Which Penn State football freshmen will play in the regular season finale?: Redshirt report

Penn State football can play all of its freshmen on Saturday against Maryland. The Nittany Lions have burned three redshirts in the Class of 2024 but otherwise have preserved a year of eligibility for the rest of the most recent signing class. Who will play in the regular season finale?

You can expect to see plenty of Xavier Gilliam. The defensive tackle will be forced into action for the remainder of the year with Alonzo Ford dealing with a long-term injury. Penn State will, of course, use tight end Luke Reynolds, offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, and safety Dejuan Lane as much as needed, as those three have already surpassed the redshirt threshold. Defensive end Mylachi Williams and offensive lineman Donovan Harbour could make their Nittany Lion debut. And, the players with two and three games of experience listed below should see action in this contest, as well. Will that include either or both freshmen running back? Time will tell when it comes to the number of carries Quinton Martin Jr., and Corey Smith might receive.

“I think their development has been really good, and I think each week the staff is getting more and more confident,” James Franklin said Wednesday. “I’d say, you know, Quinton was a little bit ahead, and then Corey has caught up, I think, mainly just based on opportunities. Quinton was a little bit banged up there for a little bit, and then we also tried to limit some of his [reps] based on redshirting. So that thrust Corey into a role, which I think kind of sped up his maturation process.

More: Penn State-Maryland Predictions: Will the Nittany Lions cover and lock up a CFP spot Saturday?

“But on that same note, we don’t have enough carries to go around for Nick and Katron as it is, which you guys made very obvious after the first half. So, you’re probably not going to see a whole lot of those guys, unless we need to.”

Here’s a look at this week’s redshirt report.

Penn State redshirt report: Minnesota

The Nittany Lions took numerous freshmen with them to Minneapolis. But, very few saw the field in a closer-than-expected 26-25 triumph over Minnesota. Cousins played just four snaps on offense, though he did receive special teams opportunities. Lane played no defensive snaps but was of course used plenty on special teams. And, Reynolds tallied 14 snaps. It goes without saying that all should play more this week.

PSU redshirt tracker after Week 13

First, a reminder: Any member of the roster can play in up to four regular season games and still preserve a year of eligibility. Once you pay in a fifth, you can no longer redshirt. And, most importantly, postseason games do not count against the total. It is a regular season counter only.

Eleven games

TE Luke Reynolds
OL Cooper Cousins
S Dejuan Lane

Three games

RB Quinton Martin Jr.
LB Anthony Speca
CB Kenny Woseley Jr.

Two games

RB Corey Smith
WR Tyseer Denmark
OL Eagan Boyer
S Vaboue Toure
DE Max Granville
DE Jaylen Harvey
DT Xavier Gilliam
CB Jon Mitchell
CB Antoine Belgrave-Shorter

One game

None.

Zero games

QB Ethan Grunkemeyer
DL Liam Andrews
OT Garrett Sexton
DE Mylachi Williams
OL Donovan Harbour
WR Josiah Brown
DL T.A. Cunningham
OL Caleb Brewer
LB Kari Jackson
WR Peter Gonzalez
DT DeAndre Cook

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