Freshmen Matos, Castro-Fields impressive

Of Penn State’s highly ranked2017 recruiting class, it’s defensive back Lamont Wade who has garnered the most publicity. He’s the highest-rated player of the class, and as an early enrollee he has been able to show off his skills to his team and to fans.

But when coach James Franklin updates his preseason depth chart, it’s possible that two other freshmen will have a more prominent role.

Saturday at Penn State’s media day, Franklin named defensive end Yetur Matos and defensive back Tariq Castro-Fields as the freshmen who have made the biggest impression so far.

“Yetur and Tariq, those are two guys with a very high skill set, great work ethic, very good motors,” defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. “They don’t allow their mind to tie up their feet right now. They maynot be sure about some things, but they go hard as heck and play fast.”

Offensive lineman Mike Miranda, and redshirt freshmen defensive ends Shaka Toney and Shane Simmons have also stood out.

Davis new kickoff man

After former Penn State kicker Joey Julius’ departure from the team two weeks ago, it seemed apparent that senior Tyler Davis would assume kickoff duties, as he did in the 2017 Rose Bowl.

Saturday, special teams coordinator Charles Huff confirmed that Davis will do so. The most accurate field goal kicker in the Big Ten Conference will have a bigger load, but Huff praised Davis’ willingness to condition his body and assume a greater leadership role this summer.

“There’s a fine line because you can’t go out every day and just kick 100 balls,” Huff said. “Your body starts to fall apart. But he’s done an unbelievable job of taking care of his body, kicking, getting stronger, getting faster.”

Franklin contract talks

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour stated recently that she is “100 percent” committed as far as contract negotiations for Franklin. He said he feels good about where talks are now and has no concerns, but refrained from saying muchmore Saturday.

“Once the season starts, it changes a little bit for me,” he said. “So I kind of put the blinders on and jump in the submarine.”