What did we learn about Penn State after practice and its latest media session?: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes and updates for Sept. 26 include the latest from the practice field and James Franklin plus headlines of the day and more. It’s time to dive into Thursday’s top stories and tweets about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with a review of the program’s final full media availability of the week. It followed a practice viewing window. Linebacker Kobe King was back in action after missing much of the Bowling Green game for undisclosed reasons. Reporters did not see linebacker Dominic DeLuca nor running back Cam Wallace. Franklin did not have an update on either when he spoke with the media. He did, however imply that, if DeLuca cannot play, freshman linebacker Anthony Speca would be green-lit to play Saturday when the Lions face Illinois at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. And, he feels OK about the team’s depth at linebacker moving forward.
“He’s just a smart guy, very, very smart guy, very productive guy,” Franklin said of Speca. “Played at a great high school in terms of Pittsburgh Central Catholic, those guys have come in here prepared and ready to play. I think the academics at that school helps prepare them, even from a football perspective, the type of program they run.
“So he’s just come in here and been a very, very mature, very about his business guy. He’s got really good athleticism. Tested really well when he showed up on campus, him and Peter [Gonalez], we were really, really excited about and continue to be. We can’t get enough Pittsburgh Central Catholic guys. So you know, that’s a school that we’re going to continue to go back to, year in and year out. And it’s important for us to keep the best players in Pennsylvania homes, especially for the best programs.”
Headlines of the day
Penn State QB Drew Allar ‘super excited’ for ranked matchup vs. Illinois at Beaver Stadium: McGonigal, PennLive
PSU practice notes: Offense | Defense
Penn State’s James Franklin on Proposed Roster Limits: ‘I Don’t Love It’: Wogenrich, SI
Jaxon Smolik injury update: What’s the latest on the Penn State quarterback?: Pickel, BWI
‘Satisfied doesn’t pay the bills’ | Penn State center Nick Dawkins looking to take next step: Alenstein, Daily Collegian
Penn State wrestling recruiting: Lions see Bo Bassett, make Jax Forrest’s top 10, and host a visitor: Pickel, BWI
Penn State’s Sack Total a ‘Key Point’ Entering Matchup with No. 19 Illinois: Engle, Statecollege.com
Quote of the day
“Obviously, being from the state and in the state at the time, I was aware. But I’ve gotten to know a lot of those guys really well. They’re class acts. My time with the Packers, whether it’s been guys coming back up on campus, some of these guys more than others, so it creates an opportunity to get to know some more of those guys.
“But talk about a special team, not only in terms of their record, but also the number of guys that got drafted in the first round, guys that got drafted in the sixth round and played 13 years in the NFL, guys that played 17 years in the NFL. I mean, it’s an impressive group and a list of collective team production as well as individual production at the college level as well as in the NFL. It’s an impressive list. And those guys have been awesome. They’ve been pretty active, so it’s great having them back, and they deserve, obviously, to be honored. And I look forward to getting to know maybe a few more of them that maybe haven’t been back recently.
“We hadn’t planned on doing [a presentation]. I think it’s a good point, but if I do that, I’ll probably do it on Sunday. I want them locked and loaded on Illinois, but I think that’s probably a good point. That may be something good to cover on Sunday, what that team was able to accomplish and what they did.”
–PSU coach James Franklin on the Lions’ 1994 team, which will be recognized on Saturday.
