Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528325
1 4 N O V E M B E R 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 P enn State was 6-0 heading into its second bye week of the season. To stay unbeaten, head coach James Franklin had to use a few members of his 2024 recruiting class in ways he might not have expected when the season began. Prior to the Nittany Lions' visit to Wisconsin on Oct. 26, three true freshmen had seen action in all six games: tight end Luke Reynolds, offensive lineman Cooper Cousins and safety Dejuan Lane. Cousins had for months been penciled in as a likely con- tributor. He arrived in January as a five-star prospect out of McDowell High in Erie, Pa., and impressed in winter workouts and spring practice. This fall, he's been backing up super senior Sal Wormley at right guard. Reynolds and Lane, meanwhile, have been called on to play much larger roles than expected due to injuries at their respec- tive position groups. Reynolds was tapped to replace redshirt freshman Andrew Rappleyea as the Nittany Lions' third tight end behind senior Tyler Warren and redshirt junior Kahlil Dinkins. Through six games, he had been on the field for 101 offensive snaps and had caught 3 passes for 35 yards. Lane has likewise played a bigger role than expected, with his elevation coming as a result of a long-term injury that junior safety Kevin (KJ) Winston Jr. suffered in Week 2 against Bowl- ing Green. The former four-star prospect from Jessup, Md., had been on the field for 66 defensive snaps and 60 special teams snaps though six games, totaling 6 tackles in that span. "We've got a ton of respect for Dae-Dae Lane," Franklin said following Penn State's 56-0 victory over Kent State. "We think he's got a very, very bright future. I'd love for him to be behind KJ and learning from him, but where we're at, we've got to speed up his maturation process and get him on the field. To- day was great, because he got a ton of reps." Franklin said Penn State would like to be able to use Lane and red- shirt junior Zakee Wheatley at the safety spots and move senior Jaylen Reed back to the "Lion" spot — a linebacker-safety hybrid — that he had been ticketed to play before Winston's injury. In addition to Lane, Reynolds and Cousins, there were a num- ber of Nittany Lion freshmen on the travel roster at USC. The Lions brought receiver Tyseer Denmark, cornerback Jon Mitchell, quar- terback Ethan Grunkemeyer, de- fensive end Max Granville, safety Vaboue Toure, cornerback Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, running back Quinton Martin Jr., linebacker Anthony Speca, defensive end Jaylen Harvey, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and offensive tackle Eagan Boyer. Only four of those players — Lane, Reyn- olds, Cousins and Martin — saw game action against the Tro- jans, and none recorded any counting stats. Martin was in for two plays on offense, per Pro Football Focus, and also received special teams snaps. Prior to the Wisconsin trip, he had played in three games this season, and it's possible he will end up burning his redshirt this fall. Martin became the backup to junior running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen when redshirt freshman Cam Wallace was injured against Kent State. As for the three players who al- ready burned their redshirt, PFF had Reynolds down for 17 offensive snaps against the Trojans, Cousins with five and Lane with two snaps on defense. Any member of the roster can play in up to four regular-season games and still preserve a year of eligibility. Once a player sees action in a fifth game, he can no longer redshirt. Postseason games do not count against the total. — Greg Pickel Lane, Reynolds, Cousins Top List Of Freshman Contributors Six Games TE Luke Reynolds OL Cooper Cousins S Dejuan Lane Three Games RB Quinton Martin Jr. Two Games S Vaboue Toure One Game WR Tyseer Denmark CB Kenny Woseley Jr. DE Max Granville LB Anthony Speca DE Jaylen Harvey DT Xavier Gilliam OL Eagan Boyer CB Jon Mitchell CB Antoine Belgrave-Shorter No Games RB Corey Smith QB Ethan Grunkemeyer DL Liam Andrews OT Garrett Sexton DE Mylachi Williams OL Donovan Harbour WR Josiah Brown DL T.A. Cunningham OL Caleb Brewer LB Kari Jackson WR Peter Gonzalez DT De'Andre Cook Freshman Participation Helping make up for the loss of injured safety Kevin Winston Jr., Dejuan Lane had totaled 6 tackles in Penn State's first six games. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL