Penn State mailbag: Are the Lions in the college playoff mix? What to make of the QB, right tackle competitions
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Penn State offensive lineman Drew Shelton looks on during a strength and conditioning session at the Lasch Football Building on March 2, 2023. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
Penn State football fans are looking forward to the upcoming Blue-White scrimmage at Beaver Stadium. The wait for it will be over in a couple of weeks.
James Franklin and his coaches are replacing a number of skilled players but the Lions’ 2022 team that won the Rose Bowl was loaded with young talent. The 2023 PSU squad is going to be fun to watch.
It’s time for a Penn State spring mailbag featuring questions and comments from PennLive’s text subscribers.
Remember, some comments have been edited for clarity and before we get to them, remember that if you want to be a part of our weekly Subtext mailbag and submit a question, in addition to getting other Penn State updates sent directly to your phone, our PennLive Sports Insider page has more details.
What’s going on with the QB position? It sounds like it’s a circus with Drew Allar and Beau Pribula, similar to when Sean Clifford and Will Levis were there. Why can’t Coach James Franklin pick a starter and give them the most reps needed this bring to get them ready for the fall?
I don’t know if I would compare the Clifford-Levis situation to Allar-Pribula. If you remember, Sean did not play well early in 2020 and Franklin had to give the talented Levis a shot. It was a limited shot and Franklin quickly went back to Sean that season. All three of Penn State’s scholarship quarterbacks are young and largely unproven. Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich will encourage all three this offseason. We are in the age of the transfer portal and discouraged players always have options. But there is a reason Drew Allar quickly jumped ahead of Christian Veilleux and Pribula last summer on the depth chart to claim the backup job. When the time comes to settle on a starter, that QB is going to get plenty of reps with the first-team offense.
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Penn State head coach James Franklin looks on as quarterback Drew Allar throws to wide receiver Jason Estrella during spring practice on March 21, 2023. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
Hey, Bob, what have you seen so far from the offensive line? And right tackle, in particular?
The right tackle competition between Caedan Wallace and Drew Shelton is one of the key offseason battles. Shelton is the future of the position and my guess is if the two are even by mid-August, the Lions will go with the younger player. I think Wallace must take a step forward in the next couple of months to claim the job.
Good morning, Bob. I’m hearing a lot about “bumps and bruises” comments. Have you heard if any of them are serious enough to keep players out at the start of August training camp? Also, do you expect there will be certain players not playing in the Blue-White game, just to make sure they’re ready for the fall?
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Penn State offensive lineman Caedan Wallace runs a drill at practice on Nov. 9, 2022. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
Spring is the time of year to take it easy with players who are not 100 percent healthy, especially veterans with little to prove. The “bumps and bruises” comments by Franklin typically mean the players affected are not dealing with serious injuries. He did make it clear at the start of spring that prized left tackle Olu Fashanu is fine after missing the final five games a year ago. And I do think some players will be held out of the Blue-White scrimmage, even if they are not dealing with nagging injuries. Penn State’s coaching staff is using the spring to get promising young players and unproven older players up to speed.
As a longtime fan who has seen plenty of ups and downs (let’s just say long enough to have regularly shared a West Halls’ lunch table with Todd Blackledge and Curt Warner), I have only one question: Is it OK to have college football playoff hopes for this year?
You name-dropper! Hey, if I had lunch with Blackledge and Warner, I’d probably be dropping those names, too. A healthy Penn State team will be a handful for every team on its regular-season schedule, Michigan and Ohio State included. All eyes will be on the quarterback position early, with good reason. But the Lions are deep at most positions. If a couple of wide receivers and defensive tackles emerge, look out. It’s not fair to put too much pressure on Drew Allar, the presumed starter, in his first year running the offense. There will be some bumpy Saturdays, but his talent is real. I think a college football playoff spot is a legit possibility.
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