Penn State plans to play a freshman defender beyond redshirt threshold, James Franklin says
Penn State has figured out its plan for freshman safety Jaylen Reed.
Speaking Tuesday prior to the Nittany Lions’ matchup with Michigan, head coach James Franklin said that the first-year defender from Detroit will continue to see the field this fall.
Put in other words, Reed will take another game snap at some point this season and burn his redshirt in the process, as he’s already played in four games this fall. Per NCAA rules, once a player enters at least five games, he can no longer redshirt.
“We’re going to play him,” Franklin said. “He wants to play. He’s ready to play. We need him on special teams. We need him in some of our defensive packages, as well. I think that’ll help him moving forward for next year as well.”
It doesn’t matter if Reed plays against the Wolverines or whether his next opportunity to see the field comes opposite Rutgers, Michigan State, or a bowl opponent. In fact, the safety could see time against all of them. Regardless, he’s on track to become the second first-year Penn State player to burn his redshirt this season. Corner Kalen King already has, as he’s played in all nine games.
Through four contests, Reed has four tackles while playing primarily on special teams in addition to earning some snaps at safety.
“Football makes sense to him,” Franklin said. “He’s a football-smart guy.
He’s obviously a physical guy. You guys have seen flashes of that, as well, and he can run. So we’re very high on Jaylen.”
Who else could burn a redshirt for Penn State this year?
Penn State has been fortunate that injuries and other issues have not forced it to play many first-year players this season.
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Linebacker Kobe King is also at the threshold after playing four games, but he hasn’t taken a snap since the Indiana game in early October. It signals that Penn State would likely prefer to redshirt him if it can.
From there, linebacker Jamari Buddin can still play in one more contest before a decision must be made on his status. Receiver Harrison Wallace has two games to go, safety Zakee Wheatley has three, and all other Penn State freshmen could play in every remaining game and still redshirt.
More: Penn State progress report: Offensive players taking developmental steps
“There are some other guys that can fall into that category, but they’re not right now,” Franklin said. “[Reed]’s probably the main one in terms of a conversation that needs to be had with [the media]. … “He’s probably the one that jumps out the most to me, and we discussed it [Tuesday] morning in a staff meeting.”
What could change the plan moving forward?
See the first sentence in the last section for the answer to that. Penn State clearly has a plan in place, but it can certainly change if injuries or other issues pop up.
“Obviously, we have some injuries,” Franklin said. “Some of those things could change, but we do try to, obviously, keep track and be aware of where they’re at in terms of number of games.”
Penn State-Michigan is set for Noon on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. ABC will televise the contest.
