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But on Sept. 16, shortly after the Big Ten announced that the season would begin in late October, Freiermuth inter- rupted James Franklin during a live in- terview with BTN in the coach's office at the Lasch Building and revealed that he had every intention of playing. "There have been some reports about me opting out, but I never opted out," Freiermuth said. "I don't know where those reports came from, but I stayed consistent. I stressed to Coach Franklin that I'm here to get the job done, and I'm just excited to play football again for Penn State and I can't wait for the season." Freiermuth said that there had been some "conversations between me and Coach, some open dialog about every- thing, my pros and cons" after the Big Ten announced in August that it was postponing its season indefinitely. It had appeared that the season might not begin until late November or even early January, a timeline that didn't seem to mesh well with Freiermuth's plans, which were presumed to include a dec- laration for the 2021 NFL Draft. But whatever reservations he might have had about playing in the winter and/or spring, they became moot when the league announced its October restart. "At the end of the day, this was Pat's decision," Franklin told BTN. "But I do think we were able to have some really honest conversations, which helped. For him to come back, I wanted him to be 100 percent on board with that decision. If he was going to leave, then we were going to be 100 percent on board with him. … At the end of the day, it's what's in [the player's] best interest, and we couldn't be more excited, obviously." Over the past two seasons, the veteran tight end has amassed a team-best 15 re- ceiving touchdowns. For a Penn State squad that's short on proven pass- catching threats, his return to action could not be more welcome. OUTLOOK If Freiermuth had left, it would have touched off one of the more interesting and competitive position battles of preseason camp. The Nittany Lions have plenty of four-star talent at the tight end spot, but aside from their All-Big Ten starter, none of that talent is proven at the college level. There's red- shirt sophomore Zack Kuntz, who has three catches for 26 yards to this point in his career. Behind Kuntz are freshmen Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren. Strange played in two games last year, catching a 4-yard touchdown pass against Idaho. Johnson was a January enrollee who had a few months to get acclimated to college life before students were sent home due to the pandemic, while Warren arrived this past summer. It had seemed for a while that those young players were going to have to grow up in a hurry. Now, however, they'll have a bit more time to further their develop- ment. Penn State still has a lot invested in their collective future, and except for Warren, who played quarterback in high school and appears headed for a redshirt this fall, they figure to have an on-field impact for the Nittany Lions in 2020. But Freiermuth is a special player, and the significance of his return can't be overstated. OFFENSIVE LINE WHAT WE SAID IN AUGUST "Penn State should field a very good offensive line this season. The Nittany Lions are losing only one starter – [Steven] Gonzalez – and because [C.J.] Thorpe and [Mike] Miranda shared the opposite guard spot last year, the team is well-equipped to fill its only vacancy. What's more, the depth at all five spots should be im- proved, especially if interior lineman Juice Scruggs has made a full recovery from the car accident that forced him to sit out the 2019 season." – Matt Herb WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE Two of the Lions' rising stars – redshirt freshman offensive linemen Sal Wormley and Caedan Wallace – were cited alongside Ford and as of late September were fac- ing misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia. How that affects their playing status, if at all, remains to be seen. As for the starting lineup, it appears as though it will be intact when the season gets under way. There had been specula- tion that senior center Michal Menet and senior right tackle Will Fries might consider skipping the season if it were to start in November or later. But with opening day now set for Oct. 24, there's been no indication that they plan on sit- ting out. OUTLOOK Nothing substantial appears to have changed. The Nittany Lions still have a veteran starting lineup, with four of their five projected starters holding either junior or senior eligibility. The lone underclassman on the first team – sophomore left tackle Rasheed Walker – might be the best of the bunch, with nu- merous draft watchers speculating that he could leave for the NFL after the up- coming season. The Lions still have a pretty impressive second-team unit as well, assuming that Wormley, Miranda's backup at left guard, and Wallace, who's behind Fries at right tackle, are good to go. Penn State might even have gotten a bit of a benefit with the delayed start to the season. Like the quarterbacks and receivers, the linemen are having to adapt to a new position coach. So while Trautwein didn't get to work with his new players in the spring, he did get an extended run-up to the season, which could pay dividends when the Nittany Lions finally get back on the field. DEFENSIVE LINE WHAT WE SAID IN AUGUST "In addition to seeing a pair of starters depart in [Yetur] Gross-Matos and [Robert] Windsor, Penn State bid farewell to its defensive line coach this past winter, as Sean Spencer opted to take an assistant coaching position with the New York Giants. And yet, the Nittany Lions have been feeling optimistic about this posi- tion group throughout the off-season." – Nate Bauer WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE Penn State has parted ways with 2020 recruit Bran- don Taylor. In early September, Taylor received two summary citations for ha- rassment stemming from an Aug. 24 in-

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