Penn State football has shown its academic prowess yet again, according to a report released from the NCAA. With an 87 percent Graduation Success Rate from 2004 to 2007, the Nittany Lions came in at No. 13 overall and No. 5 for public universities in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Eighteen Penn State teams were announced last week to have totaled an 89 percent national GSR in the same period of time, surpassing the national average by seven points. Penn State’s record overall GSR is 90 percent, making this period’s success among the highest the athletic program has ever achieved.

Additionally, the national average for football teams in the period was 71 percent, sixteen percentage points behind Penn State’s during the same period.

The only public institutions with higher GSRs during the period were Texas-San Antonio (No. 1 overall), Northern Illinois (No. 9), and UCLA (No. 11), while Northwestern (No. 3) was the only Big Ten football team with a higher graduation rate than the Nittany Lions.

Although Graduation Success Rate numbers for this period were from 2004 to 2007, the Nittany Lions’ success in the classroom shouldn’t be overlooked. Joe Paterno was at the helm of the program during the timeframe, showing that his policy of “success with honor” was still going strong late in his tenure. Here’s hoping that the success in the classroom keeps up under James Franklin.