James Franklin offers position battle insights, camp standouts, more
Penn State football welcomed the media back to its facilities Monday evening for the third time in the past five days. Beginning last Thursday with a camp interview opportunity and continuing Saturday evening with the program’s public practice, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin again met with reporters.
Taking questions for more than 10 minutes, Franklin’s scrum led to interview opportunities with a handful of assistant coaches and players.
The biggest news of the evening was the first minor confirmation of Landon Tengwall’s absences dating back to Penn State media day more than a week ago. Acknowledging “bumps and bruises” to the returning starting guard, Franklin capped the conversation at that. And, as maybe a close second, he affirmed that he’s still not ready to name a starting quarterback (or Mike linebacker, safeties, or kicker).
Still, the time taking questions served as another opportunity to check in on the Nittany Lions as the program wraps up its second week of preseason camp.
If you haven’t already, catch up on our “Buzzworthy” piece exclusive to our subscribers from earlier in the day Monday, as Franklin’s comments confirmed many of the same points.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the pertinent updates he provided reporters Monday evening:
James Franklin open practice reactions
Franklin’s big takeaway from Saturday evening, despite the steady rain throughout, was that the event was a success for the program, its fans, and the media covering it. Always protective of information coming out of preseason camp, Franklin said he was pleased by the response of all involved to refrain from taking photos and videos outside of designated times.
Beyond that, Franklin stressed that the wet ball work was a bonus from the event. And, again on Monday evening as rain blanketed the Penn State campus, that work was extended into another opportunity.
Wanting to ensure excellence regardless of weather conditions, Franklin added that one of his sticking points from the event was the need to show more proficiency and more commitment to the passing game under those circumstances.
“We got to make sure we’re throwing the ball enough. Because on a wet day, we focused on running the ball, and we need to be able to throw the ball to win as well as run the ball to win,” Franklin said. “And, when you become one dimensional, that’s not what we want and who we want to be. But either way, it was really good work and really good film.”
Taking stock of the Penn State receivers
We’re going to read between the lines for everyone because, at this point, the sentiment doesn’t appear to be catching on across the board.
Asked specifically about Dante Cephas on Monday evening, and later about Trey Wallace, Franklin laid out subtly the reality of Penn State’s receiver situation this preseason. That is, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Wallace remain on a separate tier from their peers at the position. The rest of the room, including Cephas, is then working to establish consistency that has in some respects been fleeting.
“I would say we got a group of guys that we knew coming into this fall camp, guys in the current program that had gotten better, some new guys coming in. I would say it’s one of those deals where it was a different guy or maybe a different two guys every day that’s flashing,” Franklin said. “And, I wouldn’t say anybody has really kind of separated themselves from the pack yet. But, I do think there’s a large group of guys that can play in games and we can win with. You’d like for somebody to separate themselves from the pack a little bit more.”
While Cephas is a “proven commodity” and has “done it in games before against really good competition,” there is still a bar to clear two weeks into camp to becoming a piece Penn State is going to rely upon. Omari Evans, his primary competition for that third starting spot, remains in play and might at this point be considered the favorite. More likely, though, is an ongoing evaluation day-by-day for Evans, Cephas, Liam Clifford, Malick Meiga, Malik McClain, Kaden Saunders, and Cristian Driver.
As good as advertised
Franklin didn’t hold back in his praise of certain players throughout the scrum for their performances this preseason.
Of Kaytron Allen, he said Penn State has “two number one backs.” The sophomore “continues to get better, did some great things today, and he’s gonna have a big year” for Penn State.
Of Olu Fashanu, Franklin said the first-round left tackle is being nurtured by the program with the hopes of becoming a top-10 pick. And Franklin is convinced that can happen. “I think he is in terms of not only a player but a franchise guy in terms of how he goes about his business. The guy wants to be great in everything he does,” Franklin said. “He wants more reps. He’s fighting with us for more reps. So, he’s going about it the right way. And he’s practicing his tail off.”
Kobe King has been consistent as the first Mike linebacker for Penn State this preseason. Comparing the position to tailback, Franklin added that with Elsdon, the program feels like it has two number-one Mikes. But, that didn’t dissuade him from glowing over what King has become this offseason.
“He’s had a really good, really good summer and a really good training camp,” Franklin said. “He’s leaner than what he’s been. You look at him, he’s like a ball of muscle. So it was hard because getting his weight down, his body fat is so low, that that’s challenging. So I think he’s right around 239 right now, which I think is a really good wait for him.
“He’s moving well, he’s confident, knows the defense, he’s got command of the defense. He’s playing fast and aggressive because of his confidence in himself and the defense.”
A final standout
And, not to be outdone, when discussing the third tight end position, Franklin hailed the progress that Khalil Dinkins has made and the contributions he could bring to the position this season.
“I think Khalil Dinkins has had an unbelievable offseason, in the weight room. Still got to put a few pounds on. I think it’s important for all those guys to be 250 or above. He’s got to resolve that,” Franklin said. “But you talk to our defensive players, they feel like he’s one of our better blockers. He can really run. I know talking to Theo this summer, he was giving Theo a run for his money in some of the speed work.
“He’s matured and grown up and he’s had a phenomenal summer academically, which is probably where I’m as proud of him as anything. So we anticipate him being that number three. Again, we haven’t made any decisions on it yet, but he’s working like it. And then there’s a bunch of other guys that we’re excited about, young players that are competing.”
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