James Franklin updates Smith Vilbert's status amid early season lack of playing time

Penn State head coach James Franklin provided an update on defensive lineman Smith Vilbert this week. The junior has not been playing through the first four weeks but he was announced as one of the team’s scout team players of the week after the win over Central Michigan.

Franklin attempted to provide more information while maintaining Vilbert’s privacy.

“Just not available,” Franklin said. “I’d like to sit down with Smith and make sure that me and him are on the same page. Again, we talk all the time about whatever it may be, whether it’s injuries or whatever it may be: I don’t like to make announcements here publicly before we have spoken so we’re all on the same page.

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“I got a ton of respect for all the players in our program, and I want to be respectful of their situations, whether it’s personal, whether it’s professional, whether it’s academic, whatever it may be. I want to be respectful of those things. And you know, I’m really proud that Smith Vilbert’s a part of our program. I’ll leave it at that for right now.”

Penn State had high hopes for the defensive end in 2022 after he ended the 2021 season with a three-sack performance in the Outback Bowl. Now, the fourth-year defender’s status for Week 5 remains questionable. The Nittany Lions host Northwestern for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

Franklin praises defensive effort in win over Central Michigan

A close first half turned into a second-half shutout for No. 14 Penn State over the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Nittany Lions, who won 33-14 Saturday to improve to 4-0 on the season, dominated defensively through most of the game.

Penn State created three turnovers on the day and forced a turnover on downs twice in the second half. Redshirt freshman safety Zakee Wheatley notched his second interception of the season in the first quarter. Johnny Dixon hauled the other in to haul the Chippewas’ effort to tie the game before halftime. Safety Kalen King caused a forced fumble as well to conclude a great day for the Nittany Lions secondary.

“Now we’re protecting the ball on offense, we’re creating turnovers on defense. As you know, that’s a recipe for success,” Franklin said. “We’ve got to be better on third and long, that has shown up the last couple of weeks. But overall, I’ve been very pleased with our ability to attack the football.”

The Nittany Lions defense is currently No. 23 in the nation, allowing just 16.8 points per game.