Inside the Den: Penn State football preseason practice report
Penn State football proceeded through a busy, important stretch of its preseason camp with a Friday afternoon practice session. They’ll continue on Saturday with the Nittany Lions’ first scrimmage this month as intensity ramps up and the start of the 2024 season nears.
And Blue White Illustrated is keeping tabs on all of it.
Surveying the program to get a better idea of what went down during some of the live work for the Nittany Lions on Friday, let’s go Inside the Den to see what stood out:
Inside the Den: Penn State football preseason practice report
Staking a claim
Already discussed on Thursday from program sources, Trey Wallace is the undeniable top option at receiver. That remained the case on Friday in Penn State’s intention to deliver him the football in the passing game. It was unmistakable.
“Flatly, coming off a disappointing 2023 season marred by injury, Wallace’s runway is cleared for stardom and, for Penn State to reach its offensive goals this year, he has to tap into his star potential. Wallace has fared well in the first part of camp. Demonstrating his experience and savvy at the position, the consistency with which he does it has been a bright spot for the Nittany Lions out of the gates.”
He didn’t make any particularly noteworthy plays in Friday’s session, but if there was any outstanding question about how Penn State views its pecking order at the position, that should now be resolved. This is Wallace’s opportunity to shine.
Also of note at receiver, the first group out on Friday was Wallace, Liam Clifford, and Omari Evans. Or, as indicated by Blue White Illustrated since April, status quo.
Penn State offensive notes
A few quick hitters to pass along from Friday’s live work, which was all thud:
Tyseer Denmark had a touchdown in red zone work. The buzz on him this preseason has been consistent and he demonstrated again why that has been the case on Friday afternoon. From Franklin: “Tyseer has really flashed and done some really nice things. This is very, very different. So there’s still an adjustment period going on. But there’s a pretty significant buzz in the program about him… Tyseer is probably the guy that right now is the closest to helping us.”
Liam Clifford had a long touchdown reception.
Corey Smith had a long touchdown run. Quinton Martin held down the third running back spot, with Cam Wallace having missed the past few practices.
There was nothing particularly notable about the quarterback play in either direction. Drew Allar looked “good.” Beau Pribula was “inconsistent” throwing the ball, but looked fast when running. Beau was said to have been under more pressure than Allar from Penn State’s defensive front. The two primary quarterbacks took all of the reps in the live work on Friday.
The three young tight ends, Andrew Rappleyea, Joey Schlaffer, and Luke Reynolds, all got time with the first team on Friday. Reynolds has been buzzing through the early part of camp.
Penn State defensive notes
Same deal on the defensive side of the ball:
A.J. Harris has been buzzing this preseason. He started opposite Cam Miller at cornerback. The second group was Elliot Washington and Zion Tracy. No particular mention of Audavion Collins, but it’s worth noting how Tom Allen framed his status when speaking with reporters on Thursday evening. “AC, Audavion Collins, is another one that you really didn’t see on film last year, but really had a great spring. But I tell you what, that that room is so competitive, that he has had… you got to stay on your game every day. And to me that’s, that’s a huge thing.”
At safety, all the usual suspects remain in place at the top of the depth chart. This is Jaylen Reed, K.J. Winston, and Zakee Wheatley‘s show. That said, the true freshman Dejuan Lane, who has been buzzing this preseason, continues to make an early impression. He appeared in the second grouping with DaKaari Nelson, with fellow true freshman Vaboue Toure also in the rotation.
Not specific to defense, but coordinators Tom Allen and Andy Kotelnicki are certifiably high energy in practice. Celebrating and getting after it with their players after big plays, there is no lack of positivity and a generally good vibe that’s observable at this point in preseason camp.
Talk about it with our premium members in the Lions Den, here!
The post Inside the Den: Penn State football preseason practice report appeared first on On3.
