Blue White Illustrated

S P R I N G P R A C T I C E some promising new players to the mix, the potential for improvement is readily apparent. Let's be clear: The Lions have not found the magic elixir needed to transform a weakness into a strength. They still have a numbers problem. Their scholarship distribution is far from optimum, with Mangiro the only senior in the group and eight of their 12 players in their 3rst or second year playing on the o4ensive line at the college level. But even with those caveats noted, there's reason for op- timism. Inexperience is giving way to experience, and even without Dief- fenbach and Smith, this group will almost certainly be better. Still, when gauging potential areas of improvement, to focus entirely on the o4ensive line is to think too small. This spring, Penn State has the capability of making signi3cant strides everywhere. Its coaching sta4 returns intact from the previous sea- son, and that continuity is hardly in- signi3cant. A year ago, the coaching sta4 was still settling in, and it was still work- ing to instill practice habits and ex- plain the standards that players would be expected to uphold. This spring, all the players on the roster, save for early enrollees Sterling Jenk- ins, Paris Palmer and Tommy Stevens, have had a year to acclimate to the new sta4 and have a complete understanding of how the program goes about its business. The fast- paced, nonstop tenor of a James Franklin practice should be far more e5cient and productive than it was a year ago. Certainly, big questions remain at linebacker, in the kicking game, in the secondary and even at tight end, an area that is seemingly deep but will be missing one of its most pro- ductive players in Jesse James. But the advantages of repetition, habit and familiarity are likely to present opportunities for team-wide im- provement. ■ Franklin seeks to learn from participants in inaugural playo A 6er a recent whirlwind weekend, jam packed with recruiting events and speaking engagements, James Franklin might not feel much like waking up and doing a back handspring out of bed. On Friday, Feb. 27, Franklin headed to Boston to take part in a panel discussion at MIT's Sloan Sports Analytics Confer- ence. The next day, he and his assistant coaches hosted the biggest junior day in Penn State history. And on Sunday, March 1, he gave a talk at TedxPSU and later spoke at the National Football Foundation's scholar-athlete banquet. At MIT, Franklin discussed the "for- mula" for winning in major-college football alongside former West Virginia athletics director and new NCAA execu- tive Oliver Luck, ESPN recruiting ana- | N O T E B O O K

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