Penn State head coach James Franklin post-practice press conference
Penn State head coach James Franklin spoke with the media for roughly ten minutes on Tuesday evening, wrapping up the third open practice of the spring season. Today, the focus was on the future. Several questions surrounded the pressure of expectations, the team’s goals, and how they will get there. Check out the video for his full answers and be sure to subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube.
Pressure mounting for Penn State?
Expectations for the 2023 Penn State football team are high. Franklin acknowledges that talk of the future happens in the offseason, even if he doesn’t like it.
“No. I mean, that’s what everybody does in offseason. I get it. 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,” Franklin said.
While Franklin once again discussed the Penn State quarterback competition between Beau Pribula and Drew Allar, his comments about third string quarterback Jaxon Smolik were equally interesting.
“Jaxon Smolik has done some good things. Him coming here now, at the mid-semester, has been huge because I think without that, I think it’d been hard to feel like you had a third quarterback. I think we have a chance to get him ready,” Franklin said.
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Young linebackers making progress
Smolik’s progression seems to be ahead of schedule for the team to have confidence in him as the third-string player next fall. However, he’s not the only early Penn State enrollee benefiting from spring ball. Linebackers Ta’Mere Robinson and Tony Rojas continue to generate buzz from the media.
“It’s kind of like what I was talking about with the quarterback, with Jaxson Smolik. Them being here now, I think it’s really valuable. For Ta’Mere, a huge part of it is just confidence. I think we all forget, he hasn’t played football in a year. I literally was at his first game of the year when he got hurt. He didn’t play again the rest of the year. So him getting out here playing, I think it’s been really valuable for his confidence.
While Robinson’s confidence and progression are mental, Rojas is making strides from a physical standpoint at Penn State.
“And then Rojas, he’s been gaining more and more confidence every single day. He’s put on 29 pounds since he’s been here, and it’s a good weight. I don’t know how that’s necessarily possible, but he’s put on 29 pounds. Every time I go to the nutrition bar he’s sitting there eating. After practice, he’s getting an extra pump in, and he’s playing fast. There’s a lot of excitement about those two guys.
