James Franklin addresses what a college football team costs in 2024

A lot was made of the reported $20 million NIL price tag that Ohio State used to both retain its top talent as well as add some valuable pieces out of the transfer portal this past offseason.

And, given the Buckeyes’ current position with the second-best betting odds (+330) to win the College Football Playoff National Championship according to FanDuel Sportsbook, it was money well spent.

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Still, the $20 million figure first confirmed by Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork earlier this summer raised plenty of eyebrows, and prompted ESPN’s Heather Dinich to ask Penn State head coach James Franklin “what exactly is the cost of a College Football Playoff team?” during Monday’s Fiesta Bowl press conference.

“Great question. I can’t really get into that – not that I wouldn’t want to – it’s just hard. The way the system is set up right now, there’s no real way to track that,” Franklin answered. “The information that you see out there, or if an athletic director or somebody is willing to report it, (but) there’s no real way to track it. I think Boise’s situation is probably a little bit different, and I think you guys know our situation has been a little bit different in those areas. I can’t really speak on that. … I don’t have enough true, valuable, credible information to make that type of statement. I think there are things that we see out there on social media, how credible that information is I’m not sure.

“But I just spend a ton of time on our roster and our guys and making sure they’re having a great experience and give ourselves the best chance to go out and win as many games as possible,” Franklin continued. “We’re working hard at it and trying to raise as much money as we possibly can to put our program and our university in the best position to be successful. I can’t really speak on anything more than that.”

Where Penn State stands in the Big Ten’s NIL race

Ohio State’s dualing collectives 1870 Society (for-profit) and The Foundation (nonprofit) were jointly ranked No. 1 on On3’s Top 15 ranking of college sports’ top NIL collectives after fronting the $20 million that the Buckeyes used to retain 11 draft-eligible players last offseason as well as add superstars Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss), Will Howard (Kansas State) and Caleb Downs (Alabama) out of the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Meanwhile, Penn State’s official NIL collective, Happy Valley United, didn’t even crack On3’s Top 15 ranking compared to the ranked collectives from Big Ten rivals Oregon’s Division Street (No. 4), Nebraska’s 1890 Nebraska (No. 8), and Michigan’s Champions Circle (No. 13).

Based on On3’s own database, Ohio State’s 2024 football roster leads the Big Ten with a total NIL value of $22 million, followed by Oregon‘s $18.3 figure, with Penn State a distant third at $12.2 million. By comparison among other CFP quarterfinal teams, Texas‘s 2024 football roster has a total NIL value of $28 million, with Georgia closely behind at $24 million. Notre Dame‘s total NIL value is $8.6 million.

James Franklin explains ‘fine line’ of prep for Boise State

James Franklin and Penn State are walking a fine line when it comes to preparation against Boise State.

“It’s a fine line, and specifically that they had a bye week, so it’s a fine line,” Franklin said of preparation for Boise State. “We got to be really, really smart and we got to be strategic. That’s where the experience on my staff is valuable. What do we need to get enough work that we’re going to be prepared to play the game the way it needs to be played, but also making sure we’re as fresh and healthy as we possibly can. 

“We also have a sports scientist, Dr. Andrew Nelson who played for me at Penn State and went on to get his doctorate does a phenomenal job for us, but that’s the fine line, you’re talking about. This will be the longest season in Penn State’s history. So making sure that we’re making really good decisions to put our players in the best position to be successful.”

Nick Kosko contributed to this report.