Which Penn State players will join James Franklin at Big Ten Media Days?
Penn State football is sending one player from coordinator Mike Yurcich’s offense and a pair of standouts from coordinator Manny Diaz’s defense to this year’s Big Ten Media Days with head coach James Franklin. It will mark the 10th time the leader of the Nittany Lions attends the conference’s annual kickoff event ahead of a new season. And, as is usually the case, he’ll have three newcomers to it with him.
Safety Keaton Ellis, defensive end Adisa Isaac, and offensive lineman Olu Fashanu will be the roster members who represent the Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. The event kicks off on July 26, which is when the Penn State contingent will meet reporters. It continues through July 27, with members of all 14 Big Ten programs in attendance. Franklin will lead things off on that Wednesday with a televised podium address on Big Ten Network before answering questions. He’ll later spend an hour at a roundtable taking queries from media members, and the players will do the same. In between, they’ll also have interviews, photo, and video shoots with in-house staffers and also the Big Ten and its various media partners, including time on the BTN set, before heading back to State College for final preparations ahead of preseason camp.
Fashanu becomes first Penn State junior to go to Big Ten Media Days in Franklin era
Every Big Ten coach takes a different approach when it comes to who he picks to bring with him to Big Ten Media Days. Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has exclusively picked players listed as seniors to go with him instead of younger players who may be considered bigger stars. Fashanu breaks that trend, though he does enter year four.
Isaac and Ellis are the oldest Nittany Lions to make the trip in 2023. The classmates arrived in State College ahead of the 2019 season. Ellis is a team captain this year and set for his second straight season as a starter along Diaz’s last line of defense. Isaac, then, is ready to take another big step forward after bouncing back in 2022 following an injury in 2021 that cost him that entire season. The duo will be leaders of the Lions’ defense this fall.
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Fashanu, then, passed up the chance to leave school early and likely become a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft after the 2022 season. A junior, he came to Penn State in 2020 and is ready for his fourth season in blue and white. He will also be a team captain in 2023.
Penn State opens the 2023 season when it hosts West Virginia on Sept. 2. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. NBC will televise the contest.
