Penn State had a plenty successful 2024 season, finishing out with a narrow loss to national runner-up Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The Nittany Lions came away with a No. 5 ranking in the final AP Poll, the highest in James Franklin’s 11 years at the helm.

But these days, it takes the GDP of a small country to keep a roster intact in college football. Ohio State spent the money to do it in 2024. Penn State is trying to do it in 2025. The Nittany Lions,

The second is, technically, an opinion -- one shared by everyone on ESPN's committee selecting the top 100 players of the 2024-25 season -- but it'd be tough to come up with a compelling argument for someone else.