German recruit set to play, freshmen RBs stand out and NCAA agrees with Franklin

“We found out this week that he never practiced more than two days in a row on a game week. … It’s hard for guys to transition from New Jersey or Florida or Oregon. Coming from Germany, everything is different. He seems to be handling it really well, but we want to be there every step of the way with him...” —Penn State coach James Franklin on defensive tackle Joseph Appiah Darkwa

Penn State coach James Franklin covered a variety of topics with reporters after practice Wednesday, including the arrival of his team’s longest-distance player. Here’s a sampling.

The European arrival: Joseph Appiah Darkwa, a 290-pound defensive tackle from Dusseldorf, Germany, arrived in State College a day before training camp began last week. He went to a workout almost immediately, defensive line coach Sean Spencer said, but needed a few basics — like a playbook and water bottle.

Still, Spencer was impressed.

“After one day [of seeing Darkwa], it was well worth the trip to Germany,” Spencer said Saturday.

Franklin also said that Darkwa certainly looks the part and has assimilated quickly. However, the coaching staff intends to bring him along at a deliberate pace.

“We can’t take anything for granted with him,” Franklin said. “We found out this week that he never practiced more than two days in a row on a game week. … It’s hard for guys to transition from New Jersey or Florida or Oregon. Coming from Germany, everything is different. He seems to be handling it really well, but we want to be there every step of the way with him because we’re obviously aware it’s a huge transition.”

Freshman running backs stand out: After relying on Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders the past four years, Penn State appears ready to rotate its backs this season. Freshmen Noah Cain and Devyn Ford quickly are making their presence known at the position.

Cain has a head start, having enrolled in January, and has showcased his ability to break tackles and gain yards, which Franklin said emerges in live periods.

“He’s the guy who’s going to get 4 yards on a consistent basis, he’s going to get a 12-yarder and then you’re going to look at the stat sheet and he has 100 yards, and it didn’t feel like it,” Franklin said.

Ford, a summer enrollee, has “a little juice,” Franklin said, and also answered a key question early in practice.

“On his high school film, [Ford] was unbelievably productive, but we were unsure what his top-end speed was,” Franklin said. “But he can run. We’re pleased with those guys.”

NCAA agrees with Franklin: Franklin no doubt liked the news from Indianapolis on Wednesday. The NCAA’s Board of Governors announced that standardized player-availability reports (or injury reports) won’t reach college football soon.

The board’s Committee on Sports Wagering said that it has “significant concerns” about the purpose, parameters and enforcement of availability reports. The committee added that such reports “would not advance student-athlete well-being nor the integrity of competition.”

With sports betting becoming legal in more states, some college football officials, including outgoing Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, proposed standardizing such reports. Delany has said that players should be listed as “likely,” “probable” or “unavailable” for games.

Franklin, who rarely discusses injuries, is against standardized availability reports. The coach mentioned compliance and enforcement, but his primary reason stems from his reticence to discuss injuries in the first place.

“If you have a weakness, why are you going to put your weakness on the table and let people know what those things are?” Franklin said last year at the Big Ten media days.

One more thing: Asked when he might pick a starting quarterback, Franklin drew a laugh.

“Maybe by the bowl game,” he said.