Penn State Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

The Penn State Nittany Lions will return a plethora of their stars in 2025.

Drew Allar, Kaytron Allen, and Nicholas Singleton are all bound to return to the Penn State program next year. Tangoed up with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the Nittany Lions have a “run it back” feel about them right now that mimics Michigan and Ohio State in 2023 and 2024.

For Knowles, who coached Ohio State’s 2024 title-winning defense, there’s only one thing on his mind.

The Nittany Lions’ new defensive coordinator didn’t hold back with his set of expectations for the 2025 college football season.

“I have one aspiration,” Knowles said via On3. “I’m at a that point in my career where you focus solely ont he job at hand. My aspiration is to help Penn State win the national championship and be the No. 1 defense in the country,” he proclaimed.”

“And that’s really all I’m focused on. That’s not just talk, that’s the truth. I don’t have any aspirations beyond that,” Knowles emphatically said.

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While Penn State will lose Abdul Carter to the NFL, there is still an abundance of talent on the defense. With Knowles’ coaching, it’s likely the Nittany Lions remain a force to be reckoned with next season.

The 2025 college football season can’t come soon enough. Especially not for Penn State.

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022