Penn State Had the Big Ten's Best Offseason, According to ESPN

The Nittany Lions made a statement hire at defensive coordinator and recalibrated their receivers room after making the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Penn State head football coach James Franklin reacts during the Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State football coach James Franklin wasted no time mourning the Nittany Lions' Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Franklin returned to State College for a key recruiting visit two days after the game, then rebuilt his wide receivers room and made the splashiest offseason coaching hire in college football.

As a result, Penn State sits atop multiple post-spring rankings, including that of Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, who considers the Nittany Lions a 2026 title contender. And for his offseason work, Franklin has earned other post-spring plaudits, including one from ESPN.

ESPN's college football staff lauded Penn State as having the most productive offseason among Big Ten teams, as the Nittany Lions seek to win the national championship that has eluded them since the 1986 season. According to ESPN's Bill Connelly, Penn State won the Big Ten offseason through key retention moves, savvy use of the transfer portal and that huge hire. ESPN also ranked Penn State third nationally in postseason success.

"Typically having to hire your fourth defensive coordinator in five years isn't great, especially when you also lose three starters from a dynamite [defensive] front seven," Connelly writes. "But pilfering your rival's awesome defensive coordinator and keeping all of your offensive stars (while using the portal for receiver upgrades) is a good way to nail the offseason."

Franklin, entering his 12th season at Penn State, made his biggest offseason statement by hiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State. Knowles spent three seasons with the Buckeyes, helping them to the CFP national championship last season. He was part of three Ohio State wins over the Nittany Lions, and his defense held Penn State without an offensive touchdown last season.

When defensive coordinator Tom Allen left Penn State for Clemson after one season, Franklin swung for the fences. Penn State offered Knowles more than $3 million annually, the highest salary for an assistant coach in college football and an indication where the program prioritizes winning a title.

“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 this winter. “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.”

Knowles recently detailed his road to Penn State with ESPN's Heather Dinich, describing an "awkward" process that led him to return Franklin's call. But in choosing Penn State, Knowles said he saw a winner in waiting.

"I think I can help," Knowles said earlier this year.. "I think I can be of service. ... Everything here is so close to winning it all, and I'm hopeful that I can help get it there."

Regarding his roster, Franklin made retention a successful offseason priority. Penn State returned a huge collection of offensive talent, notably quarterback Drew Allar, 1,000-yard running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and five offensive linemen with starting experience.

Defensively, the Nittany Lions returned potential All-Americans on the line (tackle Zane Durant, end Dani Dennis-Sutton) and in the secondary (cornerback A.J. Harris, safety Zakee Wheatley).

Penn State also was judicious in the portal, particularly at wide receiver. The Nittany Lions signed Kyron Hudson from USC and Devonte Ross from Troy in time to welcome them for winter workouts and spring practice. Just before kickoff of the Blue-White Game in April, former Syracuse receiver Trebor Pena announced his intent to transfer to Penn State.

In bringing in those three receivers, Penn State added significant productivity to its room. Pena led the ACC with 84 receptions last season, Ross caught 76 passes for 1,042 yards at Troy and Hudson made 38 catches for the Trojans.

As ESPN noted about Penn State, "Not every great offseason stems from heavy portal additions." The Nittany Lions combined a targeted approach with a significant hire (two, counting veteran running backs coach Stan Drayton) to position themselves as a leading College Football Playoff contender.