Penn State is in a good place and a bad place with quarterbacks heading into spring practice. On the one hand, Christian Hackenberg returns for a third year behind an allegedly improved offensive line. Other than that though the question remains: Who is the next starting quarterback at Penn State? If by chance Hackenberg returns for a senior season that question won't need to be answered, but unless Penn State is starting a true freshman next year, the next man up is either transferring in, or already on this roster.
James Franklin and about thirty dozen of his closest friends got together in Holuba Hall on Saturday morning. It was Practice Five of Penn State’s 2015 spring football season. But Job One for Franklin was about a half-dozen things. All were part of Penn State football. And Franklin was in the middle of them all -- equal parts CEO, coach, recruiter, cheerleader, spokesman, and even manager.
For a team that finished last season ranked first nationally in rush defense (84.8 yards per game) along with 87 tackles for loss and 30 sacks, both top-30 marks nationally, the goal for 2015 will be to maintain that high level of production. For Penn State’s defense, that starts with the big guys up front.
Spring football is well underway in Happy Valley, and we're just three weeks -- 21 days -- away from the Blue-White Game. With that in mind, it's time to begin our position previews with Penn State football's special teams unit before diving into the defense and then finishing with the offense. While there are punters and kick/punt returners to worry about, the most noteworthy battle within the special teams unit falls on one big question: Who can fill Sam Ficken's big shoes?
James Franklin DM’s at 4:57. As in 4:57 a.m. He flies to Boston and back. In an afternoon. He drives to the Lehigh Valley for a Sunday afternoon football banquet and back. In a day. In a snowstorm. For five hours. One way. (Although I’m not sure how much of it was uphill.) Time waits for no man. But it does allow James to ride shotgun.
After a brief hiatus in 2013, the player autograph session will return to Beaver Stadium for the second consecutive year to highlight a jam-packed weekend of activities for Penn State's annual Blue-White scrimmage on April 18.