Three true freshmen set to play for PSU in 2017

At his press conference, head coach James Franklin confirmed that three of those first-year players are poised to see action this Saturday against Akron. They are: cornerback Lamont Wade, cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and defensive end Yetur-Gross Matos.

“Right now we have three who we plan on burning their redshirts right from the beginning of the season,” Franklin said. “That can change as the season goes on. Those three are Yetur at defensive end and Lamont Wade and Castro-Fields at corner. The other guys are listed to complete a three-deep, and they’re up with the varsity from a training perspective in practice, but we don’t plan on playing those other guys on Saturday. Those guys are all probably considered yellow (lights) at this point, where if we have any injuries their status could go from yellow to green.”

While it’s likely Wade, Castro-Fields and Gross-Matos each will see time on defense, their ability to contribute on special teams was “a major factor" in burning their redshirt, Franklin said.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call Tuesday morning, senior kicker Tyler Davis highlighted Castro-Fields and Wade as two freshmen who have caught his eye on the kickoff coverage unit.

“It’s just their speed, and they are aggressive and they’ve really caught on quickly,” Davis said. “I know Coach (Charles) Huff is a great special teams coordinator who implements some great plans and they’ve seemed to catch on very quickly and just their athleticism stands out."

While Franklin said that Gross-Matos could also have a role on special teams, it’s been his play at defensive end that has grabbed his teammates’ attention.

Fellow defensive lineman Curtis Cothran calls Gross-Matos a “freakish” athlete who has worked his way into the mix this preseason camp, despite not being listed on the three-deep.