Ricky Slade impresses coaches, teammates; and other freshman notes
Some time will pass before Ricky Slade speaks publicly for the first time as a Penn State running back due to the Nittany Lions’ rule against true freshmen meeting with the media.
Already, though, Slade’s play on the practice field has compelled some of his peers and coaches to do the talking for him.
“The game makes sense to him. He’s picked it up faster than what we thought,” coach James Franklin said. “He’s probably more physically prepared. You guys look at him, he doesn’t look like a freshman back.
“He’s making an argument for himself, he really is. I would think by the midpoint of the season, if not earlier, he’s got a chance to make a move.”
Franklin tabbed Slade as one of seven true freshmen who will almost certainly play this season for the Nittany Lions. His role could compare to that of Miles Sanders during his true freshman season, Franklin said.
That year, Sanders carried the ball 25 times and returned 33 kickoffs playing behind Saquon Barkley.
“Ricky’s obviously a very talented athlete,” veteran safety Garrett Taylor said. “You know, a very good running back. We can use him multiple ways, like in the return game, reps at running back to give Miles and Mark [Allen] a breather. I think Miles Sanders was actually a true freshman and you know how we used him on kick return sometimes, a couple reps here and there on offense. I think you can probably see a similar use, in my opinion, with Ricky.”
“I think it’s probably similar [to Sanders’ situation] in some ways,” Franklin said. “He’s in a situation where you’ve got Jonathan [Thomas] and Mark, two seniors who’ve been around ad played a lot of football here, and then Journey [Brown], who’s got a lot of upside in terms of raw athletic ability.”
Slade was ranked by Rivals as the No. 2 all-purpose back in the class of 2018, so it comes as little surprise that he's making an early impression with the Nittany Lions.
What some might not have expected at this point in the young running back's development is the maturity — within the mental and physical areas of the game — that Slade has displayed so far in practice.
“He is a tough guy,” Franklin said. “He runs like a tough guy. He’s really subtle and efficient with his movements. He’s not going to do things like Saquon that wow you, but he’s going to have these little subtle moves that get people off balance, and then he runs through an arm tackle, lowers his shoulder. And he still makes people miss, but it’s more subtle. He’s just so efficient with his movements. We’ve been really impressed with him, plays with a lot of confidence.”
Thomas, a fifth-year senior and Slade’s roommate during camp, was struck by how quickly Slade was able to learn Penn State’s playbook.
“We would go over the playbook every night,” Thomas said. “He would want to learn. And that speaks a lot about him. I feel like having him in the room, it’s just been helpful for the whole room. It makes the whole room better.”
Jahan Dotson:
"He’s been really impressive from day one. I took a couple reps against him in one-on-ones. He’s fast, explosive. But he’s really smooth out of his routes and I think he has a good understanding of how to run routes in terms of spinning defensive backs and sticking opposite, just little nuances of receiver that it’s impressive he’s really good at as a freshman. I think he has really strong hands. He catches the ball naturally. He has big play potential. All around just coming in as a freshman, it’s pretty impressive to see what he’s been able to do, not only against the second and third team, but against the [first team]." — Garrett Taylor
Micah Parsons:
"I feel like he can get side-to-side very quickly. It’s going to be hard for people to block him. He’s definitely going to be a positive in the pass rush game." — Jonathan Thomas
Jesse Luketa:
"He knows the defense. I feel like he’s a very smart guy. I feel like he’s always going to be in the right position because he’s very in tune with the defense." — Jonathan Thomas