Penn State redshirt report: Where do the Lions' freshmen stand after two weeks?
Penn State likely had plans to play more freshmen than it ultimately did in a Week 2 win over Bowling Green. Before kickoff, the Nittany Lions were a 34.5-point favorite, and all signs pointed to a blowout being likely. Thus, the expectation was that numerous first year players would see the field. As we all know now, it did not work out that way, of course. Head coach James Franklin’s team did not have its first lead until the third quarter and played its starters for the duration of the 34-27 triumph over the Falcons.
With that said, a trio of Class of 2024 signees who played in Week 1 also did in Week 2. We cover how they did in the latest redshirt report.
How did the Penn State freshmen play against Bowling Green?
Before we get to the stats, let’s again point out which freshmen traveled to West Virginia in Week 1. This is the group that we expected to see on the field in Week 2 but did not. However, their names are worth pointing out as they could play in Week 4 against Kent State. The list is as follows:
WR Tyseer Denmark
S Dejuan Lane
CB Kenny Woseley Jr.
DE Max Granville
S Vaboue Toure
RB Corey Smith
RB Quinton Martin Jr.
QB Ethan Grunkemeyer
LB Anthony Speca
DE Jaylen Harvey
OL Cooper Cousins
DT Xavier Gilliam
OL Eagan Boyer
TE Luke Reynolds
Of it, only three played in Week 2. Freshman tight end Luke Reynolds earned his first start. He did not have any counting stats but did have a key block on running back Nicholas Singleton’s game-sealing 41-yard fourth quarter touchdown run. He played 21 snaps on offense, which was the second most of the Lions’ three tight ends.
Freshman lineman Cooper Cousins played seven offensive snaps in his second college game. And, safety Dejuan Lane saw no snaps on defense but was part of the Nittany Lions’ kickoff unit.
PSU redshirt tracker after Week 2
First, a reminder: Any member of the roster can play in up to four regular season games and still preserve a year of eligibility. Once you pay in a fifth, you can no longer redshirt. And, most importantly, postseason games do not count against the total. It is a regular season counter only.
Two games
TE Luke Reynolds
OL Cooper Cousins
S Dejuan Lane
Zero games
WR Tyseer Denmark
CB Kenny Woseley Jr.
DE Max Granville
S Vaboue Toure
RB Corey Smith
RB Quinton Martin Jr.
LB Anthony Speca
DE Jaylen Harvey
DT Xavier Gilliam
OL Eagan Boyer
CB Jon Mitchell
QB Ethan Grunkemeyer
DL Liam Andrews
OT Garrett Sexton
DE Mylachi Williams
OL Donovan Harbour
RB Josiah Brown
DL T.A. Cunningham
OL Caleb Brewer
LB Kari Jackson
CB Antoine Belgrave-Shorter
WR Peter Gonzalez
DT DeAndre Cook
