Penn State Football Live
The Penn State football team hits the practice field this week, officially bringing an end to a long offseason. The Nittany Lions report to camp Wednesday and hold their annual media day Thursday before getting into practice and position battles. Penn State kicks off its 2015 season in Philadelphia with a road matchup against Temple.
Coach James Franklin enters his second season at Penn State with the benefit of a full allotment of 85 scholarships. The Nittany Lions have played short-handed in each of the last four seasons, all the while losing experienced players faster than they could be replaced. Penn State skews toward underclassmen again in 2015, but the total number of scholarship players is back in the low 80s.
The offensive line went through a low point last season, when two redshirt freshmen and two converted defensive linemen accounted for 35 of the unit's starts. The group is more experienced going into training camp and is collectively more familiar with the concepts of coordinator John Donovan's offense. The same can be said for every position group on the roster in the second year working with Franklin and his staff.
The play of quarterback Christian Hackenberg is also under a microscope after he endured struggles as a true sophomore last season. The NFL draft is a storyline that won't go away, particularly if Hackenberg bounces back and benefits from a better supporting cast. His cast of playmakers features a trio of breakout candidates in Saeed Blacknall, Chris Godwin and Mike Gesicki.
On the defensive side of the ball, the two end spots are open, and Garrett Sickels and former walk-on Carl Nassib are the most likely bets to fill them. Linebackers Koa Farmer and Troy Reeder should get a shot at cracking that rotation, and the reserve spots at safety could belong to sophomore Troy Apke and, just maybe, a true freshman such as Ayron Monroe or Jarvis Miller.
No comments:
Post a Comment