What are the top four answers we won’t hear from the Penn State contingent at Big Ten Media Days?
Penn State coach James Franklin will join tackle Olu Fashanu, safety Keaton Ellis, and defensive end Adisa Isaac at Lucas Oil Stadium this week for Big Ten Media Days. It will mark the first appearance at the annual event for each player. However, it will be the 10th time the leader of the Lions has attended the unofficial kickoff to another new season.
Franklin will speak at the podium first on Wednesday. Then, the members of the roster will speak for 30 minutes each in the afternoon. The head coach will then wrap things up with a 45-minute roundtable session. All will make headlines. It’s a safe bet to say some will do so more than others. And, the same goes for saying it’s a near guarantee that we won’t hear the answers that some fans and media members are hoping to.
Here’s a look at the top four storylines that we aren’t expecting to hear resolved by the end of Wednesday.
1. A starting quarterback won’t be named
Penn State fans and everyone else are waiting to hear Franklin say that Drew Allar will be the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback in 2023. He will utter those words eventually. But, don’t expect that to happen on Wednesday. The head coach has had multiple opportunities to do so already this offseason but has elected not to. With preseason camp now just around the corner, it’s practically a guarantee that the competition will continue between Allar and Beau Pribula. At least, that will be the case for a little while longer.
2. Pat Kraft won’t have a major new update about Beaver Stadium renovations
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft will make his second appearance at Big Ten Media Days this year. If you are hoping he might reveal any kind of new, important information about the Beaver Stadium renovation project, you will probably be disappointed.
Kraft told BWI earlier this summer that the intended start date for work on the project is January of 2025. Currently, much is being done behind the scenes in terms of picking architects, design models, and so on. It’s work that is critical to the project. But, it is unlikely to move the needle much with fans the way an artist’s rendering would, for example. Those will come. For now, though, expect any news on the approved plan to be pretty basic.
3. Penn State may reveal some injury updates, but..
James Franklin said earlier this year that he expected any player who sat out part or all of spring practice to be good to go for preseason camp. The list includes but is not limited to defensive tackle Coziah Izzard, linebacker Tyler Elsdon, and tight ends Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson. We’re hopeful to hear about any new additions to the injury list and also to learn who of that group, and potentially anyone else, could be coming off of it.
That said, we won’t be left holding our breath waiting for it to happen. Franklin is coy with injury info. And, h rarely wants to reveal much of anything about health statuses or anything else related to a player’s availability. Thus, while we may get one or two confirmations, don’t expect to read or hear them all.
4. The players on hand will not look down the road
If you’re hoping to find out what Keaton Ellis things of the Ohio State defense or what Olu Fashanu thinks will be the biggest challenge Michigan presents Penn State with this year, you’re unlikely to have your hopes granted. That pair, in addition to Isaac, are veteran players. They have spent enough time around Franklin and his program to know that they need to follow and preach the ‘1-0 mindset.’ It means they will say they are thinking about training camp and West Virginia.
We’ll hear about the Mountaineers. But, don’t expect to hear about any other 2023 opponents before the group is done in Indianapolis.
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