Penn State football notebook | Defensive improvements and early enrollees standing out
As Penn State’s annual Blue-White game draws closer, it’s getting closer to displaying its talents in front of the Beaver Stadium faithful.
It’ll be the closest thing to game-like competition since the 35-21 Rose Bowl victory over Utah and will serve as another chance for James Franklin and his staff to see their roster at work.
Here are takeaways from Tuesday’s post-practice media availability.
Defense Leading the Charge
Penn State’s defense returned many of its key players from a year ago, and the talent and depth have been creating issues for the offense during the spring.
When talking about the quarterback competition, Franklin mentioned how it's been tough to evaluate due to Diaz's defense.
“Sometimes it's hard to compare and contrast because our one defense is really good and talented,” Franklin said.
In the middle of that competition is quarterback Drew Allar, who noted it's been tough and praised the defense.
“We go against what I think what's gonna be the best defensive nation with the best defensive staff in the nation,” Allar said. “We pride ourselves on being the most competitive environment in college football. We're doing a really good job of that right now.”
One of the reasons for the defense’s success has been the big guys up front. Despite having a couple of bumps and bruises, the defensive line’s improvement and depth have caught the eyes of the coaches.
“I think we’re as good as we’ve been at defensive end,” Franklin said. “We got some guys that can rush the passer, and I actually think we do at d-tackle as well, but we still have some question marks.”
Quarterback Competition
For the first time in five years, Penn State doesn’t know its starting quarterback. Allar and Beau Pribula are duking it out, and neither has gained a clear advantage.
“Making sure that Drew gets some reps with the twos and Beau gets some reps with the ones and vice versa,” Franklin said. “Those things are important, but I think those two guys are both battling.”
While the two quarterbacks recognize the competition, they also realize they can use the competition to better the room.
“He’s definitely more familiar with the offense too,” Allar said of Pribula. “We’re competing against each other each day and making each other better by helping each other out at the same time.”
As for Pribula, he points to the man whose position one of these two quarterbacks will take for establishing the competitiveness that brews improvement.
“It's definitely an iron sharpens iron type thing,” Pribula said. “Last year, it was Sean [Clifford] who started the culture in the quarterback room, which has been really good. We talk about things a lot, like what you see on this play.”
The Emergence of Tony Rojas
Last spring, Allar, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton among others stole the spotlight as early enrollees.
When asked about two of this year's early enrollees in linebackers, Ta’Mere Robinson and Tony Rojas, Franklin mentioned the latter of those two is someone who has stood out amongst the pack of fresh faces on campus.
On signing day, the four-star linebacker from Virginia was listed as 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, but after a few months in Happy Valley, Rojas is now listed at 214 pounds.
Yet, that might only be part of his transformation, as that 19-pound difference sits 10 short of the 29 that Franklin said Rojas has gained since his arrival.
“Every time I go to the nutrition bar, he’s sitting there eating,” Franklin said. “After practice, he’s getting an extra pump in, playing fast and carrying the weight really well.”
Rojas’s work ethic is not just catching the eye of the coaching staff, as cornerback Kalen King noted Rojas stood out to him from the beginning.
“He was already acclimating to the system as soon as he got here because he was running 21, 22 miles per hour at linebacker. That’s crazy,” King said. “He was a good size, but now you can really see the differences. His muscles are bigger. His presence is just a little bigger now.”
Other Notes
With Barney Amor, Chris Stoll and Jake Pinegar awaiting their fates, the race to be the next special teams ace is on for the Nittany Lions.
“We have depth at the specialist positions…that’s a big question mark going into this season with a new punter, kicker and snapper,” Franklin said. “That competition has been good as well.”
Kicker Alex Felkins and punter Riley Thompson joined the blue and white this offseason, and those two seniors are the ones that have helped further the competition and force players to earn the spot.
“I think [Alex] Bacchetta and Sander [Sahaydak] are super talented. They need to be more consistent,” Franklin said. “Having those veterans in there for them to compete with and earn the job is really important.”
Veterans and depth spread beyond special teams have the Nittany Lions feeling good about hosting a traditional Blue-White game in just over a week.
“I’m pretty hopeful that we’ll be able to have a traditional spring game with maybe only a few guys that may have to run back and forth from sideline to sideline,” Franklin said. “But, I think we’ll be able to have a traditional spring game which I think could be meaningful for us.”
Justin Ciavolella is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu.
