Penn State Football Reports Highest GPA in Program History After James Franklin’s Firing Season

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Adversity makes you strong, and Penn State proved it pretty clearly. After the team fired James Franklin last year, the team was under a lot of pressure with things changing around. But despite that shift, the team proved what they are actually capable of, which even meant making a mark outside the field.

Penn State football posted the highest team GPA of 3.32 in program history this spring. What’s impressive is that the team achieved this feat despite head coach James Franklin’s firing just last semester and a tough 2025 season.

While this GPA comprises the football players only, the student-athletes cumulatively achieved the same feat during the 2025 season fall semester as well. They recorded the highest GPA in school history, showing that the players stayed focused both on the field and in their studies. The student-athletes finished the semester with a strong 3.35 average GPA, while the overall long-term cumulative GPA reached 3.32.

Out of nearly 800 athletes across 31 different sports teams, 593 students earned at least a 3.0 GPA. Another 322 athletes made the Dean’s List by earning a GPA of 3.5 or higher. On top of it, 63 student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the semester, and 16 students kept a perfect 4.0 GPA overall across their entire college studies.

This isn’t the first time Penn State saw this kind of success. Under James Franklin, it happened in the past, too. One major example came in 2015, when 51 Penn State players earned at least a 3.0 GPA. At that time, it was one of the best academic marks in program history.

Now, to make sure things continue in the same way, Matt Campbell made solid changes in the program. He broke old habits inside the football building by making his office more open for the players. And encouraged them to come upstairs more often. Which means the team is now pushed towards more open conversations, which wasn’t the case in Franklin’s era. Campbell also got Iowa’s staff and players to maintain continuity.

To build team chemistry, Campbell organized a player “draft” to form mixed teams of Penn State players and Iowa State transfers. These teams competed every week in different challenges, earned points for discipline and teamwork, and lost points for small mistakes like arriving late. Now, let’s wait and see how this shift will help the team, because right now, everything looks very positive for the team.

Penn State’s massive news ahead of the season

Penn State is heading into the 2026 season with a lot of excitement, even after going through one of the biggest roster changes in program history. New head coach Matt Campbell arrived in Happy Valley and quickly rebuilt the team, adding 55 new players overall, including 40 players from the transfer portal.

Now, with a favorable schedule, the team is heading towards a massive success under Campbell. FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt even said Campbell “hit the scheduling jackpot” because Penn State avoids playing powerhouse Big Ten teams like Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana during the regular season.

According to CBS Sports’ rankings of all 138 college football teams, Penn State only faces three top-20 opponents all season, and only two of those games are on the road. So, one of the toughest games on Penn State’s schedule is clearly the home matchup against No. 14 USC. Another huge challenge comes on the road against No. 16 Michigan in Ann Arbor. Penn State has struggled there for years and has not truly won at Michigan Stadium since 2009.

Then they will also face a very difficult late-season road game against No. 19 Washington in Seattle. The Nittany Lions have not played there since 1921, so it will be a completely different environment for most of the roster. However, several games on the schedule are seen as favorable for the Nittany Lions, including games against Marshall, Buffalo, Purdue, Temple, and Rutgers.

So, this year, there’s a high chance that Matt Campbell might take Penn State to the playoffs in his first season.

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