New ROSTER weights are posted

[voltz99]

Who are these "all accounts"? Link where you have seen or heard that Allen added weight but isn't as good now.

James Franklin, Jujuan Seider, multiple players, coaches and reporters.

Penn State freshman Kaytron Allen finds early success at running back after big physical change

Kaytron Allen's "Fatman" nickname might not be as applicable after the freshman running back dropped significant weight, but he's found early success at Penn State.

247sports.com

Franklin praised the weight loss and the on field results Franklin said. “I think with that, he is quicker, he's faster, he's more explosive."

Penn State's Kaytron Allen Is a 'Seasoned Vet' as a Freshman

Penn State freshman running back Kaytron Allen is playing like a 'seasoned vet,' his Nittany Lions coaches say.

www.si.com

Allen, nicknamed "Fatman," arrived at Penn State weighing 225 pounds. He's now listed at 201, having gained quickness without losing power.

"The one area you can see in his game is, he can explode," Seider said. "He's even quicker. And even though he lost some of that weight, he hasn't lost that power. His contact balance is still awesome. The edge is there, the power is there. He just reshaped his body."


Your turn. Show me ONE account of anyone who thought Allen was too small last year.

 

[RandyL]

I think the plan always was that he would take off "bad" weight, then build it back up as "good" weight".
If he is back to around 220, I expect that will be good.

 

[Online Persona]

James Franklin, Jujuan Seider, multiple players, coaches and reporters.

Penn State freshman Kaytron Allen finds early success at running back after big physical change

Kaytron Allen's "Fatman" nickname might not be as applicable after the freshman running back dropped significant weight, but he's found early success at Penn State.

247sports.com

Franklin praised the weight loss and the on field results Franklin said. “I think with that, he is quicker, he's faster, he's more explosive."

Penn State's Kaytron Allen Is a 'Seasoned Vet' as a Freshman

Penn State freshman running back Kaytron Allen is playing like a 'seasoned vet,' his Nittany Lions coaches say.

www.si.com

Allen, nicknamed "Fatman," arrived at Penn State weighing 225 pounds. He's now listed at 201, having gained quickness without losing power.

"The one area you can see in his game is, he can explode," Seider said. "He's even quicker. And even though he lost some of that weight, he hasn't lost that power. His contact balance is still awesome. The edge is there, the power is there. He just reshaped his body."


Your turn. Show me ONE account of anyone who thought Allen was too small last year.

You didn't show me one person who said Allen was worse with the current weight gain. Last year he got lean and it is likely that this year he added mostly lean mass.

A high percentage of players come in as freshmen with some bad weight, shed it early in their careers, and then add good lean mass. Do you have any indication that isn't what Kaytron did? Any recent quotes on the gains this off season?

 

[lazydave841]

Show me ONE account of anyone who thought Allen was too small last year

Nobody did that I remember, but just because he cut HS weight to play as a freshman doesn't mean any weight gain is an absolute detriment to his playing style.

Perhaps you are thinking about Keyvone Lee and just gun shy?

 

[lazydave841]

Breaking down latest Penn State football roster update featuring notable developments for key players

The Penn State football program updated its online roster recently with the newest weights for its players, including some notable newcomers.

247sports.com

Little in depth write ups on some of the players.

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

All this talk about "more weight" is 100% positively correlated to being a better football player is a little ridiculous.

First of all, muscle weighs substantially more than fat as it is denser (i.e., someone carrying virtually all their bodyweight in muscle will appear smaller in a uniform than somebody at the same weight with 25% of their bodyweight in fat). However, OL will often carry a higher percentage of body-fat than DL because it gives them additional weight which means it's harder for them to be moved in a bull-rush. DL on the other hand want to be as quick and explosive as possible, so generally play at lower body-fat levels.

But it is not as simple as adding as much muscle as possible (i.e., more muscle does equate to more weight as muscle is very dense) because it also depends on your frame size and how much muscle you can add without decreasing your flexibility, range-of-motion, speed.... etc. (i.e., become "muscle-bound). A good example is Olympic Weightlifters - they are extremely strong and have massive muscle bulk, but would not be great football players.

Again, OL often carry more fat at a similar muscle level (fat is generally right on top of muscle - just because someone has fat does not mean they don't have a lot of muscle as well), because it gives them additional weight which makes them harder to move.

How much muscle someone can carry without decreasing "athleticism" really depends on body frame, the length and strength of their tendons, etc....

 

[Online Persona]

All this talk about "more weight" is 100% positively correlated to being a better football player is a little ridiculous.

First of all, muscle weighs substantially more than fat as it is denser (i.e., someone carrying virtually all their bodyweight in muscle will appear smaller in a uniform than somebody at the same weight with 25% of their bodyweight in fat). However, OL will often carry a higher percentage of body-fat than DL because it gives them additional weight which means it's harder for them to be moved in a bull-rush. DL on the other hand want to be as quick and explosive as possible, so generally play at lower body-fat levels.

But it is not as simple as adding as much muscle as possible (i.e., more muscle does equate to more weight as muscle is very dense) because it also depends on your frame size and how much muscle you can add without decreasing your flexibility, range-of-motion, speed.... etc. (i.e., become "muscle-bound). A good example is Olympic Weightlifters - they are extremely strong and have massive muscle bulk, but would not be great football players.

Again, OL often carry more fat at a similar muscle level (fat is generally right on top of muscle - just because someone has fat does not mean they don't have a lot of muscle as well), because it gives them additional weight which makes them harder to move.

How much muscle someone can carry without decreasing "athleticism" really depends on body frame, the length and strength of their tendons, etc....

We have one of the top performance enhancement teams in the nation. When there are gains in weight, it is most often due to specifically targeted training gains that are personalized for each player and often bear similarity by position. The staff evaluates their individual performance needs and does not apply a one size fits all, get in there and lift and eat approach. Some players respond quicker and better than others to their specific training plans which include flexibility, range of motion, injury prevention, speed, etc. This isn't the 1970s.

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

We have one of the top performance enhancement teams in the nation. When there are gains in weight, it is most often due to specifically targeted training gains that are personalized for each player and often bear similarity by position. The staff evaluates their individual performance needs and does not apply a one size fits all, get in there and lift and eat approach. Some players respond quicker and better than others to their specific training plans which include flexibility, range of motion, injury prevention, speed, etc. This isn't the 1970s.

Where did I say differently? My point is that a DL playing at his optimal weight (i.e., muscle mass) will be more productive (i.e., better) than adding muscle just to carry more weight. Each player's optimal playing weight depends on a number of factors as you say. But the notion that simply being heavier automatically translates to better performance at interior DL, as many of these posts are claiming, is not necessarily true. A large framed person that weighs 280 or 290 and is solid muscle with a very low body-fat percentage is more than capable of being a disruptive force in the interior of the LOS - Arron Donald is 6'1" and 284 pounds, he's pretty much considered the best Defensive Tackle (i.e., interior Defensive Lineman) in the NFL. The notion that you have to weigh 330 lbs to be a good Defensive Tackle is nonsense. The guys right behind Aaron Donald (Chris Jones, Jeffery Simmons, Quinnen Williams....) all play around 300 #'s, but they're also all taller in the 6'4" to 6'6" range.

 

[Online Persona]

Where did I say differently? My point is that a DL playing at his optimal weight (i.e., muscle mass) will be more productive (i.e., better) than adding muscle just to carry more weight. Each player's optimal playing weight depends on a number of factors as you say. But the notion that simply being heavier automatically translates to better performance at interior DL, as many of these posts are claiming, is not necessarily true. A large framed person that weighs 280 or 290 and is solid muscle with a very low body-fat percentage is more than capable of being a disruptive force in the interior of the LOS - Arron Donald is 6'1" and 284 pounds, he's pretty much considered the best Defensive Tackle (i.e., interior Defensive Lineman) in the NFL. The notion that you have to weigh 330 lbs to be a good Defensive Tackle is nonsense. The guys right behind Aaron Donald (Chris Jones, Jeffery Simmons, Quinnen Williams....) all play around 300 #'s, but they're also all taller in the 6'4" to 6'6" range.

I wasn't arguing with you. I was adding information to the discussion.

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

I wasn't arguing with you. I was adding information to the discussion.

Cool beans.... Thought your last sentence in your original response ("This isn't the 70's anymore.") was being directed at me / my comments.

 

[PSUSignore]

What do we think the LB depth chart will look like? I'm curious where Rojas might slot in this season as it appears this year will be his coming out party, but I figure he's 2nd string behind Carter, Jacobs, and Elsdon.

 

[lazydave841]

What do we think the LB depth chart will look like? I'm curious where Rojas might slot in this season as it appears this year will be his coming out party, but I figure he's 2nd string behind Carter, Jacobs, and Elsdon.

Will - Carter, backed up by Wylie
Mike - Elsdon OR Kobe King, essentially 1a/1b until one separates.
Sam - Jacobs, backed by DeLuca OR Rojas as 2a/2b

Just my projection. Doubt we get a depth chart officially as I don't think JF released one last year. I don't expect any curve balls here until on field production warrants it.

 

[GregInPitt]

Will - Carter, backed up by Wylie
Mike - Elsdon OR Kobe King, essentially 1a/1b until one separates.
Sam - Jacobs, backed by DeLuca OR Rojas as 2a/2b

Just my projection. Doubt we get a depth chart officially as I don't think JF released one last year. I don't expect any curve balls here until on field production warrants it.

Yep, I agree with you that what you posted will likely be the company line.

But I also believe that the staff saw all the plays I saw in the couple of games the D looked weak against the run in 2022 where Elsdon was laying on the grass watching RB's fly by. And with King making progress this Spring and Elsdon in the tub I expect that King will be 1a after Fall camp. Elsdon is a nice story and waited his time but does not have the athletic ability to be a star at Mike. King seems a step quicker and somewhat stronger. I'm also looking for Robinson to play 4 games if he does redshirt, but if he emerges in Fall practice he could force his way into the Mike rotation at the expense of Elsdon. JMO.

Should be real interesting at Sam regarding the backup(s) to Jacobs. Deluka played pretty decent for the most part as a redshirt freshman in 2022, seemingly playing heady and very good positionally but not being a super athlete, and should be more physically ready in 2023. DeLuka was also put on scholarship for 2023. Yet we all know that Rojas has to get on the field and not only develop but likely will also contribute some splash plays in limited snaps as Diaz develops him as the likely starter at Sam for 2024.

Can't wait to see the team get started against WVU!!