Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD D A V I D E C K E R T | D A V I D E C K E R T 9 8 @ G M A I L . C O M hen any team underperforms its expectations to the extent that Penn State did in 2020, it's logical that the storylines entering the next season come from a place closer to con- cern than excitement. The Nittany Lions, for the first time in a long time, were unequivocally bad for much of the season. The 4-5 record does not lie, even if some of the under- lying numbers might indicate that bad luck played a part. So, throughout Penn State's 2021 spring practice – which head coach James Franklin loves to point out was not a luxury he had last season – the narratives have taken a different tone. Can Sean Clifford hang onto the foot- ball after throwing nine interceptions and fumbling three times in just nine games? Can new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich revive the Nittany Lions' big-play threat? Will Penn State's de- fense find a way to force some turnovers? These are only some of the problems that the Nittany Lions must fix, and their success in addressing them will likely define the 2021 season. The attention paid to all of these is- sues forced Penn State football fans and media alike to recalibrate their radar systems. The unbridled optimism that usually comes with spring football, from breakout players to new schemes to exciting freshmen, hasn't been as strong. That's certainly justifiable, but maybe some of those topics deserve a larger piece of the narrative pie, so let's do that here. The most obvious headliner when it comes to the crop of early enrollees who were able to partake in spring practice is cornerback Kalen King. His perform- ance in the scrimmage portion of Penn State's first open practice this spring certainly jumped off the page, as King came down with a pair of interceptions and returned one of them for a touch- down. We've seen players have big-time im- pacts in spring games before and go on to have inconsequential seasons in the fall. But we haven't seen Franklin talk about very many freshmen the way he spoke about King. "Kalen King is probably the most ad- vanced freshman that we have had since we've been here, in terms of his ability to practice and compete, both physi- cally and mentally," Franklin said. "He's really doing well. "He's a guy who has come in and was already physically developed from a weight standpoint and a strength standpoint. He's also very mature, him and his twin brother [Kobe]. They're both very mature. They know how to prepare, they know how to compete, they know how to work. They went to one of the most successful high school programs in the United States, Cass Tech. That got them prepared for the level of competition." King is far from the only one generating a bit of buzz, even within Penn State's secondary. Ji'Ayir Brown, who trans- ferred from Lackawanna College ahead of last season and played only sparingly in his first year wearing blue and white, has also garnered rave reviews, despite the fact that he was held out of Penn State's first open practice for what Franklin described as "health reasons." At one point this spring, he led Penn State's defense in turnovers. "[Brown] has had a really good spring," Franklin said. "He's just much more comfortable and much more con- fident, which we typically see in sec- ond-year players, whether you're a sec- ond-year high school or second-year junior college player. He's an awesome young man in general. "He's kind of standing out right now." There are plenty of other storylines this spring that ordinarily would harbor a much more important place in the collective focus. Brandon Smith is mov- ing from Sam linebacker to Will line- backer, a transition that Penn State hopes will accentuate his natural physi- cal talents and keep him closer to the line of scrimmage. Curtis Jacobs is set to replace him at the Sam spot, and Smith thinks that's a perfect fit. "He has a defensive back type back- ground," Smith said. "With him in high school even previous to playing football, before the time he was even recruited, his movements and everything definitely show that he's meant for that position." Penn State's offensive line, in its first spring under coach Phil Trautwein after missing out on that opportunity a sea- son ago, seems to be coming along nicely as well. "They're definitely getting better from his coaching," defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher said. "And I think he appre- ciates all the hard work those guys do." The list of similar topics goes on and on. As it looks toward the 2021 season, Penn State has problems to solve. Big problems. It's appropriate that those problems exist at the forefront of the collective consciousness, because, without solving them, the Nittany Lions won't win very many games this season. But this spring has been a reminder that, as many reasons for concern as there are right now for Penn State fans, there are plenty of little reasons to be excited, too. ■ Hope springs eternal W

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