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LAST WORD N A T E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ntering the summer months, Penn State head coach James Franklin ac- knowledged his team's youth and the worries it caused him. Boasting a roster loaded with young, explosive talent for the upcoming year, the Nittany Lions would not have the same number of returning veterans with significant experience from the out- standing 2016 and '17 seasons. Gone was not only the superstar talent of Saquon Barkley, but also savvy leaders such as Jason Cabinda, DaeSean Hamilton and Grant Haley, among many others. In all, 14 Nittany Lions from the 2017 campaign would open preseason train- ing camps with NFL teams. More im- portant, those same juniors and seniors who had evolved through the character- building 2014 and '15 seasons would be replaced by freshmen, redshirt fresh- men and sophomores who had known nothing but success in their short ca- reers at Penn State. Well into the Nittany Lions' August training camp, Franklin's concerns ap- pear to have been assuaged. Joining the Big Ten Network for its traveling preseason road show, the head coach was asked to describe how effec- tive the leadership had been to that point in practice. Without missing a beat, Franklin stressed that his captains – quarterback Trace McSorley, safety Nick Scott and punter Blake Gillikin – had all been exemplary. "That's been really strong," he said, ticking off the resumes of each captain. "We feel good about that." In fact, Franklin explained at length why it had been his most pleasant sur- prise through the early portion of camp. Having led the Nittany Lions through four campaigns already – back-to-back 7-6 finishes that were heavily impacted by the NCAA sanctions, followed in 2016 by a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl berth and last year by a Fiesta Bowl victory – Franklin has real tenure. And with it, the fundamental beliefs he has tried to instill in the program, be- liefs he would likely argue are more im- portant to the program's success than X's and O's or any individual player or coach, have begun to bear fruit. This preseason, Franklin and the Nit- tany Lions have been able to witness and enjoy those fruits. "Culture is a big word for me, and I know it's a big word for a lot of coaches and a lot of programs," he said. "I showed a bunch of clips today before practice of championship habits, guys doing little things that are going to pay big dividends for us down the road. I just see more of it." Previously, those same singular stand- outs had been relied upon to develop a position group. Hamilton was the vet- eran who went out and demonstrated the work ethic before, during and after prac- tice that set the tone for all of the other receivers. Cabinda would do the same with the linebackers, Haley with the cor- nerbacks, Barkley with the running backs and Gesicki with the tight ends. During this year's preseason camp, those examples have expanded within position groups, something that cer- tainly includes the Nittany Lions' 12- man senior class of scholarship players, but also extends well beyond it. Said Franklin, "Now I see multiple players at a position showing how to practice and how to compete." The results of those efforts could prove to be extremely important as the season grows closer. Faced with a schedule that features an early road test at Pittsburgh, an odd Fri- day night trip to Illinois to open the Big Ten season, consecutive home clashes with East Division powers Ohio State and Michigan State, and a three-game stretch against Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions will have to rely on their leadership to help bring their young talent along at a breakneck pace. In a matter of days, we'll begin to see whether this group has the potential to clear all of those hurdles. Talent, skill, experience and depth will all play criti- cal roles in what happens. But Franklin's assertions demonstrate that Penn State won't be hampered by a lack of maturity or leadership. The rea- sons for optimism are showing up on the field before the Nittany Lions even take to it. A true believer that off-field disci- pline will translate directly to practices and games, Franklin revealed that a teeth-pulling exercise of the past has become startlingly routine, a sign of undeniably influential leadership. "We talk about championship habits in football and in life, and I just see all of that," Franklin said. "Little things like the locker room. The locker room has been a battle for four years to get [it] cleaned the way we want to clean it, sweeping the sheds. It hasn't been that way. This year has been really good. The quarterbacks are taking leadership with that, and the linebackers are taking leadership with that, and each position is taking leadership with that, so that's really good. I just believe all that disci- pline we've shown in other areas will help us on Saturdays." Given the subjects – 18- to 23-year- old young men prone to the same habits as many of their peers – the results have provided great satisfaction to the de- tail-oriented head coach. So much so that Franklin has at least one fewer thing to worry about. ■ Force of habit E

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