Who were the winners from Penn State winter workout No. 5?
The doors of Holuba Hall were open early on Tuesday for the Penn State football program to hold its fifth winter workout of February. The sessions, which are winding to a close this week and next with spring break on the horizon March 3-9, start before 6 a.m. and prepare the Lions for spring practice, which starts on March 12, and of course the 2024 season that is still months away.
“[Winter workouts] are everything about football and it’s nothing about football, which is like really true because it’s a true test of your character,” tight end Andrew Rappleyea said last week. “We’ve got a tire, and you got a guy straight across from you. Sometimes, it comes down to strength, and sometimes, it comes down to who wants it more. That’s a good test of when you don’t have the pads on, the kind of person and the kind of player you are.”
Who were the winter workout No. 5 winners?
Nine of 10 position coaches pick a competitor of the day after each workout. Since offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki does not have a specific position assigned to him, graduate coach and defacto quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien makes the selection for that group each week. Here are Tuesday’s winners:
Quarterback: Beau Pribula
Running back: Quinton Martin
Wide receiver: Omari Evans
Tight end: Tyler Warren
Offensive line: J’ven Williams
Defensive line: End Zuriah Fisher
Linebacker: Tyler Elsdon
Cornerback: Cam Miller
Safety: Zakee Wheatley
Special teams: Long snapper Blaise Sokach-Minick
Takeaways from Tuesday’s list
Unsurprisingly, Pribula continues to earn rave reviews for the second consecutive winter. His physical traits are just what an athlete needs to win these competitions, and the third-year Penn State quarterback continues to do so almost endlessly.
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Fisher winning again in the defensive line room is just the latest sign that the veteran pass rusher has no plans of playing just a deep backup role this fall. It may turn out that way once the pads come on and new defensive coordinator Tom Allen sets how much he wants to rotate up front with defensive line coach Deion Barnes. But, at least for the time being, Fisher is putting himself in line to be the No. 3 defensive end entering spring ball.
There have now been five different winners in the receivers room. Onene would think it indicates the high level of competition in Marques Hagans’ room as the push for playing time continues. Also, freshman Quinton Martin receiving his second shout out after a month on campus caught out eye, too.
Past Penn State winter workout winners
Quarterback: Beau Pribula (2/5, 2/7, 2/13, 2/20), Ethan Grunkemeyer (2/15)
Running back: Cameron Wallace (2/5), Nick Singleton (2/7, 2/13), Quinton Martin (2/17, 2/20)
Wide receiver: Liam Clifford (2/5), Malick Meiga (2/7), Anthony Ivey (2/13), Julian Fleming (2/15), Omari Evans (2/20)
Tight end: Joey Schlaffer (2/5, 2/13, 2/15), Tyler Warren (2/7, 2/20)
Offensive line: Nick Dawkins (2/5, 2/7), Addison Penn (2/13), Anthony Donkoh (2/15), J’ven Williams (2/20)
Defensive line: Zuriah Fisher (2/5, 2/15, 2/20), Zane Durant (2/7, 2/13)
Linebackers: Tyler Elsdon (2/5, 2/20), Dom DeLuca (2/7), Tony Rojas (2/13, 2/15)
Cornerback: Cam Miller (2/5, 2/20), AJ Harris (2/7), Elliot Washington (2/13, 2/15)
Safety: Jaylen Reed (2/5), Zakee Wheatley (2/7, 2/20), KJ Winston (2/13), Lamont Payne (2/15)
Special teams: Punter Riley Thompson (2/5), kicker Sander Sahaydak (2/7), snapper Tyler Duzansky (2/13, 2/15), Long snapper Blaise Sokach-Minick (2/20)
