Penn State has moved past the midway point of preseason football camp as it prepares for its season opener Sept. 1 at Purdue.
Quarterback Sean Clifford, the graybeard who’s entering his sixth season with the Nittany Lions, said he believes these last two and a half weeks are the most important in measuring a team’s temperature.
“It’s the first two weeks of camp when you really, really understand if your team is going to be good,” Clifford said. “Everyone’s excited the first few days. What are you doing on Day 11, Day 12 and Day 13 and it’s 9 o’clock at night? Are you still watching tape?
“Those are the days when you really find out about what your team is and how everyone reacts to pressure situations. We’ve handled that really well.”
Penn State coach James Franklin has permitted media members to watch only small portions of two practices so far, so it’s impossible to know a whole lot or make many pronouncements.
But here are five things we’ve learned since camp began:
1. Count on freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen seeing significant playing time at running back.
Singleton, a five-star prospect from Gov. Mifflin, and Allen, a four-star recruit from Florida, continue to impress their coaches and teammates. Their development likely prompted Caziah Holmes’ decision to enter the transfer portal.
“I don’t necessarily see that it (Holmes leaving the team) will have a huge impact on where we were trending, which is probably why it happened,” Franklin said Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s too far out of what we expected and how things played out.”
Keyvone Lee, Penn State’s leading rusher the last two seasons, likely will be the starter at Purdue. Devyn Ford, a junior, also is in the mix, but it’s apparent that Singleton and Allen will receive ample opportunities.
“The freshmen have come in and really just pushed everybody,” Clifford said. “They understand competition. They want to play, which is great. You want freshmen to come in wanting to have the ball in their hands. They both want to have the ball in their hands.
“They’ve been making big plays, clutch plays.”
2. North Schuylkill product Tyler Elsdon has the inside track to be the starter at middle linebacker.
Elsdon, a third-year sophomore, has battled Kobe King, a redshirt freshman, to succeed Ellis Brooks, who had 100 tackles last year.
“I’d say right now Elsdon is a little bit ahead of Kobe,” Franklin said. “Kobe’s still figuring it all out. He’s going to play in Game 1. There’s still time between now and the first game before we actually name starters. He’s going to play a lot no matter what.”
Elsdon or King will start the first game of his career at Purdue.
3. Wide receiver Parker Washington will play in the slot most of the time and elsewhere, too.
Playing in the shadow cast by Jahan Dotson, Washington made 64 catches for 820 yards and four touchdowns last season. He teams with KeAndre Lambert-Smith again and Western Kentucky transfer Mitchell Tinsley.
“He’s a shifty guy and smart,” Clifford said. “You have to make a lot of decisions in that slot position. There are a lot of option-type routes where he can go this way or that way. He sees the defense well. He’s very good at seeing structure.
“You’re going to see him all over the place, to be honest.”
4. Penn State has as many as six cornerbacks who are talented enough to play.
Joey Porter Jr., who has been projected by some as a first-round draft pick next year, and Kalen King are expected to be the starters. Both saw extensive action last season, Porter as a starter and King as a backup, when the Lions ranked among the national leaders in pass defense.
Daequan Hardy will continue to play the nickel when Penn State uses five defensive backs. Marquis Wilson has made spectacular plays during camp.
Johnny Dixon, who transferred last year from South Carolina, has been terrific since preseason practice began Aug. 1. Freshman Cam Miller, a four-star prospect, also has earned rave reviews.
“Joey obviously has been holding it down,” Clifford said. “Kalen is a name you’ve been hearing for a while. He’s a fantastic corner.
“You have to start talking about Johnny Dixon. He’s had a fantastic camp. Cam Miller has impressed me. All the corners have had a solid camp. They’ve given us challenging looks. It’s been a lot of fun.”
5. Transfers Chop Robinson and Hunter Nourzad already have made impacts in areas of need.
The 6-3, 242-pound Robinson, a defensive end who came from Maryland, hopes to have the kind of season that Temple transfer Arnold Ebiketie had in 2021 for Penn State when he made the All-Big Ten first team.
Robinson played in every game last season for the Terrapins and made ESPN’s Midseason Freshman All-America Team. He will be a significant part of a rotation that will include Nick Tarburton, Adisa Isaac, Smith Vilbert and probably freshman Dani Dennis-Sutton.
“He’s athletic, strong, fast,” Franklin said. “He has some Big Ten experience, so that’s been helpful.”
The 6-3, 315-pound Nourzad started his final 20 games at offensive tackle at Cornell, where he earned second-team All-America honors at the Football Championship Subdivision level. He could play guard or tackle for the Lions.
“Hunter Nourzad has provided competition and depth for us,” Franklin said, “which was needed.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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