Penn State redshirt report: Which first-year freshmen played against Michigan, and who could be in line for more time?
Penn State used just three first-year freshmen in the Nittany Lions’ 24-15 loss to Michigan. Unlike some other contests earlier in the year, Saturday’s home team never built a lead that would allow it to put younger players into the game on defense.
“Be honest,” Lions coach James Franklin said when asked how his team would move on from the second loss of the season. “Be transparent with ourselves as staff and with the players. Address it head-on and then move on to the next opponent and get ready to get a win next week. We’ve lost to the number one and the number three teams in the country. That’s not good enough. We’ve got to find ways to win those games. But address it, be honest, be transparent. Go after it head-on and then move on to the next opponent so we can find a way to get a win next week and finish this thing in a positive direction.”
Here’s a look at this week’s Penn State redshirt report.
Penn State redshirt report after Week 10
Tony Rojas, King Mack, and Zion Tracy were the three first-year freshmen who played back on Saturday. All three assumed their regular roles on the Penn State kick coverage team. It is worth noting that cornerback Elliot Washington II sat out again. He was not on the injury report, however. But, defensive end Jameial Lyons was. He burned his redshirt last week. But, he must have been hurt either in that game or this week during Penn State practice because he was ruled out before warmups.
Tracking the Nittany Lions’ redshirt plan
Thanks to an NCAA rule change, players can now suit up in four regular season games and an unlimited number of postseason games while still preserving a year of eligibility. So, Penn State would need to use a freshman in five of 12 regular season games to burn his redshirt this fall. With just two regular season games left, any of the players in the two games category could play in both and still preserve a year of eligibility. So, we’ll be watching to see if any members of that group see extra time on Saturday.
Here’s where the Penn State tracker stands now.
Ten games
LB Tony Rojas
CB Zion Tracy
S King Mack
Seven games
CB Elliot Washington II
Five games
DE Jameial Lyons
Two games
OT J’ven Williams
OT Anthony Donkoh
TE Andrew Rappleyea
OL Chimdy Onoh
LB Ta’Mere Robinson
LB Kaveion Keys
One game
QB Jaxon Smolik
DT Tyriq Blanding
CB Lamont Payne
S DaKaari Nelson
Zero games for Penn State this season
RB London Montgomery
RB Cam Wallace
WR Carmelo Taylor
TE Joey Schlaffer
OL Alex Birchmeier
DE Joseph Mupoyi
DE Mason Robinson
