The quarterback battle...Don't think James Franklin is just saying things to the media and that it's different behind closed doors. This is a true quarterback competition for Penn State between Drew Allar and Beau Pribula.
Allar, this offseason, spent a lot of time preparing to be the potential starter this fall. He got leaner, cutting out a lot of junk food, including candy, something he admitted was hard to give up. While leaner, however, he also looked to maintain his weight and pack on more muscle in hopes of remaining durable throughout the course of the season.
Allar is also more comfortable than he was at the end of last season with Penn State's offense. "I think just more experienced. spring ball was great for us, and then this summer was great for us as an offense. Just reinstalling it on our own and then being able to talk to one another about the offense and what the coaching staff wants us to do without the offseason. Being on the same page with everybody, it's definitely a different level, even from spring ball to now. So I think we're doing a great job as a whole offense getting more comfortable."
The Ohio native also took a leadership role over the offseason, according to wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. When originally asked how he worked to grow his relationship on and off the field with Drew this offseason, Lambert-Smith was sure to mention it was just not him. "I wouldn't necessarily say just me, I will say, you know, Drew and running backs included, tight end, as a whole we, getting up maybe five times a week, just throwing. When Drew has his quarterback coach come up here, he hits the guys up, "Can you come catch for me?" So just building that bond and always trying to find ways to create and build that chemistry, ultimately, and we know it's gonna lead to a season success for all of us, the better connection we have, the better we're gonna play on the field."
Also, notably with the quarterbacks, I heard a lot of positives about Jaxon Smolik, as James Franklin alluded to on Sunday. Smolik has a natural feel for the position and is opening eyes - a good sign of where he is in his development. An encouraging sign for his future, especially considering that he likely has at least this year and next year before having a chance to be the program's starting quarterback.
RB Trey Potts, fitting in nicely in Penn State's backfield, calls playing for Penn State a "dream come true."
The running back out of Williamsport, who transferred into the program from Minnesota,, is looking strong in his first few weeks of practice with the program. Potts will fit into the role left by Keyvone Lee, who left the program this offseason. For Potts, it's also a dream come true.
"My mom graduated from here," Potts told Happy Valley Insider on Sunday. "So since I was little, you know, I was coming to games every Saturday, but you know, it's a dream come true. You know, I wake up every day; I'm blessed to be a college football player. Especially to be able to play for my hometown team. I'm super excited."
Freshman TE Andrew Rapplyea...
Haven't heard a ton on how Rappleyea has performed early in practice, but the one thing that is certain is that the Massachusetts native is physically ready for college football. Tight ends coach Ty Howle is also impressed with what's seen early on. "I've been pleased with it, you know, physically, our strength program does a great job. He comes from a great program, you know; before getting here, he trained really hard, but obviously, when you get into a college program, it's never the same, right?"
The Massachusetts native is also showing his passion for the sport early on and how much he wants to be great at this level. "He's done some really good things. Mentally, he's doing a really nice job. I mean, he loves football. He works at it. Studies, spends the time preparing. So I'm happy with his progress the first few days."
Defensive Line...
Early returns this fall on Dani Dennis-Sutton have been very positive, and at his 6-foot-5, 258-pound size, the versatility he could prove could be huge for the Nittany Lions. There will be some high expectations for Dennis-Sutton this fall. The Nittany Lions have two really good defensive ends in Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac already, but Dennis-Sutton has a really good chance to be the best of the group.
Linebacker
Sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter is picking up from where he left off last season, and like with Dennis-Sutton, the expectations are continuing to grow for Carter. I think there could be an argument by the end of the season that Carter is one of the top five defensive players in the country, regardless of position or class. I've been very careful about throwing out the Micah Parsons comparison, but it's hard not to see when you see the way both players play.
Curtis Jacobs looks bigger this fall in terms of muscle; there is some draft hype around the Maryland native when it comes to next year's NFL Draft. There's a very good chance, in my opinion, that the Nittany Lions have the top two linebackers in the Big Ten when it's all said and done this season.
Let's turn to freshman Tony Rojas. He's been impressive by all accounts so far since arriving on campus and, of course, had a notable impact in the spring game. The Virginia native is going to be hard to keep off the field this fall, even if it's only in a special teams role.
Safety room...
Penn State's safety room is still a bit of a question moving into the fall camp. Penn State seemingly feels good about their top four: Jaylen Reed, Keaton Ellis, Kevin Winston Jr, and Zakee Wheatley. After that, however, there are questions of who will be that fifth guy. Redshirt JR Tyrece Mills, who was practicing as a linebacker last year, is back at safety now and is a prime candidate. Redshirt freshman Mehki Flowers is another candidate. The Nittany Lions would love to have at least a fifth guy they're confident in at safety heading into the season opener.
