Last winter as Penn State was still picking up the pieces following a devastating 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, hope started to reemerge. First, it was defensive tackle Zane Durant announcing he was returning to Penn State for the 2025 season. Then, it was Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen dropping the […]
Last winter as Penn State was still picking up the pieces following a devastating 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, hope started to reemerge. First, it was defensive tackle Zane Durant announcing he was returning to Penn State for the 2025 season. Then, it was Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen dropping the news of their comeback to Happy Valley. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton followed later that day to say he too had unfinished business as a Nittany Lion. They were all joining quarterback Drew Allar, a fellow 2022 recruiting class member, for one more go around in Happy Valley.
The hope was more than just the star players returning. The Nittany Lions lost defensive coordinator Tom Allen to Clemson so they went and poached Jim Knowles from the reigning national champions. News of Knowles’ salary record-setting hiring literally happened as the Buckeyes were celebrating their national title in the Horseshoe.
Penn State was active in the transfer portal too, especially at wide receiver following a goose egg performance in the Orange Bowl. Out were Trey Wallace and Omari Evans, and in came Kyron Hudson from USC, Devonte Ross from Troy, and Trebor Pena from Syracuse. There is no All-American among them, but there is a proven track record of performance. The trio totaled 198 receptions for 2,446 yards and 23 touchdowns last season; some much needed juice to a stagnant wide receiver room.
I recap all of this to say it’s been a fun offseason as a Penn State fan. Offseason grades aren’t really a thing in the college game like they are in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL, but if there were offseason grades the Nittany Lions would have gotten an A+. Keep most of your really good players, use the portal to get some more good ones at positions of need, and steal one of the best coordinators in the game from your rival conference foe. Pretty, pretty good.
And, man, if you as a fan weren’t excited by the moves, the college football media has poured gasoline on the fire that is Penn State football. Back in January, most outlets had Penn State in the No. 3-No. 5 area. As the offseason has gone along, that hype only got louder and louder, with a number of outlets either picking Penn State to be the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff or to win the whole gosh dang thing.
This is a Penn State program that isn’t unfamiliar to high expectations. Since the 2017 season, the Nittany Lions have started the year ranked in the Top 10 five times, and ranked inside the Top 25 all but one time in 2022. Generally speaking, people within this fan base and on the outside expect Penn State to be a very good football team.
But No. 1 rankings? Being one of the few favorites to win the national title? This is a level of hype and expectation that hasn’t been truly prevalent in Happy Valley since the late 90s. That is inherently a fun thing, right? Who doesn’t like seeing their team get all the flowers over the offseason? Who doesn’t enjoy logging onto Twitter in May, and saying “16-0 or GTFO” knowing there is no immediate danger of repercussions?
But now, we are here. Arguably the most anticipated season of Penn State football in the 21st Century is here. What many are calling The YearTM is here. All the goodwill from the media, all the hype of Penn State finally breaking through — now we find out if it was warranted.
It’s exciting to be on the precipice of getting those answers, but I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that it’s daunting too. For so many Penn State fans, this is a year where the chips have been pushed in. Yes, the payout and jubilation of a potential win is intoxicating, but the sobering reality of sports fandom is that most seasons end in disappointment and regret for what could have been. Even the best of the best — coaches like Kirby Smart and Ryan Day, who waltz to 11-win campaigns — have won national titles in less than 25% of their seasons as head coaches.
This isn’t to throw cold water on Penn State’s upcoming season. In fact, it’s completely the opposite. The cruel possibility of loss is what drives our excitement. The idea that seasons with hype like this don’t come around often is what has me fired up for the next however many Saturdays. No matter what happens this fall/winter — whether it ends with joy or sadness — it’s a privilege to have this feeling going into the season.
Category: General Sports
