Penn State coach James Franklin talks offensive line, Dominic DeLuca, Drew Allar, and more

Penn State coach James Franklin met with reporters on Wednesday night following the team’s practice in State College. It marked his second news conference of USC week and final one before the team leaves for Los Angeles on Thursday. The first question he fielded focused on whether or not the Lions might get something going in the punt return game this week.

“Their punter does a nice job,” Franklin said. “There are times when he’ll out-punt his coverage from a distance standpoint. We anticipate to have Zion [Tracy] back there [at punt returner]. He’s done a nice job. We think he’s got big play potential. It will be a really good opportunity for him on Saturday.”

The second question focused on second-year Nittany Lions defensive tackle Alonzo Ford.

“He’s done a nice job,” Franklin said. “I know Deion [Barnes] has been very, very impressed with him, and so is the coaching staff. He’s been a great teammate. He’s taken advantage of the reps that he’s getting, and getting better. I think he’s, in some ways, up to this point, he probably was still working back into play shape. Hadn’t played football in a while, and had a pretty significant injury. So I think he’s got better every single week. So we’ve been very pleased with him.”

Watch everything else Franklin had to say and read his full transcript below.

Will Penn State recruit on Friday in LA?

“We’re going to handle this Friday like we’ve been handling all these other Fridays,” Franklin said. “I’ll typically go out in the morning and then get back with the team, and then go back out again at night. So, we’ll treat it just like we’ve been doing up to this point.”

On whether or not Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca will play more snaps this week after returning from injury last week

“When you’re in one of those casts, it affects you, obviously,” Franklin said. DeLuca is wearing a cast on his right hand. “So, getting comfortable with that, getting used to that. I thought he did a nice job last week, but I expect him to work closer toward, I don’t know if it’ll be exactly the same number of reps, but probably in between what he did last week and what he’s done in the past.

“But he’s shown he was physical on kickoff, was good on defense as well. So I think he has more confidence in playing that way, and I think the coaches have confidence in him being able to get the job done.”

On USC quarterback Miller Moss

“” think the head coach does a really good job, and has done a good job for a long time, in terms of offense and scoring points and producing yards,” Franklin said. “And I think, here’s a guy that I think did it the right way, right? You know,he committed the USC, was behind the first pick in the draft, stuck it out, kept learning, got into the bowl game, and played really well, and he knows the system, and he’s prepared, and he’s ready to go. He can distribute the ball to his playmakers.

“They have playmakers, one of the more talented rosters that we played this year. But he’s kind of, in my mind, he’s like your typical West Coast quarterback that knows how to distribute the ball. He’s poised, he’s calm, he’s confident, he’s accurate, he understands the system, he has confidence in the system, and is playing really well. So, I’ve been impressed with him and impressed with the system.”

On Penn State cornerback AJ Harris

“I think Aj is playing really well. He’s a super competitive guy. Football is really important to him. I think he’s really embraced our culture. We’ve had a ton of good discussions with, really, all the transfers we’re talking about, kind of some of the similarities and some of the differences of being here, but he’s been great. He’s been great, and I think he’s playing really well. He’s getting more and more confident each week. I think Terry’s [Smith] doing a good job. We’re playing a number of guys at the corner position.”

What will the Lions do on Friday in LA?

“It will be similar [to a Friday],” Franklin said. “That’s really kind of why we’re doing this [leaving Thursday]. We’re just trying to keep our routine as similar as we possibly can. So, we’ll do a Fast Friday. A big part of that was finding a location that we felt comfortable having that type of practice, because on Friday, we do a lot of our game plan specific stuff, so being able to get into SoFi Stadium was very, very helpful in being able to keep our routine the same.

“So pretty much very similar to what we would do here, obviously, or maybe it would be better say, more of a traditional away game, is probably the best way to say it.”

On Big Ten teams being 1-8 so far when traveling two time zones for a game

“I was hoping that nobody would bring that up,” Franklin said. “We’re not focused on that, or talking about that, or concerned about that. We’re focused on what we have to do, Penn State, to handle our business. But yeah, we’re not talking about that.”

On Penn State right tackles Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci

“Obviously you guys know we’ve been very, very pleased with Anthony, and we anticipate having him on Saturday. Rucci has been able to play and play well and allow us to continue to do what we want to do on offense. I think he’s gaining confidence and getting more comfortable, but that depth is important.

“We’re going to have bumps and bruises throughout the year, but we’ve been pleased with Donkoh, really, since the bowl game. And Rucci was a nice piece of the puzzle to bring in, and he’ll continue to have a significant role for us moving forward.”

Does Rucci playing help with future pitches to transfer portal recruits?

“Yes, but as you can imagine, the guys that we want to recruit, they see themselves as starters, not coming in for a depth deal,” Franklin said. “So more times than not, I don’t know if that’s something we would sell. But, an opportunity to come in and compete.

“As you know, whether it’s high school or transfers, we don’t ever promise or offer starting roles. They’re going to have to come in and earn it and compete. The good thing is, most of those guys are all playing and playing significant roles for us. That’s been good.”

On Penn State analyst and assistant offensive line coach Frank Leonard

“Loud. Presence is loud. Frank’s been great,” Franklin said. “He really has. He’s old school. He’s really kind of like ying and yang. Trout is very kind of soft-spoken. I wouldn’t say soft-spoken, but more measured, is probably a good word. And I think just from an approach standpoint, you really have total opposites. So I think they’re really good, complementary pieces of each other. I think the fact that those two have history before, Frank and Coach Trout, I think that’s helped.

“There’s trust between those two guys in the room. Frank is very, very respectful of Trout and his position, and Trout as well to Frank, based on their history and his knowledge. So I think they complement each other really well. And you know, Frank, is, he’s got a unique way to get after guys and coach them hard, but he loves them and they love him. I think that’s that’s been a real positive for us. And also, just an experienced coach who’s coached in the NFL, coaching major college football, and obviously we go back a long ways. So, the fact that we go back a long ways, it goes back a long ways with Trout, I think that’s really been helpful.”

Is Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein different/better this year compared to past years?

“I wouldn’t say so,” Franklin said. “I mean, I would hope that all of us are getting better every single year. That’s our objective. In the offseason, we’re trying to get better as coaches, players are trying to get better. You pick up a few different things, but I think the biggest thing is recruiting and development. So when you lose three guys to the NFL, we still have played a ton of those other guys, and they’re coming in ready to play, ready to play at a high level.

“You look at us from a schedule perspective and things like that, those guys have been able to come in, really, from game one and play well. So I think that’s one of probably the biggest differences for us on both fronts, the o-line and d-line, is we got a ton of guys that have played a decent amount of football, and we’re bigger than we’ve been in the past. The combination of that size and experience has been valuable.”

Is Andy Kotelnicki’s scheme why Drew Allar is reading defenses and his progressions better in 2024?

“I think that’s part of it, but it’s also like I keep saying, Drew’s a year older and a year more experienced,” Franklin said. “That’s Coach K and that is Drew, and that is Danny O’Brien, and that’s all of it, but some of that is just being a year older and a year more experienced.”