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Penn State starts spring practice today; here's 3 things to watch for

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•03/12/24•

GregPickel

Penn State HC James Franklin
Dan Rainville | USA TODAY NETWORK

Penn State football is starting spring practice today. Head coach James Franklin will preside over his 11th set of March and April practices in State College. Once the Nittany Lions hit the outdoor practice fields between the Lasch Building and Holuba Hall on Tuesday, they will do so 13 more times before the Blue-White game concludes drills on April 13 at Beaver Stadium at 2 p.m. ET. Before that, Franklin will be inside the south end zone media room of the 107,000-seat venue on Tuesday to preview the work that lies ahead and cover other top topics of conversation. Here are the three things we’ll be watching and listening for.

What’s the plan with Abdul Carter?

Franklin has not met with reporters since the Nittany Lions officially moved All-Big Ten defender Abdul Carter from linebacker to defensive end. It has been unclear since exactly how defensive coordinator Tom Allen will deploy him. But, our best guess is that he will both rush the passer and drop into coverage from time to time to give the first-year Nittany Lion play caller ample ways to impact opposing offenses with one of his most explosive players. How Franklin describes the position switch will tell us plenty about the plan moving forward.

Will in-helmet communication impact Penn State spring practices?

The NCAA voted earlier this month to allow in-helmet communication during games and also the use of iPads on the sideline and at halftime for film review. Will Penn State implement each during spring practice? It’s hard to believe the helmet technology is already ready to be dispersed to teams, but, it cannot be ruled out. Getting the iPads set up and in place is a much easier task, of course. The program already has a video board handing on the side of Holuba Hall for real-time corrections to be made. So, if they want to implement the iPads, they can. But, another version of that already exists in their practice home. The helmet technology does not. And, how teams use it this season seems to be up in the air across the country.

Is everyone going to be there?

Former Penn State defensive end Jordan van den Berg left the roster in late February. He is now in the NCAA Transfer Portal. It is believed that he is the only Nittany Lion who is moving on before spring ball starts. Whether or not that is true, however, will be confirmed by Franklin. He speaks at a Noon ET news conference inside of Beaver Stadium.

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