Last week,The Athletic rolled out the 2021 version of its Penn State football fan survey, with questions ranging from your approval rating of the program to asking for your thoughts about Beaver Stadium and recruiting.
With more than 500 people participating in the survey, I was able to draw some conclusions and get a better idea about what’s on your mind with this team, the stadium and everything in between.
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Let’s dig into all the results.
How would you rate James Franklin’s performance through seven seasons as Penn State’s head coach? (1: poor, 5: excellent)
- 4: 71.4 percent
- 3: 13.1 percent
- 5: 13.1 percent
- 2:1.6 percent
- 1: 0.8 percent
A large percentage of respondents gave Franklin a strong approval rating. For the second consecutive year, the top answer was a four. Interestingly enough, the same number of fans who responded rated Franklin’s performance a five as a three. Last year, four (49.4 percent) and five (46.3 percent) were close.
The most frustrating part about watching Penn State’s on-field performance last season was?
Popular and notable responses included:
- Quarterback struggles
- The offense looked far too similar to what it was in the past despite a new coordinator
- The lack of development in quarterback play
- Turnovers/giving up explosive plays
- Knowing that the offense was good for at least two dumb mistakes per game, at least for the first half of the season. That, and imagining Micah Parsons chasing down Michael Penix at the 1-yard line.
- Goal-line fades — burn that play with fire
- The continued misuse of timeouts and questionable clock management
- All of it
The bulk of responses dealt with the offense, specifically quarterback play and Sean Clifford’s regression during his second season as starter. But, as many of you pointed out too, the defense wasn’t as good as it should’ve been, getting gashed for explosive plays. The tackling early in the season, especially from the linebackers, was not good enough. Defensive coordinator Brent Pry said as much last fall.
What one word best describes Penn State’s 2020 football season?
Popular and notable responses:
- Disappointing
- Forgetful
- Meh
- Bizarre
- Blah
- Clusterf—
How would you rate the state of the program? (1: poor, 5: excellent)
- 4: 67 percent
- 3: 24.8 percent
- 5: 6.1 percent
- 2:2 percent
- 1:0.1 percent
Penn State is on solid footing, with the bulk of fans rating the program a four for the second year in a row. However, last year the second choice was a five, while this year it’s dipped down to a three. That’s what the worst start to a season in program history can do, and some people likely factored in things like staff changes and another offensive coordinator switch. Add in a 2021 signing class that, as respondents outlined below, didn’t meet expectations, and that all makes a difference here.
Fill in the blank: The hiring of Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator was … ?
Popular and notable responses:
- Needed
- Bold
- Brilliant
- Awesome
- Surprising
- A “big baller” move by Franklin
The responses to the Yurcich hire were overwhelmingly positive. The last answer here is the one that nailed it most. This hire was Franklin not wasting any time owning up to the offense’s problem last season and acknowledging that something had to change. He was intrigued by Yurcich in the past, so the guy he wanted came available and he pounced on the opportunity.
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Until the firing of Kirk Ciarrocca, we hadn’t seen Franklin’s Penn State tenure include parting ways with a coordinator after just one season. There were financial ramifications tied to the firing too, as athletic director Sandy Barbour said last winter that there was a buyout figure tied to Ciarrocca’s multi-year deal at Penn State. Ciarrocca is now an offensive analyst at West Virginia.
Is Penn State any closer to making the College Football Playoff this season than it was two years ago?
- No: 69.1 percent
- Yes: 16.4 percent
- I don’t know: 14.5 percent
Surely this is an answer that many of you probably painstakingly hit “no” on. The good news here is that the door has cracked open for College Football Playoff expansion, which would have helped Penn State several times over the years and could certainly help in the near future. If you’re looking for some optimism, I’d point to the 2016 team that was almost written off during the Minnesota game and stormed back and had a strong case to make the Playoff despite getting left out of the four-team race.
If you’re hellbent on being pessimistic about the program making the Playoff in the near future, it also ties in to that 2016 and the 2017 team. If Penn State couldn’t get there with Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley, how will it happen now?
In order to reach the College Football Playoff in the next five years, Penn State must … ?
Popular and notable responses:
- Recruit better
- Beat Ohio State
- Get an elite QB
- Convince the committee to expand to at least 12 teams
- Get a difference-maker a QB
So much is tied to recruiting at the most important position on the field. There’s a fascinating study to be done on what we can call the Justin Fields effect. If he signs with Penn State, could the Nittany Lions have made the Playoff with him at quarterback? If he would’ve been the guy at Georgia, then who knows how much more damage the Bulldogs could’ve done? One special quarterback can make that much of a difference. Penn State was on the right track with Fields, but it has to finish the job in landing elite quarterbacks and then developing them. Clifford was an Elite 11 quarterback, though he didn’t live up to that billing last season.
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Going with two quarterbacks in this upcoming class means two chances to see if the Nittany Lions hit on the right player. They currently hold commitments from Drew Allar and Beau Pribula. Will one of them be the guy to lead Penn State into the Playoff conversation again?
The 2021 season will be considered a success for Penn State if …
Popular and notable responses:
- They at least come in second for their division and nearly make the Big Ten title game — Greg D.
- We can win nine games. — Alyssa R.
- We win 9-10 games and our offense looks vastly improved. — Scott I.
- Feels like a rebuilding year; 10-plus wins would be a solid year. — Anthony B.
- I would say 10 wins. … with one of those being in Week 1 at Wisconsin. A loss to the Badgers could lead to what we saw last year after the stolen game at Indiana— Larry D.
- Reach a New Year’s Six bowl — Doug H.
- Penn State is doing a head coaching search after it. — Doug A.
Responses varied from double-digit wins to starting over, and that reflects the crossroads this team is at. Maybe the Nittany Lions keep moving forward after the strong finish to 2020, showing that last year as a whole was an anomaly? Or maybe Penn State is now coming back down to reality after riding high on New Year’s Six berths?
LB Brandon Smith (Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today Network)
The most important player on Penn State’s defense is … ?
Popular responses:
- Brandon Smith
- PJ Mustipher
- Joey Porter Jr.
- Curtis Jacobs
- Jaquan Brisker
- Tariq Castro-Fields
- Arnold Ebiketie
- Nick Tarburton
- Whoever the starting safety alongside Brisker ends up being
- Any of the front seven
Smith’s name popped up the most often by far. He’s the one five-star recruit on the team and flashed last season, setting up high expectations for 2021. The variety of responses beyond Smith speaks to the reality that this defense needs someone to step up and be a playmaker. Jacobs now at a more comfortable position at sam should improve the linebacking corps. Mustipher’s criticism of his own play last year against the run was an interesting storyline to emerge from spring ball. Mustipher reshaped his body this offseason in an effort to become the kind of difference-maker this defense needs.
Who is your favorite player on the current Penn State roster?
Popular responses:
- Jahan Dotson
- Brandon Smith
- Noah Cain
- Parker Washington
- Keyvone Lee
- Joey Porter Jr.
- Every guy in a white helmet
Dotson was mentioned most often, something that should be expected after he had a standout junior season and elected to return for a fourth year. After Dotson, the race was wide-open. There was a lot of love for Cain, despite him not making it through a full season healthy thus far. Smith, who many are hoping will be the big-play catalyst for the defense, was also mentioned lot. Washington’s breakout freshman season certainly pleased many people too.
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Will Penn State beat Wisconsin to start the season 1-0?
- Yes: 64.9 percent
- No: 35.1 percent
Nothing like easing into the season with a trip to Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 4. We’ll figure out pretty quickly what Yurcich’s offense can do, and the questions about how improved the defense could be will be front and center too.
What will Penn State’s final regular season record be in 2021?
- 10-2: 38 percent
- 9-3: 35.3 percent
- 8-4: 15.3 percent
- 11-1: 6.9 percent
- 7-5: 2.9 percent
- 6-6: 1.2 percent
- 12-0: 0.4 percent
Many of you are stuck somewhere between nine and 10 wins. With the opener at Wisconsin, a nonconference game against Auburn and road games at Ohio State and Iowa, it will be a fascinating season. I’ll file my season prediction in August.
Many pointed out in this survey concerns about what a loss at Wisconsin could do in terms of the snowball effect that happened last season. With a 7:30 p.m. start time set for Auburn two weeks later on Sept. 18, it’s nice to have a return to nonconference football this season and what could be a White Out game, should fans be allowed back in Beaver Stadium.
What one word would you use to describe Parker Washington’s freshman season last year?
Popular and notable responses:
- Outstanding
- Promising
- Unexpected
- Sensational
- Explosive
If you could pick one former Nittany Lion from any era to play on this team, who would you pick and why?
Popular and notable responses:
- Tamba Hali: They could use a dominant pass rusher to set the tone for the front four.
- Mike Reid: He would dominate the defensive line of scrimmage. This would give the team a chance to win every game.
- LaVar Arrington: freakish athleticism with an attitude
- Kerry Collins: need elite passing game
- Shane Conlan: would provide grit
- Can I pick the whole O-line from ’94? Because that would make everything easier.
- Allen Robinson: maybe the best receiver in school history
- Michael Robinson: He wasn’t an NFL caliber QB, but he rarely made mistakes and could bulldoze defenders to pick up first downs.
- Trace McSorley: because he is a winner
- Daryll Clark: because he was a solid QB who could spread the ball
- Saquon Barkley: because he was the most electric, fun player to watch I’ve ever seen
If you could pick one player from any current college football roster to play on this Penn State team, who would you choose?
Popular and notable responses:
- Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma
- DJ Uiagalelei, QB, Clemson
- Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
- Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
- JT Daniels, QB, Georgia
What was your satisfaction level with Penn State’s 2021 signing class? (1: Not satisfied, 5: Highly satisfied)
- 3: 43.5 percent
- 2: 28.8 percent
- 4: 15.7 percent
- 1: 11 percent
- 5: 1 percent
Penn State’s struggles in Pennsylvania last cycle have been well-documented. Signing Landon Tengwall and Lonnie White Jr. helped solidify the 16-person class, but the loss of Nolan Rucci to Wisconsin won’t soon be forgotten. The good news is Penn State appears to have landed a standout cornerback in Kalen King, who impressed this spring. Though the freshman class wasn’t overly impressive to many fans, Penn State was aggressive in the transfer portal and should receive immediate help from defensive end Arnold Ebiketie and defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo, among others. Bringing in five transfers should factor in here.
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What is your satisfaction level with Penn State’s 2022 recruiting efforts thus far? (1: Not satisfied; 5: Highly satisfied)
- 4: 48.5 percent
- 5: 37.1 percent
- 3: 11.6 percent
- 2: 2.6 percent
- 1: 0.2 percent
It’s been about as good of a turnaround as Penn State could’ve hoped for, especially after a 4-5 season and without being allowed to have prospects on campus. The Nittany Lions have 10 verbal pledges so far, including two from quarterbacks, three from wide receivers ranked in the top 200 nationally in the 247Sports Composite and one from four-star offensive tackle Drew Shelton.
They’ve quickly recovered after a rough showing in Pennsylvania and also landed commitments from strong players out of Ohio in quarterback Drew Allar and receiver Kaden Saunders. Saunders and Allar have trained in the shadows of The Horseshoe, so don’t take those pledges lightly.
This class is ranked No. 6 nationally in the 247Sports Composite, second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (the Buckeyes are second nationally).
Schedules are built years in advance. What one nonconference opponent would you love to see Penn State play in the future?
Popular and notable responses:
- Notre Dame
- LSU
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Pitt
- Alabama
- Clemson
- Georgia
- Oregon
- Miami
The variations of Notre Dame and where to play ranged from home-and-home to anywhere to AT&T Stadium. It’s clear that game would be a crowd-pleaser, wherever it would be played. As one would expect, there was plenty of SEC love. And although it’s not included on any future schedule, Pitt-Penn State is still something many people hope returns.
Under normal circ*mstances at full capacity, what can Penn State do to improve your experience at Beaver Stadium?
Popular and notable responses:
- Better Wi-Fi
- Selling beer
- Better bathrooms and more and bigger bathrooms. (“Going to pee during a White Out requires voluntarily missing out on at least the next three or four drives.”)
- Better food options
- Bigger seats
- Additional roads for leaving the stadium
- Less stadium music, more band music
- Find new sounds/music to play. There’s a lot of stuff that’s overplayed.
- Speed up stadium gate entry
Improved Wi-Fi continues to be something fans want, and the clamoring for bigger and improved bathrooms has long been mentioned. The sale of alcohol was tested a few years ago as a pilot program for concerts in the Bryce Jordan Center, but it has yet to carry over to Beaver Stadium.
(Top photo: Gregory Fisher / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Audrey Snyder has covered Penn State since 2012 for various outlets, including The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Patriot-News and DKPittsburghSports. Snyder is an active member of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) and is the professional adviser for Penn State’s student chapter. Follow Audrey on Twitter @audsnyder4
