Joel Klatt reveals his way-too-early No.1 team for the 2025 season, and it’s not Texas

The Penn State Nittany Lions had a good 2024 season. But with the curtain falling on that season, thoughts are now turning to the 2025 season, which begins in late August.

A lot can happen between now and then, but college football analyst Joel Klatt has already made a prediction on how the Nittany Lions are going to fare in 2025.

"Penn State is going to be my number one team in my way too early top 10 for 2025," Klatt said.

The Penn State Nittany Lions had an excellent 2024 season. The team, led by Drew Allar, Kaytron Allen, and Nicolas Singleton, made it to the Big Ten Championship game (thanks to a losing Ohio State) They lost this game to the Oregon Ducks but were able to seal their spot in the College Football Playoff.

Here, the Nittany Lions were able to reach the semifinals, where they were defeated by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This game was a close affair, with the Fighting Irish winning on the final kick.

This successful season will be seen as laying the foundations for what could be an even better 2025 season for Penn State.

The star trio of Allar, Allen, and Singleton have announced that they are returning to Happy Valley for the 2025 season. This keeps the main offensive weapons from this season on the team, and they are likely to only improve on what was a successful season for all three.

Additionally, Penn State has been getting better every season under coach James Franklin. If the trend continues, they could better their 13-3 record from 2024.

The only way to do this is to win a national championship, something that Joel Klatt thinks they are more than able to do.

A non-returning Penn State player could be a high NFL draft pick

However, while the Nittany Lions will have many returning players for 2025, one player who will not be returning is defensive end Abdul Carter. Carter has declared for the NFL draft, and Mel Kiper Jr. thinks he will be a top-five pick.

In his first mock draft released on Wednesday, Kiper placed Carter as the No. 4 pick, going to the New England Patriots. Kiper explained why Carter will benefit the Patriots.

"Carter is instinctive and fast," Kiper said. "And he seems to always be around the ball. He converted from off-ball linebacker to the edge this season and dominated to the tune of 12 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. For a New England team that struggled to get pressure, Carter would be a massive addition. New coach Mike Vrabel could move him around and use his disruptive traits to improve the Patriots' league-low sack count (28)."

Kiper's high pick prediction for Carter is shared by others. NFL Draft Buzz ranks him as the sixth-best player in the class and projects him as a top-10 first-round pick.