Stock Up for Penn State in ESPN's Future Power Rankings

Penn State is a leader in the 2025 College Football Playoff sweepstakes, earning preseason praise from all corners. Phil Steele, whose preseason magazine is a cornerstone of college football, projects the Nittany Lions as championship contenders, while ESPN's Football Power Index algorithm grades them highly as well.

Penn State football certainly has constructed a roster built for a title run this season, but what about beyond that? Can the Nittany Lions sustain success in 2026, particularly after an NFL Draft that could be among the program's most prolific? ESPN's Adam Rittenberg likes their chances.

Rittenberg recently compiled his offseason glance at college football's future power rankings, which look at the game over a two-year window. As Rittenberg writes, the transfer portal has completely reshaped college football rosters and timelines, making them nearly impossible to measure over a three-year span. Thus, Rittenberg narrowed the focus to two years to "function more as a snapshot of the landscape."

Rittenberg considered several metrics in the rankings, notably whether teams have returning or multi-year starting quarterbacks and what their offensive and defensive fronts look like. Penn State graded out well in this iteration of the future power rankings.

Where is Penn State in ESPN's future power rankings?

Rittenberg places Penn State sixth in the rankings, behind Notre Dame, Oregon, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas. The Nittany Lions win with a returning starting quarterback in Drew Allar but won't have a multi-year starter — unless they go to the portal, which Penn State coach James Franklin has not done at the position.

Meanwhile, Rittenberg has taken notice of Penn State's offensive line refresh, which produced three NFL Draft picks in 2024 and will start as many as five on this year's line. The Nittany Lions consistently have produced strong defensive lines, but offensive line coach Phil Trautwein believes he has a contender for the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation's top offensive front.

"Penn State's rise to become a national contender not surprisingly has coincided with improvement and stability along the offensive line under coach Phil Trautwein," Rittenberg writes.

As Rittenberg further notes, Penn State has star power across the 2025 roster, with Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, cornerback A.J. Harris and safety Zakee Wheatley. The Nittany Lions also have built one of the nation's best coaching staffs, led by coordinators Andy Kotelnicki (offense) and Jim Knowles (defense).

But the 2026 roster and staff will look different. Knowles is on a three-year deal and has said he's happy as a coordinator, making him unlikely to leave. But Kotelnicki will be in play for head-coaching jobs after next season. Penn State would be quite fortunate to get a third season out of Kotelnicki in 2026.

Then, of course, there's this: "James Franklin reached his second Big Ten title game and secured his first two CFP victories in 2024, but the "Big Game James" label still will follow him, especially in a 2025 season packed with pressure," Rittenberg writes. That will be a leading narrative of Penn State's 2025 campaign, as the Nittany Lions are in win-now mode.

The Nittany Lions open the 2025 season Aug. 30 vs. Nevada at Beaver Stadium.