James Franklin Press Conference Notes: Allar, Robinson, Nourzad, and more
Penn State head coach James Franklin held his first media availability of the 2022 regular season on Monday afternoon as the Nittany Lions prepare for the Purdue Boilermakers. Here are all the major takeaways from his time at the podium.
Drew Allar named Penn State's backup quarterback
In what was a bit of a shocker, James Franklin announced on Monday afternoon that highly-touted true freshman quarterback Drew Allar will be the Nittany Lions' backup quarterback against Purdue. Allar beat out redshirt freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux who entering the fall was expected to be the Nittany Lions' backup quarterback. It's a position battle that will continue throughout the season and is "not set in stone."
Transfer DE Chop Robinson and OL Hunter Nourzad expected to play "significant" snaps
Unspurisngly, James Franklin also noted that transfer defensive end Chop Robinson and offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad will both play significant snaps against Purdue and going forward.
Robinson likely won't be the starter against Purdue on Thursday night and will play behind redshirt senior Nick Tarburton. Nourzad, like Robinson, won't start himself but will play snaps at both left and right guard for the Nittany Lions. Franklin also noted that the program will look to rotate the offensive line more in 2022 than they have in previous seasons to keep the starters fresh for longer in games.
To build off the offensive rotation, the Nittany Lions view redshirt freshman Landon Tengwall, redshirt junior Saleem Wormley, and the aftermentioned Hunter Nourzad as all-starting caliber players and expect to rotate them quite a bit.
The wide receiver room...
While he didn't name any names, Franklin said going into Purdue, he would be comfortable with five of their wide receivers playing while a sixth receiver "is on the edge." One would have to guess that those five players are likely Parker Washington, Mitchell Tinsley, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Malick Meiga, and Trey Wallace. Expect both Meiga and Wallace to have their fair share of snaps on Thursday, sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford also noted Wallace as a player who stood out this fall.
Position battle updates...
Entering their game against Purdue, James Franklin named sophomore linebacker Tyler Elsdon the Nittany Lions starter at middle linebacker but both Elson and redshirt freshman Kobe King will see "significant" snaps against the Boilermakers.
Redshirt senior punter Barney Amour is the Nittany Lions' starter at punter, which doesn't come as a surprise after earning a scholarship last week. The placekicking duties will belong to redshirt senior Jake Pinegar while kickoff duties will rotate against Purdue between redshirt freshmen Gabriel Nwosu and Sander Sahaydak.
Smaller notes...
- Lackawanna OL transfer JB Nelson had an injury this fall camp that slowed down his progress. Franklin did, however, say he's someone that the Nittany Lions will need as the season goes on.
- This could probably count as a bigger note but Franklin called true freshman running back Kaytron "Fatman" Allen the "surprise of camp" thanks to his big play ability and production. Allen is expected to play a big role in the Nittany Lions run game this year alongside fellow true freshman Nick Singleton and incumbent stater Kaytron Allen.
- Franklin noted QB Aiden O'Connell, TE Payne Durham, WR Broc Thompson as players on Purdue's offense that have stood out. On defense, LB Jalen Graham, S Cam Allen, and DT Branson Deen as standouts. He also was sure to note the Boilermakers added return specialist Charlie Jones to their roster. He was the Big Ten Returner of the Year a season ago.
- In terms of stopping Purdue's offense, Franklin says the key will be to "stop the vertical passing game" and the Boilermakers' ability to take shots downfield.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel