A pair of Penn State true freshmen have received the green light from the Nittany Lions coaching staff heading into the program's 2024 season opener this weekend against West Virginia.
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Penn State head coach James Franklin told the media on Monday during his weekly press conference that offensive lineman Cooper Cousins and safety DeJuan Lane have both earned the nods heading into the season.
Cousins getting the green light from the staff is not all too surprising. A high four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Cousins was expected to come in and compete this offseason to earn immediate playing time. He has spent spring and fall camp competing with redshirt senior offensive lineman Nick Dawkins for the program's starting center job, though he has also picked up reps at guard as well. Don't be surprised to see the Erie, Pennsylvania native play snaps at both positions this fall.
Lane, while not necessarily a surprise, is arguably the more "noteworthy" green light selection as the season approaches.
The battle for the fourth safety spot in the Nittany Lions secondary this fall has been a key one for the program as new defensive coordinator Tom Allen frequently uses a 4-2-5 defense featuring three safeties.
The Nittany Lions already boast arguably the best trio of safeties in the Big Ten in KJ Winston, Zakee Wheatley, and Jaylen Reed. However, by using three safeties consistently, the depth of the position becomes more important in the case of injury.
This offseason, the battle for that fourth spot consisted of redshirt senior Tyrece Mills, redshirt sophomore walk-on Kolin Dinkins, redshirt freshmen DaKaari Nelson and Lamont Payne as well as true freshmen DeJuan Lane and Value Toure.
Nelson was eliminated from the battle in recent weeks when he made the position switch to linebacker, leaving the battle to Mills, Dinkins, Payne, Lane, and Toure.
Of that group, it has been the summer enroll in Lane that has been arguably the most impressive this fall camp, ultimately leading to his green light ahead of the upcoming season.
While Lane earning the green light doesn't necessarily mean that Lane will be that "fourth" safety for Penn State this fall, it does give a strong indication that the Maryland native very well will likely be that first safety off the bench for the Nittany Lions this weekend against West Virginia and beyond.
Overall, anticipate Penn State's starting trio of safeties to handle most of the snaps against the Mountaineers before the Nittany Lions turn to their depth at the position. In their upcoming matchups against Bowling Green and Kent State, Lane and other depth pieces in the safety room seeing more playing time is more probable.
But what does that mean for the rest of Penn State's true freshman class heading into this fall?
According to Penn State head coach James Franklin, it doesn't mean all too much. Franklin called the "green light", a moving target for the Nittany Lions. Just because a player did not get the green light ahead of the season opener, doesn't mean that they can not earn the honor in the upcoming weeks.
"There's going to be guys after game one that become green lights based on how they play, or based on some bumps or bruises or based on whatever it may be. We're going to try and manage it and be strategic as long as we can, so we can still have the flexibility as long as we can. But this will change throughout the year."
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