Penn State picks Big Ten Media Days attendees; which players will join James Franklin in Indianapolis?
Penn State football is just 13 days away from being on stage at the unofficial kickoff to the 2024 season. Big Ten Media Days are set for July 23-25 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Nittany Lions will be behind the microphone on Wed., July 24. Head coach James Franklin will attend the event for the 11th time. And, the program has now picked the three players who will join him there.
Redshirt senior+ defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas (former Dvon Ellies), senior safety Jaylen Reed, and senior tight end Tyler Warren will represent their teammates inside the home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. The selections stick with a familiar program theme of taking all seniors, which is why some expected names like juniors Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Kevin Winston Jr., for example, did not make the cut.
All four of the Nittany Lion representatives will experience the inaugural three-day Big Ten Media Days event. Previously a two-day meeting, it expanded along with the conference, which now sits at 18 teams ahead of the 2024 season. Conference commissioner Tony Petitti will kick things off with an opening address, his second with the conference, on July 23. Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, UCLA, and USC will join Penn State in being behind the microphones on day two. Throughout the three days, each head coach will spend 15 minutes giving a podium statement followed by questions live on Big Ten Network. Each coach and his player representatives will then spend 45 minutes at roundtables with reporters. They will also spend time on the BTN set throughout the day. The full school schedule is as follows:
Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin: DAY 1 (July 23)
Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, UCLA, USC: DAY 2 (July 24)
Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington: DAY 3 (July 25)
Penn State will face fresh questions at this year’s Big Ten Media Days
In previous iterations of this event, there are typically some new coaches and many new players in attendance. For years, the line of questioning, while tailored to each team’s outlook that season, was predictable. This year, though, a wide range of topics will be on the table for Penn State representatives and others to answer. The list includes but is hardly limited to:
–What it will be like to play either against the conference’s new members, or for them, traditional Big Ten powers
–How the House vs. NCAA settlement will impact roster management moving forward
–The continued impact of name, image, and likeness on players
–How the expanded College Football Playoff, which moves to 12 teams in 2024, changes or does not change a team’s approach
–Specific to J-Thomas, why he changed his last name this offseason.
