James Franklin, embracing expectations, pushes work

Expectations were top of mind on Tuesday evening for reporters. And, by extension, the same was true for Penn State head coach James Franklin.

Meeting with the media for the fourth time this spring, the Nittany Lions set to go into their final five practices, the head coach was asked to tackle some weighty subjects. 

For instance, just how good can his Penn State program be this season? And, given the stated aspirations of some of the team’s stars, how would they fit into Franklin’s vision to take care of business every day?

With just 10 days separating the Nittany Lions from the Blue-White Game, here is a snapshot of where Franklin and the Penn State football program stand:

LINKS: April 4 Penn State practice impressions – Offense/Defense

James Franklin post-practice notebook

1) “What everybody does”

Asked about an offseason conversation that has grown in its intensity for what Penn State might be capable of achieving this year, Franklin said the timing is an essential ingredient to it.

With established returning players meshing with talented younger pieces, Franklin acknowledged the reasons behind that optimism. 

“That’s what everybody does in the offseason. I get it,” Franklin said. “We finished the season well, we got a ton of talented players coming back. We still have some question marks. But that’s what the offseason is about, those types of conversations. I get it. 

“We’re trying to get better today. I thought we had a good practice today. We got to be ready to play well against West Virginia and see where it takes us.”

When asked about comments made by running back Nick Singleton and safety Jaylen Reed, that their goal is to win a national championship, Franklin didn’t recoil. Rather, preferring to ensure that the work necessary to achieve those goals is being put in, Franklin said that element is essential.

“I love that, that’s great. But I’m going to tell leave here and tell them they better focus on West Virginia,” Franklin said. “I love that. But to me, you spend all these times talking about goals and things way down the road. And that’s fine, to maybe talk about once or twice. But then you better spend most of your time focused on what you need to do to get there. 

“That’s all that really matters. Are you willing to do what it takes to get there? We spend very little time talking about kind of results and goals.” 

2) James Franklin names more spring standouts

Though Franklin wasn’t offered any open-ended questions to pick top performers this spring, a few names presented themselves anyway. 

Asked about the defensive tackle position and some of the lingering concerns there, Franklin pointed to Zane Durant as being “on a really good trajectory.” Meanwhile, at linebacker, Franklin talked up Tony Rojas, who he said has “been gaining more and more confidence every single day.”

Producing incredible gains in the weight room, said by Franklin to have now put on 29 pounds, Rojas has an “excitement” surrounding his early performances. The same is also true, Franklin said, of linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson, who is also progressing through his first spring practice. 

3) Moving forward

Asked to summarize what he feels the program has accomplished this spring, Franklin balanced a series of pros and cons. 

On the positive, he noted that the team has “gotten a ton of reps.” And then he repeated it for emphasis. The day produced one of the best practices of the spring for the offense, during an overall spring that has been very good for the defense. Finally, the competition taking place at several positions, including on special teams looking for a new kicker, punter, and snapper, has also been good, he said.

To the negative, Franklin acknowledged a rash of injuries that have kept some key players out of action this spring. Pointing to the impact those injuries have had on a few specific position groups, Franklin ultimately landed in a place in which he remains optimistic that his pre-spring goal for a traditional Blue-White Game is still a possibility.

“It’s been better. We’ve had a little bit of limitations. But we’ve been able to push through,” Franklin said. “I’m pretty hopeful that we’ll be able to have a traditional spring game with maybe only a few guys that may have to run back and forth from sideline to sideline. I think we’ll be able to have a traditional spring game, which could be meaningful for us and allow us to get something out of that last practice and also be able to give the fans something to be excited about.”