ESPN's big question for Penn State football in 2026
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It is the start of a new era for Penn State football in the 2026 season with a new head coach, a new coaching staff, and a significantly overhauled roster. A year ago Penn State was being billed as a top national title contender by the national media, but the expectations are scaled back for the 2026 season. The truth is Penn State may be a bit of. a wild card team to keep on the radar this season until we get a more firm idea of just what this team will be.
But there is one big question worth asking this season. According to ESPN, that question revolves around the former head coach, James Franklin.
ESPN outlined one big question for every team projected to be in the top 25 this fall. Penn State, which checks in at No. 15 on ESPN’s preseason top 25 list, will be pestered with the Franklin cloud all season long for some. ESPN’s question for the Nittany Lions this fall is simply whether or not Franklin was really the problem for Penn State.
Before diving into what ESPN says next, the answer to that question is undoubtedly “yes.” Over a decade of evidence showed very clearly that Franklin was fully capable of elevating Penn State to being a team equipped to compete for a top-10 ranking and a shot at a Big Ten title, but the Nittany Lions owned an abysmal record against top-10 opponents, and outcomes against programs like Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon was thoroughly documented for all to see and draw a conclusion that Franklin could take Penn State to the big game but was unlikely to get out of it with a win.
“There was a belief at Penn State that the Nittany Lions’ recent success came despite Franklin, not because of him,” ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura said. “Now that theory will be put to the test with Matt Campbell in charge.”
Critics may be quick to note that Campbell does not have an overly impressive record against top-tier competition, although the sample size is a bit smaller in comparison and is countered by what he had to work with at Iowa State compared to what he has in his arsenal in Happy Valley. Whatever happens this season, it will be refreshing having a new coach leading the way with a vision for the future of the program.
Maybe Penn State would have ended the 2026 season in a similar way if Franklin remained the head coach. Maybe they would have won another game or two, and maybe Penn State would have been just fine if Franklin was the head coach in 2026 instead of Campbell. But sometimes you just need to make a change when the message gets stale. Sometimes change can be good for both sides. Penn State will be in good hands with Campbell moving forward, and Franklin will get a chance to redeem himself as he builds up Virginia Tech with a chip on his shoulder.
While Penn State and Franklin are going their separate ways, the comparisons between Campbell’s Nittany Lions and Franklin’s Hokies will be impossible to ignore.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: ESPN’s big question for Penn State football in 2026
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