Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
2 6 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 4 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / I see more of that [leadership] right now, but it's going to have to continue. We need a few guys to be a little bit more vocal. Everybody wants to do it through actions, but we need more Nick Dawkins. I think [redshirt senior defensive tackle] Dvon Ellies is a good example of a guy who has always been very verbal. He's really doing a nice job right now of earn- ing everybody's respect with his day-to- day actions and habits. And the other thing is, he played so well in the bowl game that I think that helps, too. BWI: In that vein, how are you trying to handle Drew Allar this offseason? FRANKLIN: Last year, everybody wanted to talk about leadership, but with a first-year starter at quarterback, in a lot of ways you don't really want that on his plate. If it happens organically, fine. If not, you just focus on being the best quarterback you can be, and let's grow into this other role. The other thing is, he's just such a good kid. He's such a good-hearted kid that some of those tough conversations probably don't come as naturally to him as others. But I've seen him really grow this offseason and be more comfortable in that role. BWI: Is he the player you need him to be at this point in his development, heading into his junior year? FRANKLIN: Yeah, I think so. The in- teresting thing is, when you talk about his overall statistics, as a first-year starting quarterback, they were elite overall. Obviously, at a place like Penn State, whether it's me or the starting quarterback, there are certain games that you're going to be judged by. When your numbers in those games don't align with those other numbers, people are going to be critical. He has to take some ownership in that, but so do the players around him. Not one player is respon- sible for any win, and not any one player is responsible for any loss. But I think we would all admit that we've got to be bet- ter in those big games. BWI: Tom Allen came from Indi- ana and Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas. They both had to find ways of compet- ing against opponents that had more resources. Is there an adjustment from a risk/reward perspective within their systems to the improved personnel they now have at their disposal? FRANKLIN: I think that's the case for almost every single person in this pro- gram. I came from Vanderbilt. The whole idea was, we had to do more with less. … That's the case with Tom and Andy. That's the case with [safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, formerly of Virginia]. That's the case with [offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, formerly of Boston College]. But in some ways — and I guess this is what the question is getting to — I don't want them to lose that. If you're at a place that has everything all the time, you can become dependent on that. Finding ways to be successful when maybe you didn't have the talent, the resources, the facili- ties, the manpower — you don't want to lose that [mentality]. If you combine that ingenuity and creativity with talent and resources, you can do something special. BWI: It seems like the program has mostly been successful at fending off poaching attempts, with King Mack standing as a possible exception this spring. What does his exit mean to the safeties room, and what does it say about Penn State's NIL approach? FRANKLIN: I think up to this point, we've been able to have a ton of stability through culture, through parents and kids really feeling that we were invested in them, and their futures, and the pro- gram, and their development on and off the field. The majority of those kids have stuck with us because of that. When you talk about the safeties room, we've got three guys [senior Jaylen Reed, junior Kevin Winston Jr. and red- shirt junior Zakee Wheatley] who we're very excited about and who are going to play a ton of football for us. And then we have a ton of inexperienced guys who we're excited about who have to take a significant step this offseason. But that's to be determined. I think we're in a good place with a ton of really good candidates. But obviously, you'd prefer to have four guys who have played a decent amount of football and are ready to take the next step. This is more of a wait-and-see with that fourth Franklin likes the potential of Penn State's top three safeties, a group that includes senior Jaylen Reed (1). PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT