It’s been 235 days since Penn State football last took the field for a game during the Peach Bowl in December.

Now, the 2024 campaign is only 10 days away with Tuesday serving as the last official day of preseason camp. As James Franklin sets his sights on West Virginia, the head coach is confident in the way his players have improved over the offseason.

“I’m comfortable with where we’re at,” Franklin said Tuesday evening. “I think there are some areas where we’ve taken some significant steps. It’s much more competitive right now.”

One area Franklin has noted improvement in is the wide receivers. Penn State’s receiving corps struggled last year and is without the team’s leading receiver in KeAndre Lambert-Smith after he transferred to Auburn in April.

Despite the loss, the Nittany Lions picked up transfer Julian Fleming from Ohio State and look forward to a healthy Trey Wallace, who missed five games due to injury last season.

While Fleming and Wallace occupy the top two spots on the receiver depth chart, the third spot is still up in the air as camp comes to a close.

Redshirt junior Liam Clifford and junior Omari Evans both saw game action last year with Clifford earning one start and 13 appearances while Evans appeared 11 times. After a good camp, Franklin expects both players to be in the mix come this season.

“Trey and Liam have had really good camps, and there’s a lot of excitement within our program,” Franklin said. “Omari Evans and Julian Fleming have been really good as well, they’ve done a nice job so far.”

Clifford has also gained traction among his teammates, too. Wallace says the wide receiver has been more of a vocal leader this year and has noticed his dedication.

“He’s a hard worker, and he’s gonna give it his all,” Wallace said. “He’s worked super hard over the offseason coming in early and staying late. He’s off the charts.”

The running back room is also in the midst of a battle for the third spot. Behind starters Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, Cam Wallace, Quinton Martin Jr., and Corey Smith are still in the running for the position.

While Franklin said that right now, Wallace is in the lead for the spot, he’s excited for the future of the room.

“It’s a battle between all three of them,” Franklin said. “They’ll all play this year and we’ll see how the whole thing plays out.”

Despite the positives that Franklin is taking away from camp, he did admit that not everything about a team can be seen at practice. According to Franklin, competition between the offense and the defense is fierce, hinting at the strength the Nittany Lions will have on both sides of the ball next season.

“You’re going against the same guys every day, so it’s hard to really judge until you play somebody else,” Franklin said. “The new coordinators have done phenomenal, the new players have done phenomenal, so I think we’re in a really good place.”