PSU’s deep roster ready for national spotlight
STATE COLLEGE » Two years ago, James Franklin urged Penn State fans to be patient. He and his players believed a plan was in motion.
That patience wore thin through back-to-back 7-6 seasons, but paid off last season. After shaking off a slow start, the Nittany Lions won nine straight games, including a come-from-behind victory in the Big Ten championship game that put them within reach of a playoff berth.
“Last year’s last year, and this year’s this year,” Franklin said. “We want to take all those experiences and maturity that we gained from last year and then continue growing and evolving.”
That’s been a theme since Franklin took over a program then reeling from NCAA sanctions and reduced scholarship numbers.
Back then, Franklin committed to playing handfuls of freshmen. Now, players who were vaunted recruits at the time have formed a core of grizzled veterans who are primed to take the next step. But the Nittany Lions have more than just experience going for them.
Nine starters, including dynamic running back Saquon Barkley, return to an offense that was among the country’s most explosive down the stretch. Six defensive starters are back to take cues from rising defensive coordinator Brent Pry and juniors and sophomores return who all have logged meaningful time or swapped starts during Franklin’s tenure. Newly arriving freshmen are looking to earn a job right away, giving this camp a much more competitive feel than last season. That’s what Franklin wants. “If you go into practice and you’re screwing up, making mistakes, guys are going to pass you,” linebacker Jason Cabinda said. “It’s no longer a point where you have the first team and then with the second team there’s a drop off and then the third team after that is a bigger drop off. We have guys on the second and third teams that the coaches feel really good about playing.”