Penn State's season opener against West Virginia is just ten days away, and Happy Valley Insider today projects which members of Penn State's 2023 recruiting class will see the field this fall as true freshmen.
Since coming to Penn State, James Franklin has used the "Green, Yellow, and Red" light system to determine which freshmen will see the field. Greenlight players are those whom there is no plan to redshirt; yellow lights are players who will likely see playing time in their four allotted games before the coaching staff makes further decisions, and red lights are prospects who are all but guaranteed to redshirt.
Zion Tracy is someone that we've heard could be put in the green light group, and for the sake of this article, we're going to give him the nod. His athleticism and physical maturity should allow him to make an impact on the field this fall, whether it's on special teams or in the secondary.
Cameron Wallace is a player that we're going to go out on a limb a bit and say gets the green light. The Georgia athlete has shown this fall camp that he's further along in his development than some originally thought. Does Penn State need Wallace to be a green light this season? Absolutely not, not with Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Trey Potts all ahead of him on the depth chart. But Wallace has elite speed and could be a game-changer for the Nittany Lions if given the opportunities, whether on offense or special teams. Penn State doesn't tend to redshirt running backs often, so perhaps they give him a chance on special teams as well to be an impact piece. He really is on the edge of the green and yellow lights, in our opinion.
For the yellow lights, we're going to go with offensive lineman J'Ven Williams, safety DaKarri Nelson, tight end Andrew Rappleyea, linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson, offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh, and defensive end Jameial Lyons.
Projecting offensive linemen is always tough, but the early reports on J'Ven Williams and even on Anthony Donkoh have been pretty positive thus far. It wouldn't be surprising to see them get time in at least a few games, but we expect them to likely redshirt this fall. Williams would likely be the linemen with the better chance not to redshirt this fall. On the other side of the ball on the defensive line, Lyons is a prospect that I felt was quite advanced coming out of high school, especially physically. Would think he could see a similar role to Dani Dennis-Sutton's from last season, though probably a slightly smaller role.
Rappleyea is a tight end that, for a while, we projected as a potential green light, and he still may end up there for Penn State, but that tight end room is just incredibly deep, so it may be hard for him to see enough time on the field. He should, however, see the field in at least four games.
At linebacker, we're quite confident that Ta'Mere Robinson, now that he's fully healthy, will see some action on the field in all likelihood but will most likely redshirt as well. safety DaKarri Nelson is physically ready to play at the college level and should see time in four games; depending on how Penn State's search for a fifth safety goes, Nelson could work himself into more playing time.
Most of the class falls in the red light area for Penn State. With offensive linemen Alex Birchmeier and Chimdy Onoh, wide receiver Carmelo Taylor, running back London Montgomery, tight end Joey Schlaffer, linebacker Kaveion Keys, defensive ends Mason Robinson and Joseph Mupoyi, defensive tackle Tyriq Blanding, and defensive back Lamont Payne
Some of these players may see a game or two this season if the situation allows, such as quarterback Jaxon Smolik, but will absolutely redshirt this fall. We wouldn't be surprised if Alex Birchmeier sees some playing time as well.
Since coming to Penn State, James Franklin has used the "Green, Yellow, and Red" light system to determine which freshmen will see the field. Greenlight players are those whom there is no plan to redshirt; yellow lights are players who will likely see playing time in their four allotted games before the coaching staff makes further decisions, and red lights are prospects who are all but guaranteed to redshirt.
Green Light
As of right now, we have four players that we feel are absolute green lights for Penn State this season. Linebacker Tony Rojas and secondary members King Mack and Elliott Washington III have all long been considered green-light candidates for Penn State. All three 2023 signees have impressed so far this spring, according to our sources, and in our chances of seeing them during practices and scrimmages, those reports check out.Zion Tracy is someone that we've heard could be put in the green light group, and for the sake of this article, we're going to give him the nod. His athleticism and physical maturity should allow him to make an impact on the field this fall, whether it's on special teams or in the secondary.
Cameron Wallace is a player that we're going to go out on a limb a bit and say gets the green light. The Georgia athlete has shown this fall camp that he's further along in his development than some originally thought. Does Penn State need Wallace to be a green light this season? Absolutely not, not with Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Trey Potts all ahead of him on the depth chart. But Wallace has elite speed and could be a game-changer for the Nittany Lions if given the opportunities, whether on offense or special teams. Penn State doesn't tend to redshirt running backs often, so perhaps they give him a chance on special teams as well to be an impact piece. He really is on the edge of the green and yellow lights, in our opinion.
Yellow Light
For Happy Valley Insider, our definition of a yellow light is players who will at least see time in four games this year and, depending on their performance, could potentially move into green light territory as the season progresses. Most of these players will ultimately redshirt.For the yellow lights, we're going to go with offensive lineman J'Ven Williams, safety DaKarri Nelson, tight end Andrew Rappleyea, linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson, offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh, and defensive end Jameial Lyons.
Projecting offensive linemen is always tough, but the early reports on J'Ven Williams and even on Anthony Donkoh have been pretty positive thus far. It wouldn't be surprising to see them get time in at least a few games, but we expect them to likely redshirt this fall. Williams would likely be the linemen with the better chance not to redshirt this fall. On the other side of the ball on the defensive line, Lyons is a prospect that I felt was quite advanced coming out of high school, especially physically. Would think he could see a similar role to Dani Dennis-Sutton's from last season, though probably a slightly smaller role.
Rappleyea is a tight end that, for a while, we projected as a potential green light, and he still may end up there for Penn State, but that tight end room is just incredibly deep, so it may be hard for him to see enough time on the field. He should, however, see the field in at least four games.
At linebacker, we're quite confident that Ta'Mere Robinson, now that he's fully healthy, will see some action on the field in all likelihood but will most likely redshirt as well. safety DaKarri Nelson is physically ready to play at the college level and should see time in four games; depending on how Penn State's search for a fifth safety goes, Nelson could work himself into more playing time.
Red Light
Most of the class falls in the red light area for Penn State. With offensive linemen Alex Birchmeier and Chimdy Onoh, wide receiver Carmelo Taylor, running back London Montgomery, tight end Joey Schlaffer, linebacker Kaveion Keys, defensive ends Mason Robinson and Joseph Mupoyi, defensive tackle Tyriq Blanding, and defensive back Lamont Payne
Some of these players may see a game or two this season if the situation allows, such as quarterback Jaxon Smolik, but will absolutely redshirt this fall. We wouldn't be surprised if Alex Birchmeier sees some playing time as well.
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