Blue White Illustrated

April 2023

Penn State Sports Magazine

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A P R I L 2 0 2 3 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M cus and Fox Sports seventh, and Athlon eighth. USA Today's Paul Myerberg wrote, "The hype train is about to take off for the Nittany Lions." Myerberg did also note that the tracks run straight through Columbus, Ohio, but that's a problem for another day. For now, it's enough to know that the hype is building, and that Franklin isn't paying it any mind. Not even a little. During the 15 sessions that comprise Penn State's spring drills, his atten- tion is focused on more immediate concerns: an unproven receiver corps, a thinned-out defensive line, a youth- ful and understaffed (for now) backfield and, of course, the transition to a new quarterback. Penn State returns 14 of the 22 posi- tion players who started the Rose Bowl — six on offense and eight on defense. Also back are redshirt sophomore guard Landon Tengwall and fourth-year ju- nior tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu, who combined to start 13 games last year on the Lions' of- fensive front but missed the latter stages of the season, including the bowl game, with unspecified injuries. The stockpile of returning talent grew a bit in the weeks following the 2022 regular season when the Lions heard mostly good news from the handful of draft-eligible players who were mulling whether to return for one final year at the college level. Fashanu headlines the list after announcing in December that he was putting off his entry into the NFL even though he was being projected as a likely first-rounder. Also returning are super senior interior lineman Hunter Nourzad, fourth-year junior linebacker Curtis Jacobs, redshirt senior defensive end Adisa Isaac and fifth-year senior safety Keaton Ellis. Franklin said that Fashanu is "full go" after missing the final five games of the 2022 season, while Tengwall, who sat out the last eight games after suffering an injury during warmups at Michi- gan in October, will be ready later this spring. With Nourzad switching from guard to center to replace graduated starter Juice Scruggs, the Lions appear to have the makings of a solid offensive front. An Offensive Transition There's a bit more uncertainty else- where on offense, particularly in the passing game. With last year's top two wideouts, Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley, both headed to the NFL, the Lions are looking for playmak- ers to emerge this spring from a group of returning wideouts that has amassed only 41 career catches to date. Florida State transfer Malik McClain should help, but he too must prove himself after totaling 33 catches for 396 yards in two seasons with the Seminoles. For now, the Lions are banking on their ability to turn potential into productivity. "We think there's the talent in that room to go where we want to go," Frank- lin said. "We have to be tougher and we have to be more consistent. If you look at college football and the NFL, probably the area where you can change games the fastest is at wide receiver. "I think it's something that from a common-sense perspective, we all have understood. There's just more space out there. If you get somebody out there that can either run past everybody or catch a short ball and make people miss and go 80, that changes the game." There will be a new quarterback (or quarterbacks) slinging those passes, with Sean Clifford having graduated after four starting seasons. Sophomore Drew Allar played in 10 games as Clifford's backup last year, totaling 35 completions in 60 attempts for 344 yards, with 4 touch- downs and no interceptions. Redshirt freshman Beau Pribula was held out of action, but like Allar, he's been on cam- pus since January 2022 and is taking part in spring drills for the second time. Franklin said that after three years in which Clifford was the presumptive starter throughout the offseason, the Nittany Lions are "back to having a true competition again." Allar may have a significant advantage in that he was on the field for 148 snaps last year, but even if he wins the starting job, as most observers expect, the Lions will likely look to find an on-field role for Pribula. In previous years, the staff was able to find uses for the running skills of back- ups like Tommy Stevens and Will Levis. Pribula's strengths may provide them with a similar opportunity this com- ing fall, especially since the 6-foot-2, 206-pounder is a different type of quar- terback than the 6-foot-5, 242-pound Allar, giving Penn State a range of op- tions that it lacked last year when Allar backed up Clifford. "I would say Sean and Drew's skill sets Franklin is preparing for his 10th season at Penn State. He's gone 78-36 with the Nittany Lions, making him the fourth-winningest coach in school history, behind Joe Paterno (409 victories), Rip Engle (104) and Bob Higgins (91). PHOTO BY GREG PICKEL

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