Which Penn State players should fans keep a close eye on during the Blue-White game? Roundtable

Penn State football finishes spring practice on Saturday with its annual Blue-White game. It will return to a two-team scrimmage format for the first time since 2021. Last year’s game was modified due to injuries.

Head coach James Franklin will divide his staff and players into a blue team and a white team and will likely allow position coaches to call plays as opposed to coordinators Mike Yurcich and Manny Diaz. The action gets underway at 2 p.m. ET inside Beaver Stadium. Big Ten Network will also carry the contest live, as will the Penn State Sports Network on radio airwaves around Pennsylvania.

Before kickoff, the Blue-White Illustrated staff is back with a roundtable, and the topic is this: Which player is each of our staff members most interested in seeing on Saturday?

Sean Fitz: Pick and choose from Penn State’s secondary

All eyes will be on the quarterbacks on Saturday, and that’s fine, but eight of those will belong to Penn State’s secondary. The group has been the standout unit in spring ball and they’ll make it tough on the offense again on Saturday. It’s a nice mix of experience and young upstarts who could jump onto the scene in a big way in 2023.

Cornerback Kalen King was a breakout star in 2022 and he’s back for another round. On the other side, Johnny Dixon should be in the mix for some springtime hardware from the program. North Carolina transfer Storm Duck and sophomore Cam Miller will have roles as well and Daequan Hardy will return to his familiar nickel post. At safety, the two-deep of Keaton Ellis, Jaylen Reed, Zakee Wheatley and KJ Winston will all play. Wheatley and Winston, in particular, have had a buzz about them in camp, and Ellis had his most productive spring yet.

Fans will lament turnovers on Saturday because of the quarterbacks, but this group is shaping up to be one of the best secondaries in the country in 2023.

Nate Bauer: Drew Allar and Beau Pribula, of course

If the 2022 season was the appetizer, the Blue-White Game should be the between-courses palate cleanser for Drew Allar. The main dish is coming, everyone is aware of as much. But, Saturday’s scrimmage offers an opportunity for everyone to also discard the prior storylines that, at times, shaded perspectives in every direction.

Sean Clifford is no more, either as savior or scapegoat. Allar is no longer the “most popular guy on the team” to fans as the backup quarterback. Instead, what he is in reality is a sophomore college quarterback with a solid foundation of experience and limitless potential.

And, importantly, he’s being pushed by an eager competitor in Beau Pribula. The result should make everyone better, and Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium will be a great opportunity to wipe clean past conceptions and look to the future.

Thomas Frank Carr: A Penn State receiver is the one to watch

We’ve heard that the light has come on for wide receiver Harrison Wallace, but it’s another to see what that looks like firsthand. His presence fits the description in the glimpses we’ve gotten this spring. But, seeing him compete against his teammates is different. I’m keen to see him run routes against defensive backs to see how much separation he creates and if he can be Penn State’s man-coverage beater next season. Wallace has the best composite skillset of speed, leaping ability, and agility to be that player. Watching him go against Penn State’s talented secondary will be fun.

Greg Pickel: Tony Rojas is ready to shine

Few Penn State players have generated the kind of buzz that first-year linebacker Tony Rojas has this spring. The former four-star recruit and Gatorade Virginia high school football player of the year has put on 29 pounds since stepping foot on campus. He has routinely been picked out by teammates as a player who is turning heads during spring practice. Now, we’ll get to see his skills on display inside of Beaver Stadium for the first time. There is little doubt that the freshman will make a play or two that wows the crowd on hand and those watching on Big Ten Network.

The post Which Penn State players should fans keep a close eye on during the Blue-White game? Roundtable appeared first on On3.