James Franklin, coordinators speak at Penn State football media day

The Penn State football program already has four practices in the books with a fifth on tap for Saturday afternoon. Before getting there, though, the Nittany Lions are meeting with reporters at media day from Beaver Stadium.

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Head coach James Franklin is set to take the podium first, taking questions at 12:15 p.m. The press conference will be streamed live via Penn State’s LionVision web portal linked HERE.

Along with Franklin, Penn State coordinators Mike Yurcich (offense), Manny Diaz (defense), and Stacy Collins (special teams) will also be addressing the media. We’re posting updates here throughout.

Updates below, with question subjects and paraphrased responses, most recent first…

Mike Yurcich (1:15 p.m.)

That’s all from Yurcich and all from the live blog. We’ll have complete coverage of player interviews and our open practice views later today.

On moment realizing they’re better: It’s a little early to stamp certain things in fall camp, but believes they’ve made strides in run game. Feel better about that as a staff.

On Devyn Ford: Being the experienced guy, he has to be a leader. Needs to be tough and do all things. They expect him to continue to compete his butt off, secure the football, be great in protections. With his experience, he can be a mentor and leader for them in the unit.

On role of families: Every relationship is different. Some guys talk to mom more, or dad more, or it might be guardian or uncle. Those conversations are important to have in those relationships. That unconditional love is really important. As a program, demands to stay in contact with parents of players. It’s important.

On Theo Johnson: He is fast and very long. Theo getting good at contact at the line of scrimmage. He’s a unique tight end in how he creates matchup problems. Very pleased with him and where he’s headed. Plan to utilize them.

On working with Sean to not overdo it: Great question. With his experience, he understands that at a level that some fourth-year guys don’t. He understands the scrutiny and pressure of the position. And just making sure that Yurcich does a good job with him. Have to take a deep breath, wash it, and move on to next play. Need that in the program and at QB. Being present minded is an important skill to master. With all his experience, he’s been able to apply that, and that’s been critical.

On Mitchell Tinsley: He’s a well-seasoned guy. He transitions well. Gets out of cuts well. Very skilled guy that understands coverage, route conversions. New install is relatively easy for him to absorb as an intelligent player. He’s ahead of the curve because of where he came from and how much he’s played.

On the offensive line: Likes where they are from an OL perspective. They’ve had two helmet and shoulder pad practices. Their attitudes have been tremendous. Physical. They’re coming off the ball so well. Trautwein has done a helluva job getting those guys ready.

On Nick Singleton: He’s done a great job. He’s a gifted runner. It’s been a shared load in the backfield. Nick is a special talent but has to progress in protection and fundamentals of tailback play, inside, outsize zone, following rules and instincts. Those are things Coach Seider will handle. Will continue to see growth with him.

On optimizing offense: There are things you can do to play to your strengths. And it might be about what the defense does and its strengths. Those are all important things to keep in mind.

On second year with Sean Clifford, and reflecting on first year of camp this year vs. last: It’s like anything when you’re trying something new, it’s about repetition. You’re just starting over from the base and reteaching it. The more attempts you get at that, the smoother it’s going to go. Cliff is eager to move on to more stuff sooner than maybe the rest of the offense. But the language and communication is an easier flow. It’s more familiarity with the system. He’s been phenomenal. And he has progressed from spring until now.

On Parker Washington’s chemistry with Clifford: Parker, they know what he’s got because he had such a good year last year. He has an uncanny ability to get open. That’s in man or zone settings. He’s a veteran guy they’re going to lean on heavily this year. Has shown all the signs he’s ready for a big year.

On quarterbacks, specifically two freshmen: Overall, it’s been tremendous growth. It’s a tremendous room. They’re a bunch of film rats. They’re constantly in the facility. They do a great job learning football on their own, in and out of meeting. Attentive and ask questions. Sometimes when you’re new, there’s a reluctance to ask questions, but those guys are great in that regard. When you look at their backgrounds, it makes sense.

The young QBs have grown leaps and bounds from spring to now. If there is an error, typically you understand the why behind it. A sophisticated look that fools them. But they’ve done a really good job improving.

Manny Diaz (1:00 p.m.)

Manny is done. Next up, Mike Yurcich.

On balancing turnover creation against giving up big plays: Those things aren’t in direct competition with each other. The way DT is taught doesn’t expose your secondary to big plays. You can control things. Always attacking at point of attack, but in back end, staying risk averse. You understand big plays get you beat, but havoc in the backfield creates big plays.

On Elsdon and King and command: Ultimately, Mike is QB of the defense. Have to know where to line up and where to stick your nose. You could be strongest man in the world and run a 4.3, but if you don’t know whether to be in A gap or B gap, whole defense falls apart. Both guys can do it. Both guys can play. They know they can do it and have shown it. But can you do it every down? Need everyone on D to say ‘Yes, he’s correct.’ That’s trust. You do it every day in preseason practice. If you have a bad day at Mike, that erodes the trust of the D. Don’t have to make judgments right now. Have two weeks to find out who these guys are.

On turnovers and being sustainable: Have had conversations with analytics people about that. Have led Power Five twice in last eight years. There is a formula. Every DC preaches same thing. But you have to do a great job against the run. Need to put people in long yard situations. Fact, most turnovers happen on third and long. They can protect ball if not in third and long. There is a formula to try to get people into third and long. All that sounds easy, and it’s easier said than done. On average, teams that recover half of fumbles, but some years that can go up to 60 percent, or down to 30 percent, and that can be the difference winning a championship.

Off to a good start in training camp of hunting the ball. Will attack the football. That’s what you always worry about in season openers. Have a monster opening game. Ball security is so important and want to be prepared for that on both sides of the ball this preseason.

On PJ and Hakeem: Have been limited with two days in pads. But you feel PJ’s presence. Like Ji’Ayir, everyone in program has great respect for PJ. When ball snaps, you see where he’s had success as one of top DTs. Strong at point of attack. Can finish a play in the backfield, and that’s important to their DNA. That’s been encouraging to get that back. Being smart with him and bringing him back.

Hakeem, being disruptive, being in backfield, all that fits him like a glove. He’s very difficult to block. Great instincts. Slippery. Hard matchup to guards in 1:1 situations. Quarterbacks can step up from DE pressure, but when there is no pocket because DTs aren’t just space eaters, now you can make that QB uncomfortable and that’s when mistakes occur.

With Adisa, felt in spring that they needed a more dynamic nature on the edge, having not seen him. Now that he’s back and confident, he has some of that juice off the edge. Add a guy like Chop Robinson. Nick Tarburton dependable with a high level of detail. Different animal at DE than in the spring. Those returns have helped them.

On Mike linebacker and transfer portal: You have to be open to portal everywhere, but there weren’t right fits. These guys don’t like being labeled the question of the defense. They get reminded of that daily. So whether it’s Tyler or Kobe, Curtis at Will, you have Sutherland at Sam, Dom DeLuca at Sam, there are a lot of guys. Sometimes you play best defense with a chip on shoulder. There is a lot expected of them and that’s why they’re here.

On Johnny Dixon and his contributions: Want to have depth in the secondary. Want competition. Want players to not feel secure because growth happens when you’re uncomfortable, and best way to have that is look to bench and see that if you slip up, you’ll lose your job. Going to let those guys battle it out. Key in secondary is, guys are going to catch a ball. And really, it’s response to that and maturity level when things don’t go well. If you’re out there, someone will catch ball on you. Johnny has done good job maturing in that aspect.

On emphasizing turnovers in defensive backfield: In college football, secondary determines a lot of strength about defense. Where Penn State has been great is making big plays, and then being good in the red zone. What Ji’Ayir Brown brings is enormous. On the outside, guys like Joey, Kalen, and five top corners. Have a good battle opposite Ji’Ayir at safety. Is excited about putting in sub packages starting today. Nickel, dime. Only four days in, but likes the way those guys are working.

Penn State ST coach Stacy Collins (12:50 p.m.)

That’ll do it for Stacy Collins. Manny Diaz up next.

On bringing Vega Ioane into Penn State: Lot of ties to the west coast. With Vega, his character checks out. Big, great feet. It was a piece he had some ties and just like on special teams, recruiting is a team effort. They’re excited to have him here.

On testing numbers that stand out for that position: You need speed, but it’s also game speed. Fundamentals and techniques. Tracking returner and ball.

On gunners: Have had unbelievable play there. It’s been extremely impressive. Guys understand it. It’s a competition. Malick Meiga has done a nice job. Hardy has good speed. Marquis Wilson.

On things he’s learned about Pennsylvania: From a personal standpoint, has four daughters, and it has been a great place to live. Girls and wife love it here. Is from a town very similar to State College. The schools have been unbelievable here. And east coast has been cool. Oldest daughter just finished freshman year of college and she’s back here working this summer. Can’t say enough.

On building camaraderie with staff: Special teams starts from top down. Franklin has done a great job with that. Everyone, all assistants, are part of special teams. It’s a cumulative effort. A lot of people give ST lip service. But when you peel layers back, you see resources being used. They have that with staff and practice time. That puts a ST coordinator in a good spot, and culture here is strong. This model has been great to work in.

On placekicking and timeline: It’s been a great competition between Sander Sahaydak and Jake Pinegar. They’ve struck it well the past four practices. They trended well through the spring. There isn’t a timeline. You have to make that decision. If there is a line of demarkation between short and long field goals, he’s done that in the past. They can do that, but that decision doesn’t need to be now. Need to just keep striking the ball well.

On punt and kick returners: Worked a lot of guys in spring and have continued through fall. Washington consistent on PR. Tinsley too. And Marquis Wilson is another guy. Have to continue to put those guys in game like situations. A couple of those guys have done well in first four practices. They’ll start trimming that as they work through camp.

Devyn Ford on kickoff return. He’s been consistent. Daequan Hardy has good speed. Omari Evans. And Nick Singleton has some juice and size. Several others they’ve worked back there. Have a bunch of battles on special teams. Likes competition, they’re getting better, and guys are getting a lot of reps.

On kickoffs: Alex Bacchetta, Gabe Nwosu, and Jake Pinegar all handling it right now.

Penn State head coach James Franklin (12:15 p.m.)

That’s all for James Franklin from Penn State football media day.

On Sal Wormley and Adisa Isaac: Adisa and Sal, there was a lot of excitement about them last year. Think about how many guys they lost either before or during the season that were significant leaders and production contributors. Was remarking to Sean how well Sal is playing, and Sean said that he was playing well last season this same time.

Everyone was excited about what Adisa was going to be able to do after the season he had in 2020. So having him and these other guys back gives them a really good balance of maturity, experience and young talent. Hopefully can learn and play off each other. Have a really challenging first game on the road. Have talked to team about Purdue’s success with night and black out games. Important to have a good start, so their leadership and having them back is really important.

On avoiding complacency early in season with success: In general, whether last year or making sure guys are grounded and focused, that’s where depth is important. Whether it’s an injury or a guy struggling or not playing as capable, having a legitimate option behind them tends to solve those problems fast. Under current model, could make argument it’s as challenging as ever to manage roster. For Penn State, at this stage in the game, looking at portal the same way schools looked at junior colleges 10-15 years ago. Way to solve immediate issue. Depth is the most important thing you can do. You need a starter you feel good about. Need a backup you can win Big Ten games with. And you need a young guy developing at every position. Might need to move some guys to positions they weren’t thinking about playing.

Then part of developing that depth is playing guys. One thing they talked about on retreat is not being led by ego. You’re up 35-0 in a game, and Franklin says subs need to get in, and O or D coordinator says to get one more drive in, you’re doing that to preserve the shut out. What’s more valuable? The shut out or getting guys in there to get valuable experience and minutes?

In the new model, guys want to feel like they have opportunity to play and contribute. So all those things factor in. Had opportunities last year to get guys in and they didn’t. Maybe if they did, could have been more prepared when it was needed later in the season. That was a big discussion this offseason. It’s not just the experience. It’s late-game injury when game was decided already. Or, the targeting penalty. All those things factor into it.

On challenges of being in same place for nearly 10 years cultivating resources from donors: Those things really matter and those things really help to have those relationships that you can pick up the phone, you can explain a topic that may be as new to college football and college athletics, and get people to not only understand but to buy into it. When you talk about facilities specific to how Penn State does them here, raising money before project happens, those things are important as well. Being able to use a letterman or donor house in town for recruiting purposes, getting donations for scholarships or facilities, or people getting behind the NIL initiatives all over college athletics, those relationships are critical.

The thing that is also fascinating at a place like Penn State is, and the NIL conversations going on at a school as big as Penn State with alumni and letterman, there are a number of opportunities still out there. You have to be careful in fundraising going back to the same people over and over again. But what this has done is open opportunities to people that hadn’t been giving to Penn State, for whatever reason, that now are. Has been pleased with that. Met with a bunch of ladies and gentlemen in Wilkes Barre, and that was a thing they talked about. One of the guys made statement that they like consistency at Penn State. Those relationships in anything are critical, but in area discussed, it’s very important.

On physicality of defensive backfield: Outside of each positional meeting room, there are lists of standout players. And if you look at recent trends, that’s a shift historically at Penn State and Terry gets a lot of credit for that. Depth at corner is really good. Johnny Dixon is having a really good camp, which is really important for them not only creating depth, but also guys that might be pegged as starters are pushed to keep starting job or could be replaced. That’s across the board. Hardy has done a tremendous job in nickel and could take next step there. He’s taken ownership of that spot.

At safety, Tig Brown is a guy who established himself tied for lead in interceptions nationally, but there are three other guys they feel good about. Keaton Ellis has played a lot of football, plus Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley, let alone the guys that have come in. Seeing those guys work on back end and gain confidence, and the way Manny, Terry and Anthony Poindexter have stressed getting hands on balls will help defense, but also impacts offense every day.

On discussions with Sean Clifford and leadership on improved benefits for players: Obviously there were a ton of conversations, but once training camp started, concentration has been good. Has seen everyone locked in and focused, similar to responses at Big Ten Media Days.

On USC and UCLA joining Big Ten and impact on recruiting: Pat Kraft called him a day or two before it was announced publicly. That was good to have that conversation. Had read and heard things at Big Ten media days where that wasn’t the case everywhere in the league. So that was great to be prepared for it.

With recruiting, when you’re able to add two teams from California to the conference, that should allow you to get into some conversations that you haven’t before from that region. Not having an international airport here in town has somewhat of an impact on that. But you look at this recruiting class, going more national. You have to take that approach, but when you add two schools like that to the conference, it should create more opportunities for kids. Will go out there for a few games and they’ll be coming here a lot.

On expectations for transfers: Mitchell Tinsley has already had so much production in college. He’s super mature and understands some things other guys don’t understand. He’s roommates with Sean. Smart move. They have a rapport on and off the field, which is helpful. Has a chance to have a really productive year. He’s dependable, has really good ball skills, toughness and maturity. So he’s one of those guys you know what you’re getting week in and week out from him.

Hunter Nourzad, the closer you get to the ball, the transfer situation, it’s a big difference. Blocking PJ Mustipher and Hakeem Beamon is very different from what he’s had to block in the Ivy League. That transition has gone well. But his testing numbers, he’s done very well. Fast, explosive, strong, and intelligent. So have better depth up front than they’ve had last few years. So whether it’s game one or game four, he’ll have a significant role but it’s too early to say now how it will play out.

Chop Robinson at DE was important with the guys they lost. Losing AK and Jesse last year, needed to make sure they could bring someone in to take the next step. Having Adisa back helps too. But have been pleased with him. The way they practice, the type of physicality they have at practice every day, there are similarities with how he was used as a 3-4 OLB. But it is a little bit different for him having hand in the ground every day. But he is quick, explosive, fast. Defensive coaches are talking about him, but so are offensive coaches. Will see how significant role is for him as season progresses.

On Mike Yurcich calling games: Biggest thing is him knowing personnel and what they do well and what can be done to help them. That’s the running game, that’s Sean Clifford. They know each other better, and that’s useful. Have talked about having same OC and system for multiple years, and there is value in that. The other thing is familiarity with the league. The other defensive coordinators and venues. Mike has good track record, and potential to do good things this year.

On Manny Diaz influence and philosophy: It’s more subtle. That’s why they went in that direction. At end of the day, wanted best DC they possibly could get. But being able to find someone from a similar background, similar philosophy, is helpful. You just don’t want to start all over again. The majority of players and staff are back. Who takes on all the learning? The players or the coordinator? But at the end of the day, you’re hiring Manny for a reason. You want him to be comfortable with how he operates. Pleased with how they’re doing defensively. Emphasizing getting hands on balls, causing fumbles, interceptions, tipped balls that turn into interceptions. Has been pleased and guys are confident. Subtle changes that fit who they are.

On self-study, and why OL hasn’t reached same level of other positions over his eight years: It’s all of it. You get to an elite level through recruiting and development and coaching. When it doesn’t work out, those things factor in. Staff perspective will impact it, philosophically with offseason development in strengthened conditioning, some of the things they’re doing scheme wise that he’s been adamant about. Scheme, fundamentals, coaching, recruiting, all of it will impact it. And when they’re successful, it’s for the same reasons. It’s hard to say when you when a Big Ten championship that you didn’t play well, but understands the point.

Emphasizing turnovers like crazy. Getting hands on so many balls. Has felt like that in the past as well, but it’s been emphasized enough that they have a chance to take a step in the right direction this year. But also have done some things from a staffing perspective that will help it. And then things you can do calling the game. Moving the pocket. Doing things with cadences. All those things. Confident that it has been emphasized this training camp and offseason.

On biggest questions going into the season: Starting on special teams, Jordan Stout did a great job and got drafted, so that’s a concern. Jake Pinegar has been a starter before. Good options at kickoff. But punts are the biggest question. Barney Amor is leading the pack right now. Also, not punting as much would solve that problem a bit.

On defense, Mike linebacker and linebacker in general. Right now, Tyler Elsdon and Kobe King have done a really nice job there. That’s a legit competition they feel good about. And then, they also started Keon Wylie there at Mike. He is super smart and seems to be handling it really well. That’s the biggest question on defense. Figuring out the other safety, but feels like they have a number of really good options competing there.

On offense, it’s been the OL for a couple of years. Isn’t going to pound the table that this is the year. Is going to take a more measured approach and let them prove it on the OL. And then obviously based on production, between OL and RB, the running game in general is a question mark. But have different people in that room, some returning and some new faces that have created good competition and depth. Biggest thing is potential for big plays in the rushing game. Numbers will always be impacted when you don’t have those long runs, not only with field position but also averages. It also takes pressure off passing game and creates more potential for play-action pass.

On Parker Washington’s rise: He’s done a nice job. Being with Jahan Dotson was helpful to his development. And he’s made a number of plays. Has really good ball skills, good body control, and is really intelligent. He has the confidence of Clifford, Yurcich and Stubblefield. They need him to have a big year. Feels like the group has the ability to match or exceed production from last year even without Dotson. It might not be a 1:1 tradeoff, but KeAndre Lambert-Smith, plus Mitch Tinsley and Parker, and then the next unit of backups that can contribute. The depth is not even close compared to last year when there was a significant drop-off. That’s not the case this year. Parker will provide a huge role there from a leadership standpoint.

Opening comments: Rules have changed the feel of camp over the past few years. And with Penn State’s academic calendar, players are in school for most of camp.

Manny has done a good job getting adjusted. Their time at the staff retreat was helpful and productive. Year Two with Mike Yurcich has been helpful. And continuing to build with Stacy Collins.

More depth than they’ve had the past two years. Overall, pleased. Working hard to build depth where there are questions. So, overall, really good.