Early Penn State Football Preview

Penn State kicked off its spring practices last week with the culmination of those practices ending April 16^th with the Blue and White Game. There are plenty of questions for head coach James Franklin heading into this spring and looking ahead to the fall. Here are just a couple of those questions.

• Who is going to replace the plethora of NFL talent the Nittany Lions lose. (Austin Johnson, Anthony Zettel, Carl Nassib, Christian Hackenberg, and Jordan Lucas just to name a few)
• Who is going to be the starting QB? And will it be the same one who gets the reps in the spring/summer?
• How many sacks will the offensive line give up? (Last year it was 39. Yikes)
• Will Paris Palmer still be starting at left tackle?
• How many carries/yards will Saquon Barkley get?

James Franklin and his staff will have plenty of other questions to answer. That staff has some new faces in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, offensive line coach Matt Limegrover, and Tim Banks who will be the safeties coach along with co-defensive coordinator along with Brent Pry after the departure of Bob Shoop. Moorhead comes from Fordham where he was the head coach and led his team to a record of 38-15 from 2012-2015 where they averaged 36.5 points per game. Which is two touchdowns more than what Penn State’s offense did last year.

The Lions lose a lot of talent that will surely end up playing on Sunday’s. Perhaps the biggest loss, but the least surprising, is quarterback Christian Hackenberg. The junior left after two years under James Franklin which were two years too many as he endured the constant scrutiny of not only Penn State fans, but football fans across the country. He flourished under then head coach Bill O’Brien his freshman season, who could potential draft the 6 foot 4 quarterback to backup Brock Osweiler. The defense loses four potential NFL draftees in the nation’s sack leader in defensive end Carl Nassib, tackles Autin Johnson and Anthony Zettel, and cornerback/safety Jordan Lucas. Replacing those guys will no doubt be difficult for the Lions because of their leadership both on and off the field but players like Garrett Sickels, Nyeem Wartman-White, and Marcus Allen will be looked at in the same light.

Perhaps the biggest bright spot last season was the emergence of freshman running back Saquon Barkley. The TRUE freshman rushed for a Penn State freshman record 1,076 yards and 7 touchdowns. Barkley also made news during the team’s winter workouts where he had an incredible 390 power clean while also running a 4.3 40-yard dash. The 5’11” 222-pound sensation will carry the load for an offense that no doubt needs a spark, and if he can duplicate the success he had last season and then some the Nittany Lions can build on that going forward. There is talent behind Barkley so his carries should not be a concern for Penn Staters.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the biggest eye sore for the team was the offensive line. To say the unit has been pathetic the last two seasons is an understatement giving up 83 sacks. I’ll say again, 83 sacks. The group has been made up of former defensive lineman, offensive lineman who have switched positions, and a junior college transfer who could barely bench press 185-pounds. With a year under their belt and a year in the weight room we all hope to see a change in whoever is protecting the quarterback.

Speaking of quarterback, the most important question other than who is protecting the quarterback is who will be the quarterback. By all accounts there are three quarterbacks who will compete for that starting job: redshirt junior Trace McSorely who came in when Hackenberg got hurt in the team’s bowl game, redshirt sophomore Tommy Stevens, and true freshman Jake Zembiec. McSorely might be the front-runner based on the “experience” he has. The quarterback competition should heat up quickly will no doubt be a focal point heading into the summer. Good luck to them.

Other things to keep an eye on: Is Paris Palmer going to remain the starting left tackle or will someone like Andrew Nelson or Sterling Jenkins step up and anchor the line. Who will be behind Barkely? Nick Scott moves to cornerback which frees up another spot which could be filled by incoming freshman Miles Sanders. The receiving core could be the deepest it has ever been, but who will be the main group outside of Daesean Hamilton and Chris Godwin?

This could be the season where you start to see glimpses of James Franklin’s vision is and what we all hope it is. Winning.

Stay tuned.