Penn State quotes of the week: Trey Potts on coming to the Lions, Drew Allar on his spring so far, and more

Penn State is wrapping up its penultimate week of spring practice. As of April 7, the Nittany Lions are eight days away from the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET inside Beaver Stadium.

It was a busy week so far for the Nittany Lions. The team held an open practice and interview session for reporters back on Tuesday. On Wednesday, former Minnesota running back Trey Potts exited the transfer portal by committing to the Lions. And, there were plenty of other interviews by the BWI team, as well.

In our new feature, we round up the top quotes of the week with a link to each story so you can go back and read anything you may have missed.

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The battle inside Penn State athletics

If you missed BWI’s Nate Bauer’s interview with Penn State Board of Trustees member and Lions letterman Brandon Short, which was produced by Thomas Frank Carr, now’s a good time to stop what you’re doing and check it out. It focuses on the obstacles Penn State is facing on the name, image, and likeness front. And, regardless of your stance on the matter, it is worth the watch.

Part of the conversation focuses on the ramifications of losing former Lions head men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame.

“It’s a wake-up call for me,” Short said. “When he chose Notre Dame over Penn State, I felt heartbroken and embarrassed that a school could come and take our coach. We’re Penn State. We’re not a stepping-stone job.

“Penn State is a destination job, and I think we need to do everything that we can to make sure that that never happens again.”

Read the full story here.

Why is Trey Potts coming to the Lions?

Penn State did not offer Trey Potts out of high school. But, with a need for both numbers and a veteran presence in the running backs room in 2023, it made a push to land the Williamsport, Pa., native in the portal. And, it only took one visit, and numerous conversations, to make that a reality.

“I went into the portal [in March],” Potts told BWI’s Sean Fitz. “I got some follows on Twitter and Penn State, they reached out immediately. One of their recruiting coordinators, Rashad Rich, and then Ja’Juan Seider. They were in contact probably in the first couple of days. A lot of schools just had very inconsistent contact and Penn State just hammered it down.

“They talked about plenty of opportunities in the room. I’m a seasoned guy, a vet, and come in and have an experienced leadership role that can help out not only the room but the team. I’m a hometown kid,  so that meant a lot. [I’m] very appreciative of all the effort and sacrifices they made to make this work.”

Read the full story here.

How is spring going for Drew Allar?

Penn State sophomore quarterback Drew Allar spoke to reporters on Tuesday night following the latest spring practice. The former five-star feels like he’s taking positive steps forward this spring as he works as the favorite to land the first-team job while battling classmate Beau Pribula for it.

“I’m definitely a lot more comfortable,” Allar told reporters. “I think that just comes with being in the offense for the second year in a row. I’m definitely a lot more familiar with everything, the checks that we want to get into, all that sort of stuff.

“I’m more comfortable with the run game, pass game protections, all that. I think everything, in general, has slowed down for me, just from experience.”

Read the full story here.

Quote of the week

Former Penn State linebacker Jonathan Sutherland on what the Lions are getting in new defensive line coach Deion Barnes:

“I will say he’s so detail-oriented. He was never coached directly by Barnes but witnessed his work plenty on and off the practice field.

“Every single day that I’ve been here, and I kid you not, every single practice, he stays out after hours and works with the d-line. He works with their fundamentals, he works with their technique, he holds them to a standard, and he tells him the truth. He tells it how it is. When he was a GA, I knew he was going to be elevated to some sort of position. Whether it was here or not, because of his work ethic and his attention to detail.”

Read the full story here.