James Franklin discusses how redshirt rules impact decisions on roster

With the start of the college football season right around the corner, coaches are putting pen to the pad and setting their depth charts for the year. That responsibility comes with possibly red-shirting young players for the year.

Penn State head coach James Franklin is currently deciding which of his young players will see the field this season and which won’t.

Recently, the Penn State headman shined some light on the conversations he has had with freshman players on the topic of red-shirting and discussed how the change in the redshirt rules could have an impact on his roster decisions.

“I think for a lot of them, they’re pretty self-aware. I mean, they’ve seen they haven’t either broken into the two-deep, and they kind of see the writing on the wall,” said Franklin. “Some guys aren’t; that’s always the case. There’s some guys that just aren’t as realistic with where they’re at. So, some of those conversations are hard. But most of them, they see it the same way.

“What I try to do is probably the week leading up to it, I go around and ask them where do they see themselves. And I’d say 90 percent of the group sees themselves the same way the coaches do. Now, the other thing we know is the new redshirt rule kind of changes that. You can still play a ton of football and regain your red shirt. And just because they’re not ready right now doesn’t mean they won’t be ready by Game 5.”

This season, Penn State has a total of 23 incoming freshmen on the roster, according to On3’s Recruiting database. So, it is unlikely that all 23 incoming players will get an opportunity to touch the field this season.

However, it is essential that those young players have those sit-down conversations with the coaching staff to better assess where they are in their growth and development within the program.

Whoever gets the opportunity to take the field for Penn State this season has to be ready to play the game at the highest level. The Nittany Lions are projected to compete with the likes of Michigan and Ohio State for the Big Ten title this season.

So, any freshman who still needs time to grow and develop will likely find themselves on the redshirt list. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t see a few snaps this season at Penn State, thanks to the new rules.