Senior linebacker reinstated, could fill hole inside for Nittany Lions

be,” Franklin said. “I have no idea.”

Defensive coordinator Brent Pry clearly appreciates what Bowen could bring to the team, but echoed Franklin’ scautious assessment.

“[Bowen] is a student of the game,” Pry said. “He’s played a good number of snaps for us. He’s coaching the heck of out some of those [younger] guys now, not knowing what his role will be. In my mind, I’m not planning on Manny Bowen right now.”

How Bowen feels about any of this isn’t known, because he did not speak with reporters at Penn State’s media day Saturday, an event that preceded the Nittany Lions’ second practice.

Bowen’s teammates, though, seem genuinely pleased to have him back.

“He has a lot of game experience,” linebacker Koa Farmer said. “Very smart football player. He’s a leader, avocal leader.”

Bowen, a 6-foot-1, 238pound senior, was in on 51 tackles, fifth-most on the team, in 2017 despite playing just nine games, all of which he started, before being suspended. He was jettisoned from the program before the Fiesta Bowl, although he remainedenrolled in school.

Speculation that he would return percolated in recent weeks, although Franklin declined to discuss his status as recently as Big Ten media day in Chicago less than two weeks ago.

Bowen appears to have received a scholarship that belonged to redshirt freshman linebacker Brailyn Franklin, who Franklin said has departedthe program.

Franklin said that the coaching staff “created some stipulations” that Bowen had to achieve to earn reinstatement, and stressed that “we didn’t make it easy on him.”

He also insisted that Penn State’s lack of an obvious replacement for Cabinda did not influence the decision to bring back Bowen, who also was suspended before the Rose Bowl as a sophomore.

“I don’t want any decisions that we make being need-based,” Franklin said. “I also don’t want decisions that we make being influenced because of the perception. I want to do things because they’re the right things to do.”

While Bowen would give Penn State an experienced, accomplishedpresence in the middle, redshirt junior Jan Johnson seems to be making a spirited effort to claim the position.

Johnson is 6- 2, 231 pounds and recorded six solo tackles and six assists while appearing in six games in 2017. Franklin and Pry compared him to Brandon Smith, who blossomed into an impact player as a fifth-year senior.

“I’m a big Jan Johnson fan,” Pry said. “Jan is very physical, tough. He’s done a great job of growing into the position. He’s certainly in the thickof things.”

Even though things have gotten a lot thicker with Bowenback in the mix.

• NOTE – Former Notre Dame running back C.J. Holmes has been added to Penn State’s roster, but must sit out thisseason because of transfer rules. … Pry says he does not expect defensive end Torrence Brown, who was injured in 2017, to be ready for thestart of the season.