Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1505736
1 6 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M They Said It "This is a special place in a special community with his- tory and tradition and passion. … We have 19 alumni work- ing in the Lasch Football Building, 10 former lettermen, so we take a lot of pride in that as well. There have been some challenging days, but many more good days, and I wake up every single day feeling blessed and appreciative." — James Franklin, prior to the start of his 10th season as head football coach at Penn State "They're businesslike, [but] we have fun in that room. It's a joy being around those guys. I've got the best job in the country. They're unbelievable people with unbe- lievable families from really good high school programs. They've got a great foundation. They were raised the right way, and they all want to compete. … They all understand the team concept, and that's what is most impressive. They're fierce competitors, but they're great teammates." — Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich on his three quarterbacks, sophomore Drew Allar, redshirt freshman Beau Pribula and true freshman Jaxon Smolik "Consider this, Penn State has played USC 10 times, UCLA six times, Washington three times and Oregon on just four occasions. The four newest members of the Big Ten have taken on the Nittany Lions a total of 23 times, half as many times as Penn State has played Maryland over the years. Penn State has seen USC and Washington both in recent years, but those postseason clashes have done little to sour the novelty. "Time will tell if Penn State can forge a rivalry with any of these incoming Big Ten brethren, but if the Nittany Lions are destined to be unrivaled, at least all the new faces will be a welcome change of pace for a program that has seen just about everyone over the years." — Ben Jones, StateCollege.com columnist, on the addition of Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten "James Franklin might have completely changed the trajectory of his program with his dynamite 2022 sign- ing class. Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and linebacker Abdul Carter were immediate stars, while other blue-chippers such as offensive tackle Drew Shelton, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and defensive tackle Zane Durant all flashed small-sample upside. The impact of this class could be massive, but only if Drew Al- lar shines, too. The 6-foot-5, 243-pounder was the No. 2 pocket passer in the 2022 class, and he showed potential in 60 passes while backing up Sean Clifford. "With Clifford gone, Allar's now The Guy. He'll have a stupendous run game at his disposal, plus high-end play- makers in receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, tight end Theo Johnson and a potential key transfer in Kent State's Dante Cephas. If Allar shines, Penn State shines." — ESPN writer Bill Connelly, assessing Penn State's most significant unknowns in his annual "Ifs List" "It's tough to have your World Cup end by a millimeter." — Alyssa Naeher, Penn State alumna and starting goalkeeper for the U.S. Women's National Team, after a video review determined that Lina Hurtig's penalty shot had crossed the goal line, giving Sweden a victory over the defending champion Americans in the Round of 16 Abdul Carter ranked second on the Nittany Lion defense in tackles as a true freshman last year, finishing with 56 stops. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE "With his talent, if Abdul does simple things in a simple manner, it will look extraordinary to the outside eye. That's what very talented people do. The shot that Michael Jordan made to beat the Utah Jazz [in the 1997 NBA Finals] wasn't half-court, it was an 18-foot shot. Everybody in this room, if they took enough shots, could at least make one of them. "It's not about putting the cape on and doing insane things. When you're extremely talented and you play simple, you make simple things look extraordinary. That, to me, is what we've been trying to get Abdul to un - derstand as he goes into Year 2. People think, 'I've got to hit a grand slam with nobody on base.' That's not necessarily the case." — Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz on sophomore linebacker ABDUL CARTER