Penn State Saturday six-pack: Thoughts on two weeks of spring practice, recruiting, and more

Penn State football wraps up its second week of spring practice today.

The Nittany Lions will have six practices in the books before the first full week of April arrives. And, the countdown to the Blue-White game now sits at 21 days. It will be held on April 23 at 2 p.m. inside Beaver Stadium.

It’s time to dive into the Saturday six-pack, which this week includes information and thoughts on the team, recruiting, and more.

1. What has the biggest Penn State development on offense been?

From this point of view, there is an easy answer, and it comes in the running backs room.

Big things were expected of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen considering how much success they had in high school. But, it feels fair to say that even the wildest imagination couldn’t have predicted just how quickly this pair of freshmen running backs have impressed their teammates and coaches alike.

“What’s impressive to me is that they came out of high school and physically, they’re at a stage to where they can do all things,” offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. “You don’t have to worry about what down is with those guys. They can play on all downs because of their physical strength and their maturity. 

“We just have to get them squared away mentally, from a protection standpoint, assignment standpoint, and those sorts of things. But, they’re doing a hell of a job, and they’re just going to raise… the competitive level in that room.”

It’s still too soon to suggest that either will unseat Keyvone Lee as the starter come September. But, it wouldn’t be shocking, either.

2. What’s the biggest concern on offense at this point?

To us, it’s the numbers issues Penn State is facing along the offensive line.

It doesn’t come as a surprise, of course. The roster made it clear. But, it’s been emphasized even more now that tackle Jimmy Christ has been seen without pads in back-to-back weeks. Reinforcements are coming this summer, but it’s not believed that Phil Trautwein is currently working with the entirety of his first-teamers.

“Our numbers are real low,” Franklin said. “This happens from time to time. We have a bunch of guys that have kind of moved on. So our numbers are low. We have answers for training camp, but right now there’s not a whole lot of answers.”

It’s another spring where that is the case. And, that’s a bit of a disappointment nine years into Franklin’s tenure.

3. Picking a stand out on the Penn State defense

Of all the quotes and notes we’ve amassed through two weeks of drills, nothing stands out more than a comment about a member of the secondary.

Franklin pointed out second-year defender Zakee Wheatley as a player who has really taken a big step forward between his first year and now. Penn State moved him from corner to the last line of the defense. It seems to be working out exactly as expected.

“He did some really nice things for us as at corner,” Franklin said. “We felt like safety would probably be his best long-term position, but starting him at corner and the confidence that comes from kind of being out there on an island we think is valuable.

“Right now, he just seems to find the football. The ball likes him. He likes the football, and he’s kind of standing out right now.”

4. What is concerning about Manny Diaz’s side of the ball?

The Lions also have some numbers issues on Manny Diaz’s side of the ball, as well, namely at linebacker.

Penn State is going through drills with just six scholarship players at the position. It’s why four-star Class of 2022 signee Abdul Carter is expected to come in and compete for playing time immediately. Things will sort themselves out here, especially now that Jonathan Sutherland has bumped up to outside linebacker. But, Diaz has his work cut out for him to get everyone up to speed and ready to roll by Sept. 1.

“I think right now Sutherland gives us the best ability to get our best 11 guys on the field, but it also allows us to play with what I think in 2022 more times than not you want to be playing with, which is more of a DB with linebacker traits than the opposite, if that makes sense,” Franklin said.

5. Big recruiting news of note

Penn State has added a big-time visitor to its April list.

Uniontown, Pa., Laurel Highlands star receiver Rodney Gallagher will see the Lions on April 30. It means he won’t see a spring practice, of course. But, it will mark the On3 Consensus four-star and top-100 Class of 2023 recruit’s fifth visit to State College. He hasn’t seen any school as much as he has the Lions, who are pursuing him along with Notre Dame, West Virginia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and many others.

Gallagher is the kind of game-changing talent that Penn State must land, especially considering he’s a Pa. native. This trip can help the Lions take another step toward possibly doing so one day.

6. Final thoughts

A blast of thoughts to wrap things up:

–The competition in the Penn State receivers room is fantastic. Mitchell Tinsley was obviously a tremendous addition. But, he’s going to be pushed for a spot in the starting lineup by KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Malick Meiga, and others. It should be fascinating to see how it plays out.

—Juice Scruggs’ move to center seems to be going well. Penn State needs him to be a leader in the middle of Trautwein’s group.

–This was expected, but from the sounds of it, Diaz will absolutely be the head coach of the defense. That’s what Franklin said he was looking for. It’s playing out that way in practice so far.