Reviewing the week in Penn State football: T-Frank Friday

We’re another week closer to the end of the month and the start of the official visit period for Penn State recruiting. As we do every week, T-Frank Friday looks back on the week to recap the events that happened and provide additional context. This week we looked at players on the roster that could push for playing time and how Penn State can successfully build around Sean Clifford to have a successful 2022 season.

If you want to join T-Frank for a conversation about Penn State sports, head to the Lion’s Den for T-Frank Friday.

Underclassmen who can push for playing time

This week, we focused on the young offensive players who have shown enough talent to push for playing time next Fall. So far, we’ve highlighted the running backs, receivers, and tight ends. It may not be surprising, but there won’t be any offensive linemen joining the list. That’s because they’re either already projected starters or unknown players that are yet to join the roster.

Penn State underclassmen who could push for playing time: Harrison Wallace

A couple of names didn’t make the list that fans have asked about this week, such as freshman receiver Kaden Saunders. For Saunders, he still needs to work on his play strength to see the field. This issue isn’t something new for Saunders because it was part of his scouting profile heading into college. While he’s worked on the size portion, adding muscle mass this offseason, he was still pushed around by stronger defensive backs during the Blue-White Game and fumbled after a hard hit. So was this a welcome-to-college moment? At a certain point, physicality isn’t about size and strength; it’s about tenacity.

However, it’s not entirely out of the question that he learns to play stronger as the season goes on. After the initial baptism this spring, I can see a player like Saunders working hard on his areas of development to be ready. From what I’ve seen on film, he’s a relentless player with the DNA to make it happen.

Penn State underclassmen who could push for playing time: Tyler Warren

Penn State still doesn’t have a logical backup to Parker Washington in the slot, with transfer Mitchell Tinsley filling that role while he was out this spring. Saunders has some growing to do, but by the end of the season can find his way into the lineup if the coaching staff feels it’s worth burning his redshirt.

Penn State underclassmen that can push for playing time

That’s the reality with several players we’ve highlighted this week. Running backs Kayrton Allen and Nick Singleton won’t start the season ahead of starter Keyvone Lee, but they can work their way into a more significant role by the midway point.

Stay tuned this weekend as we shift our focus to the defensive side of the ball to examine which young players can push for playing time.

Rebuilding a contender: Looking to 2019 to find answers for 2022

We spent most of the week on the BWI Daily Edition, looking back to the 2019 season, the last time Penn State had a winning record, to find clues about how the team can get back there. The key, in my opinion, is building a team around starter Sean Clifford that can support him instead of the other way around. So we took a look at Clifford on Monday and the offense on Wednesday.

Stay tuned for the defensive side of the ball coming up Friday afternoon.

For those that didn’t watch the program this week, it’s abundantly clear that the Penn State offense didn’t support Clifford last season. The senior quarterback shouldered the load and had to be why the Nittany Lions won games. Most quarterbacks are not capable of that in college, and Clifford is no exception. He threw the football an extra 100 times last year, and the offense generated 1,000 fewer rushing yards. Finding a better balance is the key when you don’t have a bonafide franchise QB.

After all, there is more than one way to win football games in college.