Franklin says top WR out for year
Washington leads team in yardage
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — James Franklin has made his opinions on pies like sweet potato and pumpkin well known over the years, but Penn State’s head coach took things a step further Tuesday afternoon.
During his weekly news conference, Franklin met practically every question from reporters with a question of his own, asking them to choose between one of two Thanksgiving desserts ahead of Thursday’s holiday. But Franklin also discussed the health of a few key players on the Nittany Lions’ roster, quarterback Sean Clifford’s post-football plans and his own happiness as Penn State’s head coach.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the latest from Franklin ahead of Penn State’s meeting at Beaver Staium with Michigan State (5-6)on Saturday in the battle for the Land Grant Trophy:
No Washington
Junior wide receiver Parker Washington did not play in Saturday’s game against Rutgers, and it looks like his appearance in the Nittany Lions’ win against Maryland was his last of 2022.
When asked about Washington’s status for the rest of the regular season, Franklin informed reporters that Penn State will be without its leading wideout moving forward.
“Parker will be done for the season,” Franklin said. “I did have that conversation with him and his mom, so I wanted to make sure I covered that with them first to make sure
everybody was comfortable with it.”
Washington is the Nittany Lions’ leading receiver this season both in terms of catches and yardage with 46 and 611.
The Texas native’s production had been limited in recent weeks, as he combined for five catches for 44 yards against Indiana and the Terrapins.
In Penn State’s loss to Ohio State, though, Washington turned in his best performance of the year with 11 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown.
Franklin did not elaborate on whether Washington, who has collegiate eligibility remaining, will return to the program for 2023. He also provided a couple other updates on players who have missed time this season in offensive lineman Olu Fashanu and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Fashanu hasn’t played since the Ohio State game due to an undisclosed injury, and Porter had appendicitis at some juncture before to the Maryland game, causing him to miss the past two contests.
“OluFashanu we expect back,” Franklin said. “When that is, we’ll see. Hopefully this weekend, we’ll see how that plays out. And same thing with Joey Porter.”
Both Fashanu and Porter have been labeled as potential first-round picks by various draft projection websites for the 2023 NFL draft.
Clifford coaching?
Quarterback Sean Clifford has accumulated a great deal of experience in his six years on Penn State’s campus, but becoming a quarterback in the NFL will be a difficult task, as evidenced by the latest 2023 mock drafts. Despite the wealth of knowledge Clifford now possesses, Franklin doesn’t currently envision a future where Clifford will be a member of his coaching staff.
“There’s a handful of guys that I do know want to coach one day, and that’s never been a conversation with Sean,” Franklin said. “I could see him maybe doing some quarterback training on the side as maybe one of his businesses, but I see him more as a businessman and entrepreneur, unless this stirs some conversation with him that I’m not expecting.”
Since legislation was passed in Pennsylvania to allow student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, Clifford has operated as the CDO of Limitless NIL, a marketing agency for student-athletes he co-founded with his brother.
Franklin seems to believe Clifford’s post-playing life is more likely to encompass a career outside of the coaching realm.
Fun Franklin
Franklin’s inquisition of reporters about Thanksgiving foods was just the latest example in his positive demeanor of late. Given the Nittany Lions’ three consecutive wins by at least 30 points, it’s not hard to see why Franklin has been so chipper.
But Franklin chalked up his being at peace to his alignment with the university’s new leadership fronted by president Neeli Bendapudi and athletic director Patrick Kraft.
“That has been phenomenal,” Franklin said. “In the past, I’ve always been happy with the leadership, but I did feel like we needed more alignment specifically when it comes to football.”