Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
6 6 A P R I L 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M H ope springs eternal in March and April for every college football team around the country. That's a cli- ché, but it's fitting, because throughout the 14 days of practices allotted to each program before its annual spring game, you'll hear and read a lot of them. The defense is ahead of the offense, or vice versa. Practices are being conducted at an intensity level that no one in the pro- gram has ever seen before. Leadership is at an all-time high. Freshmen are pushing upperclassmen. Last year's reserves have all made massive jumps during winter workouts. The transfers are meshing nicely with their new teammates. A championship season is on the horizon. Hard work in the weight room and turf fields where conditioning drills are held will ensure it. We cite all of those examples in order to bring up another familiar platitude that actually carries some weight for Penn State in 2024: There is a sense of urgency throughout the program this year. Head coach James Franklin was, un- surprisingly, asked if his team had that feeling before it stepped on the field for the first time in mid-March, a couple of practices before it even put the pads on. His answer was revealing. "I think there does seem to be a sense of urgency," Franklin said. "The reality is, we've got three new coordinators, so for me to compare this first day to the last couple of first days, that probably doesn't make sense, but there does need to be a sense of urgency between now and the end of training camp. I don't think there's any doubt about that. "I think one of the things that jumps out right away is just our depth. We're bigger and stronger and have more competition across positions than I think we've had in the past. Just the number [of players] on our roster is greater than it's been in the past." There should be a sense of urgency for this team at this time. As Franklin points out regarding the trio of new coordina- tors, the race is on to get Andy Kotel- nicki's offense, Tom Allen's defense and Justin Lustig's special teams principles installed this spring. It's one thing to do it in the meeting room. It's quite another to do it on the field with pads on. "The time that the coaches spent working through all the details, and what needed to change and what didn't have to change from a terminology and a philosophical standpoint, I think that was probably time well spent [prior to the start of spring practice]," Franklin said. "But then getting out here, Tom has his way, Andy has his way. And I'm a big believer in just being authentic and true to who you are." Franklin ultimately ended that an- swer with another cliché: The defense is "flying" around and the offense is "fighting" and pushing for every inch during drills. That is to be expected. It also needs to happen. The offense must be laser focused on effectively and efficiently fixing its problems from 2023. The defense needs to work as much as possible to end up in the same ballpark as the elite unit from a year ago, and the special teams depth chart must be sorted out. There is no time to waste. That's another cliché that just happens to be true for Penn State this year. The Lions did not make the four-team College Football Playoff field despite winning 10 or more games in five of the past eight seasons. That was disappoint- ing for fans, but not making the new 12-team field would be unacceptable. Thus, it's time for the cliché about having urgency to be less talk and more action. Penn State's chances of making college football's big dance for the first time depend on it. "In past years, it would be mainly the first- and second-team guys talk- ing trash and really getting at it," super senior guard Sal Wormley said recently. "But now we've got the freshmen going at each other, freshmen trying to talk to the seniors, the starters, things like that. "I love the energy that everybody is bringing to the table. I really think that's another level, another step. I haven't seen that since I've been at Penn State." If Wormley is right, it means the team is on the right track heading into the final days of spring practice. ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M There's A Sense Of Urgency In The Spring Air THE LAST WORD Super senior guard Sal Wormley said the tone of Penn State's practice sessions has been different this year. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER