Where is Penn State in ESPN’s future top 25?
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Penn State has finished in the middle of the pack of the Big Ten standings the past couple of seasons, but the future still looks promising for head coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lions. Coming off an incredible Class of 2022 and off to a stellar start to the Class of 2023 recruiting efforts, there still appears to be plenty of talent making its way to State College. But can Franklin and Penn State build off the potential of the roster to achieve more success in the win column?
Every summer, ESPN takes a look into the future to see how each college football program potentially stacks up in a variety of categories for the next three seasons. This list was recently updated with a prediction on how programs will fare overall over the next three seasons starting with the 2022 season and running through the 2024 season. Not too surprisingly, Alabama tops this year’s updated list, just as it did last year at this time.
So where does Penn State stand in the future rankings from ESPN?
This year’s future ranking from ESPN has Penn State at No. 15. This is three spots lower than last season (No. 12). The most glaring reason for Penn State’s drop in the future rankings is partly due to the recent rises of Michigan (No. 8 this year after not being ranked last year) and Michigan State (No. 18 this year, not ranked a year ago). Throw in the fact that Ohio State is No. 3 and it is clear that Penn State is in a difficult division. This we already knew, but an improved Michigan and Michigan State always makes the division that much tougher.
Another key nugget to consider is the leadership on the staff. This ranking factors in the likelihood that defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is potentially a short-term staff member with a head coaching opportunity surfacing before the 2024 season for the former Miami head coach.
If there is one thing this ranking stresses, it is that Penn State has talent on the roster to be a top 15 team by default. What Penn State does with that talent and potential is what will shape whether or not the Nittany Lions can be a Big Ten title challenger to the Buckeyes and a potential playoff candidate or if they float around mediocrity once again.
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