The Penn State Nittany Lions football team is said to be consumed with winning the James Franklin breakup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A burning question that CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson feels will define the Penn State Nittany Lions’ 2026 season in its first year post-James Franklin: “Is Penn State better off with Matt Campbell?” Franklin, of course, was hired by the Virginia Tech Hokies in November following an October 2025 firing from State College. He was replaced by former Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell in early December.
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Per Patterson, “Perhaps changing the voice in the room and re-arranging the house will have Penn State renewed with the same kind of energy that powered Franklin’s ascent to winning the Big Ten in Year 3 on the job. But as Franklin himself feels renewed with a new opportunity nearby at Virginia Tech, Penn State will be looking for reasons to believe that it’s in a better place now with Campbell at the helm.”
Virginia Tech is investing over $229 million into athletics in the coming years. The overwhelming majority of that is sure to go to Franklin after he signed a five-year, $41.75 million contract to be the head coach. The Hokies will soon be a factor in the ACC, which could need a new challenger to the Miami Hurricanes soon, with Dabo Swinney and Mike Norvell past their primes with the Clemson Tigers and Florida State Seminoles, respectively.
It might not be the smartest move to try to stack up to Virginia Tech as it begins its ascension to relevancy. Especially when Penn State is entering the fall hoping that Campbell’s pieces from Iowa State will help propel the team to the recruiting heights Franklin had them at.
Penn State is hoping top-5 transfer class carries the load
Whenever you lose 46 players to the portal like the Nittany Lions just did, there are naturally questions about the health of the program. Luckily, Penn State is bringing in a top-five portal class.
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Six blue-chip transfers will be gracing Happy Valley this coming season, including former Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht, who had 9,274 passing yards and 64 passing touchdowns during his time in Ames.
There’s a good chance it works, though there’s equally a chance of growing pains for what’s essentially a brand-new roster. In the Big Ten, Campbell’s road is tougher than Franklin’s in the ACC.
So maybe the Hokies shouldn’t be the measuring stick, and Franlin’s ghost shouldn’t be chased as the Nittany Lions enter a new era.
