The Nittany Lions were led by head coach James Franklin[1] in his 11th year leading the program.

The Penn State Nittany Lions football team drew an average home attendance of 108,379 in 2024.

Following a 44–7 win against Maryland and a Michigan win over Ohio State in the final week of the regular season, the Nittany Lions clinched their first Big Ten Championship appearance since 2016, which they lost to the Oregon Ducks.

However, Penn State still clinched its first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff, in which they defeated No.

7 seed Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl for a spot in the CFP National Championship, but fell 24–27.