Penn State football spring practices turn corner, heat up: 3-2-1

Penn State football is set to eclipse the midpoint of its spring practice session.

And it’s going to do so with a bang.

Having completed its seventh practice Wednesday, the Nittany Lions will return to action Friday for their first scrimmage. With position battles progressing, breakout candidates developing, and new coaches establishing their footing in the program, the interest level is high across the board.

Manny Diaz, Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, can be counted chief among them. 

“It’s too early to judge anything. We’ve only been in full pads for five days. Practice for seven, full pads for five. So Friday night will be big,” Diaz said. “It’s our first scrimmage and you check the production, see who steps up. I’m as interested as you are to see how those guys do.”

While Penn State’s staff and players are anxious to see progress made and needed, here’s what we do know.

Reflecting on the week that was with three things we’ve learned, two questions, and a prediction. This is the 3-2-1:

Three things we learned

1) Andrew Rappleyea is in

No better place to start for the Penn State football program than Sunday.

On the recruiting front, the Nittany Lions pulled a big Class of 2023 commitment, the program’s first since February, when Andrew Rappleyea flipped from Michigan. 

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound tight end was one of Penn State’s top tight end prospects and, after three-plus months of committing to the Wolverines, Rappleyea switched his pledge. And much of it had to do with the opportunity that re-opened with the Nittany Lions.

“Coach Howle explained to me the changes that had taken place, and that Mathias (Barnwell) was probably going to focus on defensive tackle now. He said Neeo (Avery) was probably going to be a defensive end,” Rappleyea told BWI. “So, he pretty much made it clear that I had a spot now.”

Announcing that his recruitment was closed along with his commitment, the four-star is fully expected to stick with Penn State.

2) Penn State wants to add an edge rusher

Not that head coach James Franklin has been shy about the program’s transfer portal needs, he hasn’t, but Wednesday evening offered another insight into what’s coming for the program.

And the insight worked in two directions.

Asked about the program’s options at defensive end, the position featuring seven scholarships this spring, Franklin acknowledged a few realities. 

First, consistency is a concern. And second, the skill sets at the position don’t all fulfill what Penn State needs. 

“I think edge pressure is probably the area we have to improve,” Franklin said. “Adisa (Isaac) is the one guy that flashes consistently. There are other guys. You see Smith Vilbert had three sacks in the bowl game, but it needs to be more consistent. (Nick) Tarburton is kind of a guy who’s gonna wear people down and do it with effort and do it with a motor. His skills and his technique continue to grow. We probably need to continue to kind of grow his toolbox of moves on the perimeter. But we need more consistent edge pressure.”

With that in mind, Franklin continued by saying that Penn State will focus on finding a piece to help through the transfer portal.

“So between developing the guys we have and then obviously we’re looking into the portal a little bit for that as well, very similar to what we did with (Arnold Ebiketie),” Franklin said. “We got to find somebody that can come in and help us with edge pressure and affecting the quarterback.”

3) Updates on Penn State’s injury returns

Even before spring practice, Franklin expressed his optimism over the anticipated return of defensive end Adisa Isaac.

This week, asked specifically about the injury returns of Isaac and offensive lineman Saleem Wormley, each of whom missed the entirety of the 2022 season, Franklin provided an updated perspective on how they’re coming along this spring.

It is, he said, deliberate. 

“This time of year, we can be a little patient,” Franklin said. “We’re not a team or program that, from a medical perspective, our trainers and doctors this time of year are going to be pretty conservative and not rush those guys back. 

“What’s nice is, they were able to come out here the first couple of days, do some individual, then do some control work like one on ones, then be able to work in into team. They’re still not like full go. They’re doing all the drills, they’re doing every aspect, but we’re still limiting the reps.”

Franklin also noted that both Isaac and Wormley were projected as significant contributors for Penn State before their injuries last summer.

“Having both of those guys back is great,” Franklin said. “The jog through and walkthrough reps have been really good. We’ve been able to keep them involved mentally as much as possible. But we got to keep building with those two guys.”

Two questions

1) When will Penn State crown a champ at Mike?

For this one, we have an answer, and it’s probably predictable.

According to Diaz, there is no rush to cement either Tyler Elsdon or Kobe King as the starting Mike linebacker. Rather, putting a precedence on development over the competition, Penn State is happy to let it proceed through the summer.

“It’s competition, which I think is what spring is all about. And, you have guys that are capable,” Diaz said. “Middle linebacker is different because you’re the guy that’s got to make all the calls. Everyone’s got to turn to you. You got to get everybody lined up. So it’s not actually what happens after the snap, it’s before the snap.

“I anticipate this being a battle of a competition where both guys are getting better through the spring. They’ll improve in the summertime when we can’t be around them. And it’ll go on in training camp. But I have been encouraged from what I’ve seen since we started spring practice.”

2) What progress has Drew Allar made?

This one doesn’t have as clear of an answer.

Granted, it’s probably too early to expect much in the way of tangible improvements for an early enrollee quarterback. But, in talking about one of the top prospects in the Class of 2022, it’s impossible not to wonder about Allar, and that’s unlikely to change as interest remains high.

Wednesday evening, a reporter gave it a stab to learn more.

Asked how long it takes for “a guy like Allar or maybe Singleton, some of the younger guys to get up to speed with you guys and what you’re doing,” Franklin avoided getting specific.

“it’s different right? It’s individual by individual. Some guys pick it up real fast. Some guys, it takes a little bit longer. It just depends on the guy,” Franklin said. “Some guys it’s mental. For some guys it’s physical and for some guys it’s emotional. They’re just not mature enough yet to handle school and football at the same time. So it’s really on a case by case basis.”

Where does that leave Allar?

Slow and steady wins the race at quarterback, but it’s certainly a question of interest for Penn State fans as the second half of spring practices approaches.

One prediction

Elsdon has the edge

Penn State is going to use both, don’t get me wrong. 

But when Penn State trots out to the field for the first game of the season in September, Elsdon will be there.

Taking cues from some of the comments within the program this spring, Elsdon would seem to at least have a slight edge in standing. And Diaz is a good place to start when reading between the lines.

“I’ve been I’ve been pleased to watch Tyler Elsdon continue to grow, feel more comfortable, and just play defense,” Diaz said. “I think Kobe King is getting better every day.”

This aligns with what Ellis Brooks said about the competition in the preseason.

What stands out, however, is that the commonality among all comments is that everyone insists both players will be needed this season. 

It’s also worth noting that, as a staff, there also seems to be a pointed intention of preventing jobs from feeling secure. 

“We look at a season, we talk about this as a staff. We play five and then have a bye,” Diaz said. “Who might be making plays in October, November may not be the same guy as in September when you start your season at West Lafayette. You got to plan for two ways. You got to plan for the season opener, and you got to plan for October, and you gotta plan for November, so I think all that matters.”

Will that be the case at Mike? We’ll see. But, if making a pick at the midpoint of spring, Elsdon looks like he has something of an edge.