Penn State football players are trained to stay in the moment by coach James Franklin. Two defensive players were asked Tuesday what their hopes are for the 2024 season with 12 returning starters. Both safety KJ Winston and tackle Dvon J-Thomas made it clear they’re not focused on the season as a whole, which begins Saturday with a non-conference game at West Virginia.
“To beat West Virginia,” J-Thomas said. “To have a 1-0 mindset on a weekly basis. Of course, we have our bigger goals in terms of the big picture, Big Ten and national championship goals.
“But we have to get through West Virginia. Beating West Virginia is priority No. 1.
” That philosophy has been effective for the Nittany Lions since Franklin became coach in 2014. It has led to five 10-win seasons and five New Year’s Six bowl appearances in the last eight years. The expectations, though, are greater this season with the College Football Playoff expanding from four to 12 teams and with the Big Ten adding USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington.
Penn State has the pieces to contend again in the conference and to reach the CFP for the first time. Franklin admitted last month in Indianapolis for Big Ten Media Days that the stakes are higher. “You’re talking about a program where you can win 10 or 11 games and people are not happy or satisfied,” he said.
“That’s inside the Lasch Building and outside the Lasch Building. We totally get that. “Our players understand that when we recruit them.
Our sta.