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Urban Meyer puts James Franklin's transfer portal efforts on blast as he casts doubt on Penn State's ability to win the National Championship

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ian Valentino | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 3:49 PM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes won the 2024-25 National Championship, but the Penn State Nittany Lions were one big weakness away from having the chance to best their rival. The Nittany Lions learned from what they were missing last year, though. After the Buckeyes won with a veteran-laden roster that was bolstered by a few high-end transfer additions, James Franklin took the same approach.

Seeing his quarterback, Drew Allar, return to college despite likely being a top-three pick in the 2025 NFL Draft class, put urgency on Franklin to upgrade what was an awful receiving corps last season. Penn State instead ran its offense through tight end Tyler Warren, who was a first-round pick in April, and running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Both returned alongside Allar.

Franklin added some new talent to his offense to augment the offense, but former Buckeyes coach and Fox Sports analyst Urban Meyer just isn't sure if it's enough entering this fall. Here's what he said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.

"That was not a typical Penn State receiving corps, and I don’t know if they made it better. I keep trying to research that, and we’ll see them early in the season, but I’m hoping they have better skill on the outside. I think everything about Penn State is a national championship contender. My question is, do they have NFL Draft picks on the outside like they used to?"

Franklin was aggressive, adding Syracuse star Trebor Pena, Troy playmaker Devonte Ross, and USC starter Kyron Ware-Hudson. This trio combined for 199 receptions, 2,446 yards, and 23 touchdowns last year. Pena and Ross were especially productive.

Can the Penn State offense maximize them, though? Warren functioned as a gadget player like we've never seen from someone who was primarily a tight end. Allar's decision-making is great, but his accuracy and aggressiveness will need to improve if the offense becomes more dependent on his instincts and a willingness to test tight windows.

Of course, having better weapons that can separate from coverage can help alleviate the pressure Allar faced last year. His receiving unit in 2024 had some physical talent, but not the proven production of this new trio.

Was Meyer just being a hater? I don't think so, but underrating the talent brought in seems unfair. Pena is the star who should translate without much issue. Hudson is the most questionable fit because he's a jump-ball receiver instead of a separator. Ross is the biggest projection because of the leap in competition.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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