We were given access to Holuba Hall this earlier today to watch the first 15 minutes of practice. Like most of these sessions, it was limited to stretching and some special teams periods. We saw who was working out at punt returner and kick returner. That was about it.
However, there were some notable players not working out. I already made a post about QB Tommy Stevens, but if you missed it, he wasn't spotted - at least, by none of the reporters I was talking with - at all this afternoon. That was also the case at the winter workout session a few weeks ago.
With that said, Stevens has been spotted in a walking boot around campus in recent weeks. This could be injury related, but I will say that the rumors surrounding Stevens aren't going away. He graduates in May, so I don't expect an answer by the end up spring practice.
There were some injured players still in attendance, so that's what makes consecutive absences by Stevens interesting. It could be class related, so you don't want to speculate too much. We'll be given more access in the coming weeks. You know that everyone will be keeping an eye on that situation.
DT Ellison Jordan and DE Torrence Brown were both in street cloths. I'd be surprised if we see either of those before the Blue-White Game. Brown has been out since this past season, while Jordan had surgery on his knee cap during the offseason.
At punt return, it was great to see John Reid taking punt returns again. I watched him the majority of practice and you could tell that he was not only happy to be back on the field, but his teammates were happy for him. I saw a handful of players pointing to John, smiling, joking, etc. It was good to see. Reid is as classiest as they come. He treats football as if it's already his profession, so it's great to see him back out there with his team. He'll be a key leader fro this defense in 2018.
The other punt returners that I noticed were Mark Allen, KJ Hamler, Mac Hippenhammer and DeAndre Thompkins. Thompkins is obviously the main man right now, but keep an eye on KJ Hamler. They didn't give us much of an opportunity to see anything notable today, but over the past year, Hamler's name has come up more than a few times. He has the speed and agility to make guys miss.
Aside from watching punt returns, plus Miles Sanders and Brandon Polk returning kicks, there was much to take note. The offensive lineman were on the opposite side of the field. They were working on hand placement and first steps, those sorts of drills. There weren't an specific units to the group. Ryan Bates was with the group.
We saw similar drills with the defensive lineman. Ryan Buchholz was with the group.
The only other thing that caught my eye were the graphics that Penn State added to Holuba Hall. I added a panoramic shot that I took below. I like what they did. They're not attached to the wall. PSU just added colored screens that cover the sides of Holuba.
This is a trend we're seeing all over the country. Most of the new indoor facilities feature lots of graphics, logos, etc. Just another example of PSU working to improve its facilities to recruits.
If you missed anything from James Franklin's press conference, I linked those stories below.
Live Thread
News & Notes - James Franklin's Press Conference
Column: Lions have big shoes to fill in 2018
Nitt Clips: James Franklin's Spring Practice Press Conference
However, there were some notable players not working out. I already made a post about QB Tommy Stevens, but if you missed it, he wasn't spotted - at least, by none of the reporters I was talking with - at all this afternoon. That was also the case at the winter workout session a few weeks ago.
With that said, Stevens has been spotted in a walking boot around campus in recent weeks. This could be injury related, but I will say that the rumors surrounding Stevens aren't going away. He graduates in May, so I don't expect an answer by the end up spring practice.
There were some injured players still in attendance, so that's what makes consecutive absences by Stevens interesting. It could be class related, so you don't want to speculate too much. We'll be given more access in the coming weeks. You know that everyone will be keeping an eye on that situation.
DT Ellison Jordan and DE Torrence Brown were both in street cloths. I'd be surprised if we see either of those before the Blue-White Game. Brown has been out since this past season, while Jordan had surgery on his knee cap during the offseason.
At punt return, it was great to see John Reid taking punt returns again. I watched him the majority of practice and you could tell that he was not only happy to be back on the field, but his teammates were happy for him. I saw a handful of players pointing to John, smiling, joking, etc. It was good to see. Reid is as classiest as they come. He treats football as if it's already his profession, so it's great to see him back out there with his team. He'll be a key leader fro this defense in 2018.
The other punt returners that I noticed were Mark Allen, KJ Hamler, Mac Hippenhammer and DeAndre Thompkins. Thompkins is obviously the main man right now, but keep an eye on KJ Hamler. They didn't give us much of an opportunity to see anything notable today, but over the past year, Hamler's name has come up more than a few times. He has the speed and agility to make guys miss.
Aside from watching punt returns, plus Miles Sanders and Brandon Polk returning kicks, there was much to take note. The offensive lineman were on the opposite side of the field. They were working on hand placement and first steps, those sorts of drills. There weren't an specific units to the group. Ryan Bates was with the group.
We saw similar drills with the defensive lineman. Ryan Buchholz was with the group.
The only other thing that caught my eye were the graphics that Penn State added to Holuba Hall. I added a panoramic shot that I took below. I like what they did. They're not attached to the wall. PSU just added colored screens that cover the sides of Holuba.
This is a trend we're seeing all over the country. Most of the new indoor facilities feature lots of graphics, logos, etc. Just another example of PSU working to improve its facilities to recruits.
If you missed anything from James Franklin's press conference, I linked those stories below.
Live Thread
News & Notes - James Franklin's Press Conference
Column: Lions have big shoes to fill in 2018
Nitt Clips: James Franklin's Spring Practice Press Conference
