Penn State Football: Three takeaways from James Franklin's press conference
Penn State Nittany Lions football head coach James Franklin met with the media at Beaver Stadium on Wednesday night after Penn State wrapped up an evening practice.
There were plenty of important topics discussed, such as position battles, the offense's progress and more.
Let's dive in.
No decision at guard
Franklin indicated that there has not yet been a decision made as to who will line up at guard for Penn State football when it takes on Wisconsin in a little under two weeks.
In fact, there are several names still involved in that competition.
"There's probably a group of four to five guys that we're rotating in right now trying to figure that out," Franklin said. "There's been flashes from certain guys, but that has not been resolved yet."
Des Holmes, Saleem Wormley, Anthony Whigan, Mike Miranda and Juice Scruggs are all names Franklin has tabbed as potential candidates at that position at some point this preseason, among others.
Decisions at QB2 and safety
Franklin indicated that he has made his choice at two other positions, however.
The battle to start at safety alongside Jaquan Brisker has been resolved, but Franklin would not reveal who the starter was, citing the need to converse with the players and the coaching staff before making the announcement publicly.
The contenders at that spot on the field include Ji'Ayir Brown, Jonathan Sutherland and Tyler Rudolph.
Additionally, Franklin said he has decided who will be first in line behind starter Sean Clifford at the quarterback spot between Ta'Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux, but was not ready to publicly announce that news, either.
Progress report on the offense
Entering the season with a new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich for the second consecutive season, Franklin had positive things to say about where Penn State football stands in its installation process.
"It's hard for me not to compare everything to last year just because that's the most recent thing we've gone through," Franklin said. "Compared to last year, it's not even close. Having spring ball and having all the summer walkthroughs, I think we're in a good place, and there's some things that we do that I think are challenging."
Penn State tight end Brenton Strange noted that he would feel comfortable about his knowledge of the offense if the Nittany Lions had a game tomorrow.
More notes
— Penn State will scrimmage on Saturday at the exact same time of the Wisconsin game to prepare for that.
— Franklin would not comment on The Alliance between the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC, feeling he does not have the neccessary information to do so yet.
— Franklin called the present crop of Penn State tight ends the best he's coached in the college game.
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