Penn State coach James Franklin talks injuries, a freshman who could play again this week, and more: Everything he said Wednesday
Penn State coach James Franklin held his final news conference of Illinois week on Wednesday night. The 11th-year leader of the Nittany Lions and his team open Big Ten play Saturday when the Fighting Illini invade Beaver Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. After telling reporters that he did not have an update on the status of injured Lions Cam Wallace and Dominic DeLuca, Franklin’s first response to a question covered the recovery of injured quarterback Jaxon Smolik and the progress made by freshman and third-string passer Ethan Grunkemeyer.
“Jaxon is able to do only what you have seen so far,” Franklin said. “He’s been cleared to throw pat and gos in pregame. So that’s just kind of where he’s at. Grunk has done some really nice things. Obviously, he’s been able to get a ton of reps. Kind of like what Jaxon was able to get last year. And, he’s done a really nice job with it. He throws the ball extremely well. He’s mobile. He’s really learning this stuff. And I think both Drew and Beau have done a great job of taking them under their wing and teaching them what it takes to be successful at this level.
“There were some conversations about getting [Grunkemeyer] in the game. But, there’s also the aspect of, we want to make sure Beau is getting as many reps as possible. These conversations are kind of ongoing. But, we’re very, very happy with Grunk, and we can’t wait to get Jaxon back.”
Watch everything Franklin said in the embedded YouTube player and read his full comments below.
On honoring the 1994 team on Saturday and if he’s talked to his current Penn State team about them
“Obviously, being from the state and in the state at the time, I was aware [of them]. But I’ve gotten to know a lot of those guys really well. They’re class acts. My time with the Packers, whether it’s been guys coming back up on campus, some of these guys have been back more than others, so it creates an opportunity to get to know some more of those guys.
“But talk about a special team, not only in terms of their record, but also the number of guys that got drafted in the first round, guys that got drafted in the sixth round and played 13 years in the NFL, guys that played 17 years in the NFL. I mean, it’s an impressive group and list of collective team production as well as individual production at the college level as well as in the NFL. It’s an impressive list. And those guys have been awesome. They’ve been pretty active, so it’s great having them back, and they deserve, obviously, to be honored. And I look forward to getting to know maybe a few more of them that maybe haven’t been back recently.
“We hadn’t planned on doing [a presentation]. I think it’s a good point, but if I do that, I’ll probably do it on Sunday. I want them locked and loaded on Illinois, but I think that’s probably a good point. That may be something good to cover on Sunday, what that team was able to accomplish and what they did.”
Does Penn State watch Illinois-Kansas from last year to see Andy Kotelnicki’s offense in action against the Fighting Illini?
“I think there’s some value in that,” Franklin said. “Obviously they have new coaches. We have new coaches. You have different personnel, which, in some ways, allows you to do different things, or more things, to play to the strengths of your current team and also to hide some of your deficiencies or areas that you’re working on. So it’s a piece, but I wouldn’t say it’s a significant piece, but especially at this point, I think for them, it’s game five. For us, it’s game four. There’s enough for us to look at based on this year rather than last year.”
On Lions guard Vega Ioane
“Vega has been really kind of the model since he showed up on campus. He is big, strong, physical, and football smart. He is classroom-smart. Was raised extremely well, very coachable. A guy who is able to play both guard positions and center. Unusual to have a guy that you think could play center at 350 pound. He carries 350 pounds better than I’ve ever seen anybody carry 350 pounds. And I think he’s having a really good year, and I think he’s got a really bright future. So we’re big fans of his. He’s playing really well.”
On Illinois coach Bret Bielema
“I just think he got a really good idea of who he is, how he operates, the type of teams he’s going to have. And really, that’s been his time in Wisconsin, that’s been his time at Arkansas, that’s been his time at Illinois. You look at the coaches that he’s worked for, his tree, and then we also have [analyst] Robb Smith, who’s on our staff, who was with him at Arkansas.
“So we got a really good understanding of who Bret is all the way back to his playing days. And, who he played for. Very similar tree in terms of how they want to manage the game, how they want to play at the line of scrimmage, how they want to run the ball, how they want to dominate the clock, turnovers. Essentially, he’s going to play a style where they’re not going to beat themselves.
More: What stood out about the Penn State offense’s works in the elements during Wednesday’s practice?
“The first thing you have to do as a coach is teach your team how to not lose games before they can learn how to win games. Bret and that tree that he comes from, I think they do a really good job of that. And then obviously, once you got that figured out, then now the next step is finding out how to win games.
“And you look at them, he’s done a really good job of winning those close games, those one-possession games, and then obviously they’re coming in here with a ton of confidence after going on the road to Nebraska, similar place, similar environment, in a lot of ways. A team that was getting a lot of national attention, Nebraska and Illinois, Illinois goes in there and finds a way to get a win. So they’re confident, not only as a team, but also how to handle the environment.”
On the young Penn State linebackers, including Anthony Speca, who could play this week
“Those guys are coming on. DaKaari [Nelson] continues to get better. We’ll plan on using [Anthony] Speca this week. If we’re in that situation, he would get green-lighted for this game, not necessarily for the season at this point, but he was a guy who was able to play a little bit last week, and we’re preparing him this week to be ready to go as well. Ta’Mere [Robinson] is continuing to do some really good things. So yeah, we think we’re in a better position. But, obviously, we’d love to have all of our guys out ready to go and healthy and having a chance to be productive.”
On hiring James Urban and the number of analysts Penn State has
“I think it’s important,” Franklin said. “Obviously it’s very similar to what most people across the country have done. I think the new addition that you guys are talking about, that you guys are aware of, you know, sometimes those things, maybe not are part of the plan, but somebody becomes available, and you spend a ton of time, kind of talking to them and doing research and make sure it’s a good fit for both parties. And, if it is, and we got a chance to bring somebody that’s going to bring value, even if it’s for one more touchdown or two more first downs, it’s worth it, or stopping one more touchdown or stopping two first downs.
“So you know, a lot of reasons for that. The value, obviously, is some of the stuff that you’re able to do in terms of working ahead that increases our ability to get a ton of work done on Sunday and Monday and be more efficient and be more valuable in those two days.
“So that’s one of the big reasons. And then I also think there’s the value of bringing somebody from the outside in that’s got a fresh set of eyes. Sometimes you’re too close to it, so to have somebody come in from the outside and they can see something and identify an area that you need to get cleaned up, there’s value in that, too.”
On Anthony Speca
“He’s just a smart guy, very, very smart guy, very productive guy,” Franklin said. “Played at a great high school in terms of Pittsburgh Central Catholic. Those guys have come in here prepared and ready to play. I think the academics at that school help prepare them, even from a football perspective and for the type of program they run.
“So he’s just come in here and been a very, very mature, very about his business guy. He’s got really good athleticism. Tested really well when he showed up on campus. Him and Peter [Gonalez], we were really, really excited about and continue to be. We can’t get enough Pittsburgh Central Catholic guys. Looking right into the camera; we can’t get enough Pittsburgh Central Catholic guys. So you know, that’s a school that we’re going to continue to go back to, year in and year out. And it’s important for us to keep the best players in Pennsylvania homes, especially for the best programs.”
On the defense preparing to deal with the Beaver Stadium crowd noise Saturday
“That’s why yesterday and today we had the defense in here with the crowd noise going. And, obviously we have cleaned some things up as well, and just kind of how we’re operating, and how dependent we are on the headset communication and how much we’re not using the headset communication, kind of working through some of the kinks,” Franklin said. “But I thought last week was excellent. But, there’s still the fact that you’re dealing with the noise on defense. Not only is it challenging for their offense, if you’re not prepared for it, it creates some issues for you too.”
