Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534903
2 4 M A Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M weighing the rewards of professional- ism versus the deprivations of amateur- ism. Because the differences were so stark, players could hardly be blamed for following the money. Now, t h o u g h , t h e ca l c u l u s h a s changed. Wheatley, like tight end Tyler Warren and others before him, could weigh his options knowing that there wasn't such a massive disparity be- tween players' earning potential at the college and pro levels. Franklin said this spring that the ef- fect on roster retention has been "one of the real positives" of the shift toward player compensation in recent years. Wheatley is a case in point. "I know there are some frustrations or concerns, or a lack of understanding about NIL," Franklin said. "But I would say that this, to me, is one obvious posi- tive of NIL. You have a lot of guys every year who are third- or fourth-year play- ers, and they're trying to make the deci- sion on whether they should leave early to go to the NFL or come back. "In the old days, when we were mak- ing these decisions, they would have to turn down third-, fourth-, fifth- or sixth-round money in the NFL to come back to college for nothing. Now, you're able to say, 'Let's not worry about that, because we can help with some of it. And now just make the best decision for you and your family, for your education, and for your football future.' You're not asking young men to walk away from significant money in the NFL." A Defensive Leader The most veteran player in a youthful safeties room, Wheatley has occupied a different role this offseason. With the departure of NFL draftees Kevin Win- ston Jr. and Jaylen Reed, he's been thrust into a leadership position in a group that features talented but comparatively in- experienced safeties. Given Wheatley's maturity and ap- proach to every facet of his Penn State football career, Poindexter has been comfortable leaning on him to play a leadership role in the secondary. "He didn't have to be the leader in the room [in the past]," Poindexter said. Cornerback Elliot Washington II Makes His Move This Spring When the going gets tough, many college football players these days choose to go somewhere else. Elliot Washington II, however, decided to stick it out at the place he knows best. The Penn State cornerback played 366 snaps as a sophomore last season, well below transfers A.J. Harris (729) and Jalen Kimber (704). Instead of sulking, Washington used the experience as motiva- tion to have his best offseason as a Nittany Lion. The Venice, Fla., native was an unprecedented six- for-six as position coach Terry Smith's competitor of the day during winter workouts, earning shout- outs from strength coach Chuck Losey and head coach James Franklin along the way. Despite all the praise, Washington said during spring practice that he hasn't reached his full po- tential yet. "I'm still getting to where I want to be at," he said. "But I will say it's been one of my best [offsea- sons] since I've been here. I'm just a little more hard on myself than I was before. I'm just kind of raising the ceiling even more." Harris is back this year, but Kimber is looking to begin his NFL career, and Washington has his eye on the vacant starting job. Coming out of spring practice, the 5-foot-11, 197-pound junior appears to be well-positioned to claim it. "He's really taken it to another level," Smith said. "I'm super, super happy and proud of him for his offseason. He had a tremendous winter workout session [and] he's been doing really well. He's run- ning with the ones. He's stepping into that position the way he should, and he deserves it right now. So, he's working really hard, and he's delivering on the field." New coordinator Jim Knowles is expected to play a lot of defensive backs in his 4-2-5 base de- fense, so even if redshirt junior Audavion Collins is the choice to join Harris in the starting lineup, Washington is going to see plenty of action. Simply seeing the field is not his goal, though. Washington wants to be a leader — not just among the cornerbacks but for the team as a whole. Washington points to Smith's coaching as one reason why he took a big next step this offseason. And, as noted, he's been harder on himself than ever before. What does that look like? "I would say, just me understanding football, and knowing what's going to come, and what play is coming, and how I could fit off the run, what I could do here, what I could do better there," Wash- ington said. "It's just little stuff that I probably didn't see last year or my freshman year." It's led to Penn State seeing a rising star in the secondary. More work remains, but it's clear that Washington is answering the bell. Good things usually happen when the tough get going. Washing- ton is proof of that. — Greg Pickel Washington saw action in all but two of Penn State's 16 games last season. He finished his sophomore year with 26 tackles, 6 pass breakups and an interception. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL