What will the Penn State football team's identity be in 2022?

Penn State football opens its 2022 season at Purdue one week from today. We know what the depth chart should look like on offense and defense. It’s also clear that more than a few young players will play right away alongside their veteran teammates, such as quarterback Sean Clifford and safety Ji’Ayir Brown.

However, one thing that isn’t as clear seven days from kickoff is what this team’s identity will be from now through the end of the season. It’s easy to figure some parts of the puzzle out, however.

The offense wants to be physical up front to create running lanes while allowing Mike Yurcich’s fast-paced scheme to work well aerially and on the ground. Manny Diaz brings an aggressive style to town, emphasizing turnovers on defense and being willing to take chances. Special teams coordinator Stacy Collins, then, wants his group to help the other two units win the field position battle while possibly putting points on the board and at the very least not helping the other team do so.

Is Penn State at a point where it can be that team now that camp is concluded? The short answer is that it’s a work in progress with a week of practice still to come. But, all signs point to yes.

“Where you think you are in preseason and then where you are at the middle point of the season and the end of the season can be very different,” head coach James Franklin said Tuesday.

“You think about the Big Ten Championship year, preseason, beginning of the season, end of the season; [it was] very different. So I think you get a pretty good idea. But, your team needs to continue to grow and evolve throughout the season. If you’re the same team at the middle of the season that you were at the beginning of it, then you’re gonna have problems at the end of the season.”

Franklin likes where the Lions are at

Penn State had its issues over the last two years. Most of them were tied to wanting to be what is listed above. But, for various reasons, including injuries, it could not always be the team it wanted to.

What about this year?

” I got a pretty good idea of where we are and who we are, what our identity is on offense and defense and special teams, and what our strengths are and the things that we need to do to play to those strengths,” Franklin said. “And what are the areas that we still need to get better at between now and Purdue and the next game? So I think we got a pretty good idea of where we’re at.”

But, just as he has all offseason, the leader of the Lions was careful not to push all of his proverbial chips in about that. Instead, he’d instead prefer that he, his staff, and their players show it to all observers on game day. That starts in West Lafayette seven days from today.

Two Penn State players weigh in

After Franklin wrapped up his media session earlier this week, tight end Brenton Strange and defensive tackle PJ Mustipher were both asked to weigh in on the identity their respective unit wants to have.

“For me, man, it’s just playing with passion,” Mustipher said. “Hust playing with that hunger. Having that fire burning inside of you. These past few seasons haven’t gone the way we want them. And, we got to use that as fuel. We got to use that as motivation. But, at the same time, understand that we can’t live in the past. We got to live in the present. We got to go out there and get the job done with it. That’s our mentality We’re definitely a focused team right now. I love what I’m seeing. We’re just going to keep getting better.”

Added Strange:

“I think we’re very well rounded in all aspects. Passing the ball, running the ball, whatever it is, and I think that’s great. It creates mismatches for other teams.”