Scrimmage a sneak peek at ’24
Quarterbacks eager to show off new-look offense, use of Fleming
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State coach James Franklin watched intently as quarterback Drew Allar traded reps with backup Beau Pribula at Tuesday’s practice, one of the last before the conclusion of the spring session. The Nittany Lions will take to Beaver Stadium on Saturday for the team’s annual spring game, a lowpressure affair that could be telling of things to come.
Franklin said he’ll aim to break up the roster in a way that makes the scrimmage “as competitive as possible.” For instance, if there are four defensive tackles the coaches view as starters, those tackles will be divided equally. Same would go for the cornerbacks, so on and so forth.
The game won’t count, but the scrimmage can serve as a sneak preview for a program with three new coordinators hoping to make a smooth transition into a novel era with an expanded Big Ten and College Football Playoff.
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Allar and Pribula kept throwing after a brief consultation with first-year quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien. Their new offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, was elsewhere, working with the running backs, but his vocal presence never makes him seem too far.
Saturday will be Kotelnicki’s first time in front of a Beaver Stadium audience to showcase the offensive installs that Allar said have
made him “really comfortable” and have “a lot of fun” this spring. Pribula, expected to also play a significant role in 2024, feels the same.
“I had a ton of fun this whole entire spring,” Pribula said Wednesday. “This offense, I think, fits me really, really well. It’s something I’ve become really comfortable with, and just a lot of the stuff that we do is up my alley, and I think it’s something I’m really excited about.”
The pressure is on for Allar and Pribula to lead Kotelnicki’s offense next fall, but they can’t do it alone. The receiver corps will be under the microscope on Saturday, which will be the Beaver Stadium debut of Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith, the team’s leading receiver last year, was not seen at Tuesday’s practice viewing session, and it’s unclear if he’ll play this weekend. That could mean more eyes on the highly anticipated return of Harrison Wallace III after a banged-up 2023.
“I think the whole group, from what I’ve seen, has improved. Trey’s always been kind of super athletic. Losing him last year for a period of time like we did, I thought that hurt us,” Franklin said. “I still would like to see a group of guys really kind of separate themselves from the pack.”
Allar, Fleming and the rest of the offense will face off against a defense that was among the nation’s best in 2023. That unit is now led by first-year coordinator Tom Allen, who served as Indiana’s head coach the past seven seasons.
Allen’s defense is filled with nuances, none more prominent than first-team All-Big Ten Abdul Carter’s transition from linebacker to defensive end. Now standing at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Carter has grown into the mold and appears ready for his edge-rushing debut opposite Dani Dennis-Sutton on Saturday.
Despite the anticipation, Carter will have to wait until the season opener to hit some quarterbacks.
“It’s a major difference, and he’s really transitioned very, very well to it,” Franklin said. “He’s been physical. He’s been explosive off of the edge. There’s still some things he’s learning, but his transition has gone probably better and faster than anticipated.”
Competitions
As the spring concludes and summer session nears, positional competitions will soon kick into full gear. Saturday’s scrimmage should provide a glimpse into these battles.
With three starters from last season headed to the NFL, Penn State has openings at left tackle, right tackle and center.
It’s most likely that Drew Shelton will eventually fill the shoes of consensus AllAmerican Olu Fashanu at left tackle. However, offseason surgery forced Shelton to miss all of spring practice.
While it’s unlikely former five-star recruit J’ven Williams earns a starting job out of camp, he could see a significant increase in playing time this season.
“He’s gonna be a monster out there,” strength and conditioning coach Chuck Losey said in February.
Opposite Williams and Shelton is a competition at right tackle between Wisconsin transfer Nolan Rucci and redshirt freshman Anthony Donkoh.
At center is a battle between veteran leader Nick Dawkins and true freshman Cooper Cousins, who has also taken reps at guard.
“Cooper is explosive and he’s passionate. He’s a natural football player, I love to just be around him,” Dawkins said of Cousins. “He’s a sponge. ... He wants to learn and he wants to be great. So it’s just as easy to feed into a guy like that who wants to be the best.”
Penn State has another significant competition at both cornerback spots between Georgia transfer A.J. Harris, Florida transfer Jalen Kimber, junior Cam Miller and sophomores Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington II.