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Joel Klatt Names College Football Playoff Head Coach Under Pressure in 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
In 2024, 12 college football coaches made it to the College Football Playoff, with eight of them advancing to this milestone for the first time in their careers as head coaches.
While many might assume that reaching the College Football Playoff would alleviate some of the pressures for a head coach, that is not the case, according to Joel Klatt of Fox Sports.
On his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show," he ranked 10 coaches on a pressure index scale. Among them is James Franklin, the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Franklin has an impressive record of 101-42 in his 11 seasons at Penn State, leading the team to three consecutive 10-win seasons.
Last year, the Nittany Lions made the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history, but they lost in the semifinals to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on a field goal in the final seconds. Despite this achievement, Klatt believes it is time for Franklin to take the next step and achieve even greater success.
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin took the school to the playoff for the first time in their history.Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
"For James Franklin, it's time," Klatt said. "Everybody around that program knows it. He knows it. His coordinators know it ... This is a program that's built itself on such solid footing over the last few years. Making it to the national semifinals a year ago.
"Playing for a Big Ten title a year ago. Yet, here's the problem. Penn State under James Franklin still doesn't have that win, at least in recent vintage in the last four or five seasons against a team that they are maybe similar to."
Klatt refers to games with evenly matched talent as "matched-up games." He believes Penn State has struggled in these types of matchups, citing past games against Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon.
However, Klatt acknowledges that it's impressive for Penn State to win against teams it's consistently expected to beat, highlighting its consistency over time.
He suggests that the pressure will escalate when Penn State hosts Oregon for a white-out game. Klatt sees this as an ideal opportunity for the Nittany Lions to demonstrate that they have moved beyond their previous shortcomings and that this team is different.
Klatt also notes that if Penn State loses to Oregon, there will be discussions about how Franklin struggles in big games. He believes a loss in that matchup could impact its chances against Ohio State later in the season, potentially jeopardizing its position in the Big Ten Championship game.
Penn State will kick off its season against Nevada at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Continue reading...
In 2024, 12 college football coaches made it to the College Football Playoff, with eight of them advancing to this milestone for the first time in their careers as head coaches.
While many might assume that reaching the College Football Playoff would alleviate some of the pressures for a head coach, that is not the case, according to Joel Klatt of Fox Sports.
On his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show," he ranked 10 coaches on a pressure index scale. Among them is James Franklin, the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Franklin has an impressive record of 101-42 in his 11 seasons at Penn State, leading the team to three consecutive 10-win seasons.
Last year, the Nittany Lions made the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history, but they lost in the semifinals to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on a field goal in the final seconds. Despite this achievement, Klatt believes it is time for Franklin to take the next step and achieve even greater success.
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Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin took the school to the playoff for the first time in their history.Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
"For James Franklin, it's time," Klatt said. "Everybody around that program knows it. He knows it. His coordinators know it ... This is a program that's built itself on such solid footing over the last few years. Making it to the national semifinals a year ago.
"Playing for a Big Ten title a year ago. Yet, here's the problem. Penn State under James Franklin still doesn't have that win, at least in recent vintage in the last four or five seasons against a team that they are maybe similar to."
Klatt refers to games with evenly matched talent as "matched-up games." He believes Penn State has struggled in these types of matchups, citing past games against Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon.
However, Klatt acknowledges that it's impressive for Penn State to win against teams it's consistently expected to beat, highlighting its consistency over time.
He suggests that the pressure will escalate when Penn State hosts Oregon for a white-out game. Klatt sees this as an ideal opportunity for the Nittany Lions to demonstrate that they have moved beyond their previous shortcomings and that this team is different.
Klatt also notes that if Penn State loses to Oregon, there will be discussions about how Franklin struggles in big games. He believes a loss in that matchup could impact its chances against Ohio State later in the season, potentially jeopardizing its position in the Big Ten Championship game.
Penn State will kick off its season against Nevada at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Continue reading...
