transfer portal

Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles: A+

In January, Tom Allen signed a three-year, $6 million contract with Clemson, leaving Penn State after one season as defensive coordinator. While Allen’s departure was a surprise, it also led to an opportunity for Penn State. Introducing: Jim Knowles.

Widely considered the best defensive coordinator in the country, Knowles left Ohio State, the reigning national champion, for the same position at Penn State. Although lateral moves are uncommon in college football, the lucrative three-year deal worth more than $9 million that Knowles signed with the Nittany Lions clarified his decision. The deal not only made the former Buckeye the highest-paid coordinator in college football but also allowed Knowles to coach his childhood team. 

The Cornell graduate’s rich history in football dates to 1988, when he started his career as an assistant coach for the Big Red. Since then, Knowles has led five different defenses at Western Michigan (1997-00), Mississippi (2003), Duke (2010-17), Oklahoma State (2018-21) and Ohio State (2022-24).

Knowles raised his profile during his four-year tenure with the Cowboys, where his defenses improved each season. Shortly after, the Philadelphia native spearheaded a top-three Ohio State defense in 2023 and topped the country in 2024, when the Buckeyes ranked first nationally in scoring defense, total defense, yards allowed per play, touchdowns allowed per play and red-zone touchdowns allowed. 

Knowles’ defenses tend to rank toward the top nationally in nearly every statistic, and he’s certainly an A+ hire for Penn State. He also represents a new direction for hiring at Penn State, as Franklin said earlier this year.

“When we were able to go out and compete with who we competed with to get arguably the best defense coordinator in college football, I'm very, very appreciative of that,” Franklin said. “I know there’s a ton of excitement from our players, there's a ton of excitement from the fans, a ton of excitement from our supporters and alumni and lettermen, and all those things matter.”

Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles watches warmups prior to the Buckeyes' 2024 game against Penn State at Beaver Stadium. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Running Backs Coach Stan Drayton: A+

Similar to Allen, former Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider moved laterally to Notre Dame following the 27-24 loss to the Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl. The shocking decision put Penn State on the offensive again. Just five days after Seider’s departure in February, Franklin hired former Temple head coach Stan Drayton.

Drayton, 54, enters his 32nd year in football, having spent the majority of it coaching running backs. Drayton’s resume speaks for itself. He was part of two national-championship teams (2006 Florida and 2014 Ohio State) and coached NFL talent such as Brian Westbrook, Ezekiel Elliot, Bijan Robinson and Carlos Hyde. 

As a college player, Drayton was a dynamic running back at Allegheny College. In four seasons, Drayton was a three-time, first-team All-American and led his team to the Division III national championship in 1990. He rushed for 3,272 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in 1991 and 1992. 

For the first time since 2021, Drayton is a running backs coach again. He gets the opportunity to put his resume to the test by coaching two of the best running backs in the nation, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who also get a fresh perspective after working with Seider for three years.

“I'm so excited to have my own room and actually be able to hold a shield and set up a bag drill and actually run a meeting room setting with those guys in an intimate setting. This is something that I really missed as a head football coach,” Drayton said. “I love helping young people reach their full potential and help them achieve the dreams that they have for themselves. And I just think that's something that is my calling. So I just had to get back into it.” 

Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Trace McSorley: A

It’s no secret that bringing back lettermen has been a success for Franklin, who has hired former Nittany Lions Deion Barnes (defensive line), Dan Connor (linebackers) and Ty Howle (tight ends) to his staff. This offseason, Franklin brought in Penn State fan-favorite Trace McSorley as a low-risk, high-reward addition. 

McSorley, now 29, led Penn State to the 2016 Big Ten title and broke numerous school records, including total offense (11,596), passing yards (9,899), passing touchdowns (77) and wins (31). Known for his big-game mentality, McSorley could be vital to the development of Drew Allar. 

It’s no secret that Allar has been less productive in marquee games, and McSorley has thrived in those. Whether it’s the 65-yard drive that led No. 4 Penn State over Iowa in 2017 or the 384-yard, three-touchdown performance in the 2016 Big Ten title game, McSorley has been consistently calm under pressure. He also brings a unique perspective to Penn State’s quarterbacks room.

"It's been awesome," quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien said. "He has a perspective that I don't have, having played here. We both played [quarterback], but he played here at a high level, and that's invaluable for our guys.”

Former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley answers a question during a Happy Valley United Q&A session at Medlar Field. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Senior Defensive Analyst Greg Gattuso: A-

Rounding out the primary list of offseason hires is former Nittany Lion Greg Gattuso. The 63-year-old returns to his alma mater, where he was a defensive lineman on the 1982 national championship team. Gattuso stepped down after 11 years as Albany’s head coach to take the Penn State job, saying that he would "never leave Albany unless it was for Penn State." 

Gattuso has more than 30 years of coaching experience, serving as the head coach at Duquesne (1993-04) and as an assistant at Pitt (2005-10) and Maryland (2011-13) before becoming head coach at Albany. In hiring Gattuso, Franklin added another letterman to his staff and brought wisdom to his defense.