Safety battle, running backs & more: Takeaways from James Franklin presser

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach James Franklin met the media via Zoom on Wednesday night for his weekly post-practice press conference.

With the Nittany Lions entering their first full week of preseason camp, there was plenty to discuss, such as the safety battle, the running back depth chart, and much more.

Let's get right into some quick takeaways from Franklin's press conference.

The considerable stockpile of talent currently residing within Penn State's running back room has been well documented in the leadup to the season.

The Nittany Lions boast five running backs who each have considerable experience at the Division I level heading into 2021, and there are only so many carries to go around.

"I think we have one of the strongest running back rooms in the country," Franklin said.

Franklin did not provide any hints as to who may claim the lion's share of the carries, but he did discuss just how deep Penn State is willing to go with its running backs on Saturdays.

"We're a big believer that we're going to play three backs," he said. "The days of the feature back in college football, I think, are gone. We want to play three backs. I think it's hard to play four.

"You better have a fourth ready, because one of those three will get dinged up and then it will just go to a three-man rotation with that new guy in there. I do think we have four backs who we can play. We're trying to figure out who the top three will be. We'll get a couple of live scrimmages that will help us determine that."

RELATED: Quick hitters from Penn State Nittany Lions football practice

Franklin spent plenty of time talking about his secondary on Wednesday evening, and one of the primary topics of discussion was the open spot alongside nailed-on starter Jaquan Brisker at safety.

"It's been pretty impressive, to be honest with you," Franklin said of the competition.

Franklin tabbed Ji'Ayir Brown, Jonathan Sutherland, Keaton Ellis and Tyler Rudolph as players who are competing to claim that second starting role, or serve as Brisker's backup.

Rudolph, who is entering the third season of his Penn State career and has yet to see much significant action, has seen "the light come on," as Franklin put it.

"It's a legitimate competition," Franklin said.

"I think we'll be in a position where we'll have four safeties who we feel good about playing."

One of the bigger changes Franklin has made to his preseason outline is a tweak to how Penn State is working through walkthroughs and install periods at practice.

Where that would normally be just one group, Franklin now has split up his team into two groups, that way more players can get work in rather than watching from the sideline — no matter where they fall on the depth chart.

"I'm a big believer in reps," he said. "As much as you tell these guys to take mental reps when they're standing in the back, the best way to get these guys confidence and understanding of what we're trying to do is by doing it."

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98, @GregPickel, @ThomasFrankCarr

• Follow us on Instagram

• Like us on Facebook