Penn State players pleased with summer workout progress as July begins
Penn State football is about halfway through its annual grind through summer workouts. So far, they’ve gone well, according to three players who recently spoke to reporters.
The drills, which take place in the newly-renovated Lasch Building weight room, Holuba Hall, and the outdoor practice fields between the two structures, are grueling. They are designed by head strength coach Chuck Losey and his staff to prep players for preseason camp and the long season ahead. But, there is also a foundation-setting element, especially for new arrivals.
While the work is done almost entirely away from the public eye, save for a few videos and photos released on social media by the program, it is critical to what fans and other outside observers will eventually see come the fall. And, all of it is built on a word that should be familiar to longtime followers of the Nittany Lions.
“For the whole team, I say competitive,” cornerback and preseason All-American Kalen King said when asked to pick the word that best describes the work put in so far.
“This summer has been real competitive, from every workout, to meeting time and instruction in the morning, everything and everyone is competitive.”
Added Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson:
“I think we’re about three or four weeks in, and summer is going good. It’s hard work every single day, but we’re only here to get better, which is what we’re chasing.”
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Both Penn State players have their own areas of focus, of course. For King, he’s putting in extra work on and off the field.
“For me, it’s just details, really like the little details, whether that’d be pre-snap, post-snap, route concepts, route recognition; I’m just trying to get all the little things down pat right now before I head into the season,” King said.
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“I’m just focusing on mastering the playbook, and understanding what lmy teammates are doing around me. And the one thing I am really working on is like staying low [in my stnace]. Sometimes I find myself getting a little too high. So just working on staying low.”
Robinson, then, has added weight. He’s up to about 255 pounds and has continued to work on perfecting his pass rush moves, among other things.
“Honestly, I’ve been focusing mainly on my accuracy with my hands to be able to [strike] and then I got my weight up from last year and am about 255 now, so that’s been my main two focuses this year,” he said.
Last but not least, reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton is progressing well, too, since spring ball ended.
“The offseason’s been really good,” Singleton told On3 via Zoom. “We had a great spring with all the players. They’re buying into it. They kind of know, this is the type of year everybody has big expectations for us.
“We just keep our heads down, don’t listen to all the outside noise. Really, just keep working and getting ready for West Virginia.”
