During his Tuesday afternoon press conference, Penn State head football coach James Franklin provided updates on a pair of Nittany Lions in redshirt junior defensive end Smith Vilbert and redshirt senior offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad.
When it comes to Vilbert who had three sacks in the Nittany Lions' Outback Bowl loss to Arkansas last January, Franklin told the media that the Monsey (NY) is "just not available," and that prior to making any public announcement he wanted to sit down with Smith to ensure "we're all on the same page."
Franklin would go on to say of the former three-star prospect, saying, "I'm really proud that Smith Vilbert is a part of our program and I'll leave it at that for right now."
Vilbert has recorded eight tackles in his career at Penn State including four tackles for a loss and the aforementioned three sacks. While he hasn't been seen on the field, Vilbert has been on the practice field for Penn State as part of their developmental squad. His efforts in preparing against Central Michigan earned him Development Squad Defensive Player of the Week honors.
While Franklin did discuss Vilbert during Tuesday's press conference, he did not mention redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Coziah Izzard. Izzard like Vilbert has been seen on the practice field with the Developmental Squad but hasn't seen game action this season.
When it comes to Nourzad, Franklin said the Cornell transfer was dealing with "bumps and bruises" and the coaching staff held him out as a precaution. "We felt like if we could hold him out last week, then we'd be able to get him back this week," Franklin said. "The good thing is J.B. came in and played really well. We were excited about how he practiced and we were excited about how he ended up playing in the game."
When it comes to their matchup against Northwestern this weekend, the Nittany Lions hope to have him but won't push him if he's not ready to go, "we're hoping to have him back. If we don't, then we feel confident that J.B. will be able to go in and do the job. But that's kind of how that's going to play out each week in a perfect world."
Penn State's offensive line was able to put together a quality performance against Central Michigan this past Saturday. While they struggled at times to consistently open up running lanes on the ground, they allowed no sacks in the game. Through four games, the Nittany Lions' offensive line has allowed just five sacks.
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