Klatt has us at #1
- Thread starter jimarnp
- Start date
WAY TOO EARLY!
Klatt seems to think that replacing Evans and the #18 portal WR Wallace with the #36 & #45 portal WRs is a big upgrade. That's difficult for me to understand.
Also replacing Carter, King, Reed, and Kimber on Defense won't be easy. I think we need a WR, LB, and DB from the portal before I'd put us in the top 5.
Klatt seems to think that replacing Evans and the #18 portal WR Wallace with the #36 & #45 portal WRs is a big upgrade. That's difficult for me to understand.
Also replacing Carter, King, Reed, and Kimber on Defense won't be easy. I think we need a WR, LB, and DB from the portal before I'd put us in the top 5.
We're easy top 5 right now. #1 I can see, as well, just because, unlike the other likely contenders, we have SO MUCH PROVEN TALENT RETURNING. Yes, it's likely these juggernaut programs that are losing lots of guys will just replace them with guys just as good, but that's something they have to prove, even if we think it's likely to happen. We know we're at the top. They have to prove it.
The B1G is going to be a war next year. PSU, Oregon, OSU.....are all NC contenders and keep an eye on USC if Riley can ever figure out how to play defense
Forget the rankings. Rankings don't win games.
Did Evans and Harrison live up to the rankings vs notre dame ?
At most of the positions you listed, PSU will actually have a higher ranked replacement.
The rankings are actually irrelevant. It is the experience and continuity where PSU picks up ground. Look at Tyler Warren in year 4 vs year 5. He went from the #2 TE in PSU's recruiting class to the #1 TE in the country.
Last edited:
Top 10 seems warranted with OL returning and DL looking strong again.
Top 5 seems a stretch. Klatt is just setting PSU up to get knocked down I think.
Top 5 seems a stretch. Klatt is just setting PSU up to get knocked down I think.
it's funny, i've heard a lot of PSU fans think Klatt has been against PSU in his rankings, then the guy ranks us #1 and it's just to "set PSU to fail"...guy can't win, lol.
Last edited:
We have huge holes to fill at WR and LB as well as potential depth issues on the DL and we still don't have a DC on board. Way to early to even guess where we stand. If we can't find a big play WR we are at an immediate disadvantage to Oregon and OSU not to mention others. That said, it is nice to get the mention.
For the love of
Allar Singleton Allen the OL DDS and Durant make us a lock for preseason top 5. Ohio State and Oregon have way bigger questions and they're also top 5
Sooooo, does everyone like Klatt again for this? Lol
Don't see it. Need LB help and WR help not to mention no DC in place. Granted no one knows about the incoming WRs but the situation can't be much worse than the Orange Bowl performance. #1, I don't see it.
Apparently not, if he likes us he's lying to make us look bad when we fail--when he picks us to lose he underestimates us.
Should be a force down the road but he'll be a true freshman next year if he's the same one I'm thinking of. Isn't he the one that received a crazy NIL deal?
I think Michigan is a year or two away with losing those 2 DTs and Johnson- that super DB. All 3 could be 1st round picks in the next NFL draft
And they are projected to lose 4 players in the first round. 4 of the top 14 per some mock drafts.
NFL Mock Draft 2025: Lions, Texans, Packers take Ohio State stars; Ravens add another WR | Sporting News
In Sporting News' ninth mock draft projections for the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Ravens join the Packers, Patriots, Panthers, and Bengals in getting an impact wide receiver, while the Lions and Texans address different issues up front.
"Huge" hole to fill at LB? Most teams lose at least one starting LB to graduation and/or the NFL every year. PSU lost just 1 LB, with 2 starters returning. Seems like thats not an insurmountable thing to do pretty successfully.....
Would be great to upgrade at WR, as we all know. But PSU went to final 4 with WR's that PSU obviously didn't think enough of to give them the NIL to get them to stay so why wouldn't PSU be able to do that again when PSU went out and got WR's they believe are better than what they lost?
DL has lost talent and especially depth. PSU had as much DT experience last season than they possibly have ever had. But I do trust Barnes to work with the large number of young dlinemen on the roster as well as a couple incoming portal dlinemen to put a DL on the field without too much of a dip in performance. Could have been much worse if Durant, Ford DDS and Vilbert had moved on, but with them back the DL may not miss a beat.
Every season, of the various units that make up a team, some improve and some slip. Candidatess to improve are QB, WR, DB, and even LB if a competent Mike LB either from the roster or the portal can settle in during the OOC games as Rojas could make a large leap in his performance given his athletic talent.
Lots to keep an eye on this Spring.....
Last edited:
what's the word on De'Andre Cook and Liam Andrews?...i think injuries hurt their progress, is that right?
I really haven't heard that either were injured. It's my understanding that both of those true freshmen DT's had to concentrate on adding muscle and size to develop into B10 DT's. I heard that particularly Andrews, originally projected as a top athletically guifted OL recruit, had to work on transforming his body to add muscle and size (as most true freshmen linemen must do). But note that Gilliam was the other true freshmen DT and he seemed to be ahead of the other two and did get some game experience in 2024 while still qualifying for a redshirt. Also note that the incoming DT transfer Wafle from Michigan will also be a redshirt freshmen in 2025 and reportedly is close to 300 lbs. So there will be significant young DT talent and competition for playing time behind Durant, Ford, Artis and Blanding, with the possibility of the staff adding another more experienced DT during the Spring transfer period.
With the #1 returning QB, 2 top running backs, one of the best OLs in the country, plus some key defenders back - pre-season Top 5 easily.
Interesting to talk about in the off-season.
As long as everyone keeps in mind all these predictions are a bunch of meaningless BS.
Nobody has any real clue how any of these teams will come together next fall.
It’s as easy to o say Allar will make massive strides as it is to say he may regress without Warren and decent wide receivers.
The new DC may put together an awesome unit, or the loss of Carter, King and several secondary players could cause the D to struggle.
And that’s just PSU’s side of the coin. Who knows about all the other contenders/pretenders?
As long as everyone keeps in mind all these predictions are a bunch of meaningless BS.
Nobody has any real clue how any of these teams will come together next fall.
It’s as easy to o say Allar will make massive strides as it is to say he may regress without Warren and decent wide receivers.
The new DC may put together an awesome unit, or the loss of Carter, King and several secondary players could cause the D to struggle.
And that’s just PSU’s side of the coin. Who knows about all the other contenders/pretenders?
It's more about who we return than whether those players will be upgrades. QB, 2 RBs, 4/5 OL with depth that has starts. We theoretically could have lost at least 3 of these players and we would still be considered a fringe 10-15 team.
Its also a lot about what the other top 10 teams are losing as well. OSU has to replace an entire defense essentially (10/11 gone).
And they lose their 2 RBs, TE, 2 DTs, and their best CB without really addressing WR or mitigating the other key losses. Top 10 for them seems really high without Harbaugh there.
Who do you like in the 2025 game at O$U?
That will answer any questions about being #1.
Klatt is an entertainer and commentator. His opinion is as good as mine or yours at this time and neither counts for anything..
I actually watch him and down Josh Pate. I think they give a fairly fair breakdown, they’re not shields for Penn State but they’re not like a Paul Finebaum.
Overall I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks about the upcoming season including anyone here. Because we will eventually play the games and none of this will change what happens on the field. I’m pretty sure Penn State will be fairly good next year and I hope they win it all
No, he wasn't. He was dead on. He called it! 3 losses! Well, except for the fact that he was speaking about 3 regular season losses and laughing at the prospect of us making the playoffs. Meanwhile, we had 1 loss and made it to the semis (and shoulda/coulda won that, as well).
The salient point being, tigers don't often change their stripes. The same folks who have been bashing Franklin, will continue to look at things in a light less favorable to him. The same folks who are always talking down our team, and talking up other teams, will continue to do so. And so on.
On paper, this PSU squad looks stout, regardless of any perceived weaknesses here or there. Compared to other teams, we're in an absolutely fantastic position heading into next year, so these lofty expectations are well deserved. We can just enjoy this reality, or we can sit around trying to crap on it. The negative nellies will have plenty of time to "I told you so" us to death if PSU doesn't finish top 5 next year ... do they really have to start now?
To "celebrate" the contributions of the negative nellies, I'll leave you with this random gem, also from the USC thread ...
Preseason rankings mean less than they ever did. Especially with the portal, it's pretty hard to know what PSU's opponents will look like. Yes PSU looks pretty good but so do a lot of teams. Whether the passing game improves is impossible to know at this point. All I know is Warren is gone along with the top 2 receivers. They have to build a passing game from literally nothing, and without a passing game PSU's offense will struggle, and that would mean the defense wears down and struggles too. This season could look a bit like 2023.
The only benefit of this is it can help recruiting.
This is a bit extreme since he was already considered one of top tight ends last year.
To @PurposePitch We had and have again top recognizable talent on offense. We will have a great OL and some excellent depth (Cousins? Whoa) in the OL too. Quite possibly the best since 1994. TE won’t be Tyler Warren but if anyone watched, we have 2 guys ready to step in, a 3rd that was going to be TE2 last until he got hurt. However, the problem at WR are not “here and there,” because it is all 3 positions. There is no evidence the transfers will fix the probs since history says we have failed there too. Still….this offense mostly went whereever it wanted this year without them so I’m jazzed about next year.
Defense….DB coach is Smith. Feel like history shows he will plug in the new guys and off we go. DL will be great again. LB…again not a hole “here and there”. #’s 13 and 0, flashed occasional big plays, perhaps making some forget the missed tackles that have them among the lowest ranked LB’s in P4, not to mention 13’s decisions to plug the wrong hole. Or LB coach is gone, so maybe that’s a plus. Incoming other LB’s have damn few snaps. It’s an identifiable problem since you are talking about 2 -3 LB’s on the field at once….like the WR’s. Still….again I’m excited about next year because there are some bonfire hammers on this side of the ball. DDS likely AA and high pick.
Then there is Franklin himself. To win a championship he has to beat the best. History again rears its head. Going into the ND game, we weren’t the favorite. We were favored in the other two playoff games. Lots of patterns on wash, rinse, repeat with this coach. It’s undeniable. However, I’m all in on Klatt’s #1 ranking. If it means we are favored in every game?….then you see my point.
Last edited:
Easily preseason top-5. No brainer.
Winning a title is more than just returning dudes. It's about having the mindset and culture to win those big games in crunch time, navigate the ups and downs of the season, and string together big win after big win.
Franklin hasn't beaten a top-5 team in 8+ years. He'll need to beat several of them (perhaps consecutively) to win a title. If we go into Columbus and win, then sign me up. Until then, there's reason for skepticism that we're the team to beat nationally.
We have the roster to be #1. But it's those other things that we have not shown in comparison to the OSUs and Georgias of the world.
Winning a title is more than just returning dudes. It's about having the mindset and culture to win those big games in crunch time, navigate the ups and downs of the season, and string together big win after big win.
Franklin hasn't beaten a top-5 team in 8+ years. He'll need to beat several of them (perhaps consecutively) to win a title. If we go into Columbus and win, then sign me up. Until then, there's reason for skepticism that we're the team to beat nationally.
We have the roster to be #1. But it's those other things that we have not shown in comparison to the OSUs and Georgias of the world.
Can Franklin have the team ready to make that clutch play/drive/stop if we even get that far?
-OSU this year strip sack by Sawyer vs Texas and Jeremiah Smith catch vs ND
-Michigan drive vs Bama and goal line stop in '23
-Georgia final td drive and subsequent stop vs OSU in '22
Every championship team faces a win or lose clutch moment. So far he has failed in every big game when this moment arises (sans the blocked FG vs OSU).
Call me a fool but seven months out, I'm really excited about our prospects next year.
We'll be top-5 pre-season...and rightly so.
The critical variable is Drew Allar. If he breaks through and goes from potential stardom to actual, then we'll break through with him and likely play for the national championship.
But if Drew never gets beyond potential, then stand by for a lot of pissing, moaning, and handwringing on the part of Penn State fans.
It will go one of two directions: either Hack...or Collins. Hoping against hope for the latter scenario.
We'll be top-5 pre-season...and rightly so.
The critical variable is Drew Allar. If he breaks through and goes from potential stardom to actual, then we'll break through with him and likely play for the national championship.
But if Drew never gets beyond potential, then stand by for a lot of pissing, moaning, and handwringing on the part of Penn State fans.
It will go one of two directions: either Hack...or Collins. Hoping against hope for the latter scenario.
Lol it doesn't matter what Allar does...it won't be good enough for some people...he has less weapons than last year so it going to be tough for the pass game to be elite
Let the record show that Lando is already making excuses for Drew...even though we'll have the best RB tandem in the country, a top-5 OL, a potentially excellent young TE, and a WR corps that could not possibly be less impressive than last year's.
Dude, why do you think Joel Klatt has us #1 and every much-too-early ranking I've seen has us in the top-5. It's largely on the strength of the offense...though the D is looking pretty promising too.
I mean, I know you're put out that you won't have Beau to blame but it is what it is: we sink or swim with Drew...and if we sink with him, then all your fanciful excuses ain't gonna cut it.
What does the best RB duo in the country have to do with the passing game?
Our WR core isn't improved--see where they were ranked in the portal by all publications
Excuses and dealing with reality are two very different things.
Klatt has us ranked one because "this is the blueprint for winning a title, bringing everyone back". It's not "largely on the offense"--he talks specifically about the defense.
Allar may not even have to throw the ball in 10 games to get a win given our OL and RBs
Beau? He was irrelevant last year--when did anyone ever blame Beau for anything other than throwing off the momentum of the offense which was on AK now him.
You and others simply don't like pocket passers and nothing will make you happy. See you brining up Beau for some reason when the coaches and his teammates are obviously thrilled he's gone. No one followed him to Mizzou
