Penn State football didn’t get a shot at spring ball or summer workouts during the lead-up to an unprecedented 2020 campaign.

While that lack of work can’t be the only piece to blame for the Nittany Lions’ 0-5 start last fall, head coach James Franklin knows it played a role in his team’s lack of preparedness for an all-conference slate.

“We didn’t get spring ball last year, and a lot of other programs did,” Franklin said Wednesday. “There’s value in that. Practice matters or you wouldn’t do it. For us, just being really strategic about our practices this spring. [We want] to use all 15 to get better and really challenge our guys.”

After hiring a plethora of new coaches last offseason right before the pandemic hit, the Nittany Lions’ new staff was forced to install its game plan over Zoom. Penn State still has new coaches settling in this year, namely new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, but the spring and summer slate of practices should prove invaluable.

Yurcich, who Franklin described as a bit of a “mad scientist,” has hit the ground running with his new offense in the past week or so. In fact, he’s fit right in going against sixth-year defensive coordinator Brent Pry.

“Mike wants to see a little more pressure early on, and by doing that, Brent’s OK with getting a more exotic formation early on,” Franklin said. “We’re probably being a little bit more aggressive than we’ve been in the past, from an installation standpoint.”

There’s no question both coaches have plenty of talent to be aggressive with on either side of the ball. The most notable of any of those position groups will be the quarterbacks. As if anyone needed a reminder, the trio will have a spotlight on each of them throughout this offseason.

While Sean Clifford is the only signal-caller with any significant in-game experience, Ta’Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux were both highly touted stars coming out of high school.

The Nittany Lions are clearly jumping into their first spring ball in two years full steam ahead, and that could help sort out the quarterback competition to come. For Roberson, that means playing up to his high standards on a consistent basis. The redshirt freshman has only one in-game pass attempt to his name at Penn State, but that makes him the second-most experienced quarterback on the roster.

“It’s consistency. Ta’Quan has really done some nice things since he’s been here and this spring as well, but it’s about consistency,” Franklin said. “I think Ta’Quan is showing more of that right now.”

As that competition rolls on and the team shakes off the rust over these next two weeks, the start of the 2021 campaign is never too far off the mind of Franklin. Come September, spring ball will play a key role in the readiness of a group that has to start the season with a trip to Wisconsin and a visit from Auburn two weeks later.

“We got a pretty challenging start of our schedule,” Franklin said. “I think it’s a motivator for our guys and we’re gonna have a pretty good idea of who we are very early and be tested.”