Bowen's return answers one question, creates another

James Franklin used his media day press conference to calm the blaze of one speculatory wildfire, and, in the process, created another one.

Linebacker Manny Bowen, whose departure from the Penn State program due to a violation of team rules was announced late last season, was listed on the Nittany Lions’ roster heading into camp, confirming what some suspected after an Instagram post from Bowen hinted at a possible return on June 27.

But while Franklin confirmed the senior’s reinstatement, he wouldn’t commit to any serious playing time for Bowen, taking a wait-and-see stance instead.

“I can't tell you what his role on the team is going to be like to be honest with you,” Franklin said Saturday. “I have no idea. I do think the plan in place was the right thing to do for Manny and it gave him the best opportunity for him to graduate from Penn State in December. Everything else is icing on the cake.”

Shortly after learning definitively of Bowen’s return, Penn State fans were left to wonder just how much of an on-field impact the linebacker will make during the upcoming season.

Defensive coordinator Brent Pry took a similar approach, portraying Bowen as something of a wild card moving forward.

“In my mind, I'm not planning on Manny Bowen right now,” Pry said. “With what we know, the information we have, that's the way this thing's playing out right now, and if things change, we'll take another look at it.”

Whether the Nittany Lions are planning on Bowen or not, it’s clear that Penn State never left Bowen’s focus for very long.

With a Penn State degree at the forefront of Franklin’s thinking, the head coach said he presented Bowen with some “stipulations” that, if adhered to, would allow Bowen the chance to rejoin the Nittany Lions.

It would have been relatively easy for Bowen to shy away from the challenge and seek a transfer. But he elected to stay and took the difficult route back to college football. It was a choice that Pry, who has known Bowen since he was a high school sophomore, said fell right in line with Bowen’s character.

“Manny had a laundry list of things to kind of earn his way back and gain some trust, and he did an outstanding job with it. To be honest, I'm not surprised,” Pry said. “He's a very determined young man. So it's good to have him back out there, and got a lot of love for Manny. Support him and hopefully things work out really well.”

Bowen’s 136 career tackles now factor into a linebacking corps laden with uncertainty, especially in the middle, where the Nittany Lions must replace three-year starter Jason Cabinda.

Koa Farmer will almost certainly slide back into his starting role at one of the outside linebacker positions as a flurry of names vie for the two remaining starting spots.

It seems, at least for now, that Bowen’s has complicated those decisions for the coaching staff, which insisted that Bowen’s return isn’t immediate cause for his name to appear at the top of the depth chart in permanent marker as most envisioned. Franklin said his decision to allow Bowen to reclaim his spot on the roster wasn’t at all based on Penn State’s needs at linebacker.

“Really, I don't want any decisions that we make be a need-based,” Franklin said. “I also don't want decisions that we make be an influence because of the perception of it. I want to do things because they are the right things to do.”