James Franklin and Penn State’s coaching staff talk Drew Allar, emerging leaders & more
It seems obvious who Penn State’s starting quarterback will be come Sept. 2 when the Nittany Lions take on West Virginia, but that doesn’t mean head coach James Franklin is ready to declare who that will be before fall camp even starts.
Franklin didn’t name a starter at quarterback Thursday afternoon when he spoke to the media, but it’s still apparent who he’ll eventually choose.
Sophomore Drew Allar continues to grow and develop as a signal caller since he enrolled over a year ago as a five-star recruit and Franklin is seeing it up close.
“He’s in a really good place,” Franklin said. “... There’s a lot of things like that to be excited about. He’s also good in the meeting room. I think Sean Clifford really helped with that. So there’s a lot of things to be excited about but we got to build on it and take the next step.”
Allar will likely take over a position that was manned by Clifford for four seasons and that will present its own unique challenges. The sophomore has different strengths than his predecessor and isn’t quite the leader Clifford was at this point.
Those things take time to develop and will not be an adjustment that happens over night. He’s developing at his own pace both on and off the field, and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said that he’s right where he needs to be on his development path as a sophomore.
“Physically he looks great,” Yurcich said. “He’s in tip top shape. His body looks great. The mental aspect of it, the more time you get with them the more well-versed they are. Everything seems to be on schedule and he’s progressing forward very nicely.”
Allar’s presumed starting job under center will come with a change at the middle of the offensive line. Juice Scruggs moved on to the NFL, leaving a vacancy at starting center.
That leaves a gap in communication that was controlled by Clifford and Scruggs. While that could be seen as a negative, offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said having two new players at those key spots should make it easier from a communication standpoint.
“They’re gonna do it together,” Trautwein said. “... They’re gonna be learning together, (the new center) with the quarterback. That’s not a big thing. You just build a relationship with them, do as many things as you can with them. Make sure they understand you and the relationship there to make sure you guys are always on the same page. And just continue to build that.”
Developing leadership
Franklin previously harped on the leadership of this year’s team after so many of the team’s most vocal players departed last season. The loss of Clifford, Scruggs, Ji’Ayir Brown and PJ Mustipher, along with several others, leaves a void that will be difficult to replicate swiftly.
It takes time for the most prominent voices to emerge, but fortunately for Penn State it has had the entire offseason to develop them.
Unsurprisingly, players have begun to stand out as leaders through winter workouts, spring ball and the start of summer workouts.
“I know we talked last time in the winter, leadership was a big hot topic for us,” head strength and conditioning coach Chuck Losey said. “I think we’ve got some guys on the roster who are doing an outstanding job in leading this program. Olu (Fashanu) is one guy that jumps out to mind. Dom DeLuca is another, Keaton Ellis, Theo Johnson, those four guys I think have done a really, really good job, outstanding job, as far as finding their voice and developing their role in a leadership position on the team.”
Johnson has emerged as a leader in what has been an up and down offseason for him. He’s taken on a bigger role on the field, but ran into legal trouble this spring when he was charged with one misdemeanor account each of simple assault and criminal mischief stemming from a February incident where he allegedly punched a man during an argument at a fraternity.
Franklin said that any punishment won’t be made public but added that his program is thorough when it reviews such matters.
“I’m not gonna get into the specifics and details of those things,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any reason, or don’t feel like those things are necessary. And then we’re also going to do the homework on any type of incident and find out what really happened. And then the penalty will align with that. I’m not ever gonna be quick to react until we have all the information.”
Within the program, Johnson has taken strides as a leader for good reason, according to Yurcich. It’s not about feeling like he has to, according to the offensive coordinator. Rather, it’s because of what he wants.
“He doesn’t lead because he wants to be a leader,” Yurcich said. “I think he wants to lead because he wants to win. And I think that’s a big difference. And it’s important to him. Everything matters. He’s on a mission. It’s great to see him being vocal.”
Wide receiver improvements
Allar’s ability will get most of the attention on offense but he’ll need his receivers to step up and help him get where he needs to as a signal caller.
Franklin previously mentioned Harrison Wallace III and KeAndre Lambert-Smith as two players standing out when he spoke during the spring at the position — but added that more wide receivers needed to step up.
Since then, Omari Evans had a high-level performance in the Blue-White Game and Dante Cephas has enrolled as a transfer from Kent State. Cephas has begun to adjust to the demands of being at Penn State and has assimilated into the locker room seamlessly.
“He did a good job preparing himself before he got on campus ... He’s doing a really good job right now in team workouts,” Losey said. “We’ve got some things that he needs to work on that we will address, but I’m pretty happy with Dante so far. He’s been really solid in just about all areas. What’s good for Dante is that he knows a lot of guys on the team. He’s friends with the guys and he kind of fit right in culturally. I’m happy with Dante so far. He’s doing a good job.”
He’s one of the more likely options to emerge as the team’s leading receiver this year and his veteran experience could give him a leg up. The former Kent State receiver still has two years of eligibility remaining, giving him the window to make a significant impact despite joining the program later in his career.
And while that change has been an adjustment, wide receivers coach Marques Hagans said he’s already been embraced by the rest of the group.
“He’s a great young man, has a love for football,” Hagans said. “I think he’s gonna heighten the competition in our room. He’s also come in very humble and embraced the role of being the new guy. But I don’t think the guys see him as that anymore. I think they see him as one. He shows up every day ready to work. He’s prepared. I think he’s a great addition to our room and I’m really glad we have him.”
Defensive line upside
There are fewer position groups with more upside on Penn State’s roster than the defensive line. The outside boasts one of the top pass rushers in the country in Chop Robinson, another with enormous upside who has already produced in Dani Dennis-Sutton and a third who has great speed of the edge and would start for most programs in the country in Adisa Isaac.
Those three form an elite group at end and while there are questions about what the team has on the defensive interior, Franklin said there’s reason to believe in the position room.
“Probably the position I’m most excited about right now, for a lot of different reasons, is defensive tackle,” he said. “Dvon Ellies is a guy I’m super proud of right now. ... He is working at a level that he’s never worked at before. I’m really excited about him. Hakeem Beamon I think has a chance to be one of the better d-tackles in the country. But as you guys have heard me say before, some of our defensive tackles need to put some size on. Hakeem’s bigger than he’s been in a long time. We’ve got a chance to have I think one of the best d-lines in the country from a depth and a talent standpoint, but also a size standpoint.”
Quick hitters
Bob Palko, a longtime high school coach at West Allegheny and Mount Lebanon in the WPIAL, was recently hired as the director of high school relations.
Losey said cornerback King Mack has stood out among the summer enrollees, calling him “wildly explosive” and saying he has a lot of the athletic traits you want at defensive back.
The head strength and conditioning coach also said Tony Rojas has added plenty of weight since he enrolled in January. He arrived at 195 pounds but is now up to 229-230 pounds, according to Losey.
