After being without a few notable players for spring football practices due to various injury issues, Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] had a much more positive outlook for those missing pieces as he looked ahead to the start of fall practices.
Franklin was asked about the expected availability of tight ends [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], defensive tackle [autotag]Coziah Izzard[/autotag], and linebacker [autotag]Tyler Elsdon[/autotag] when meeting with the media on Thursday. And the head coach seems to think all systems will be go for them for the start of the season.
“All those guys are back fully doing workouts and should be should be ready for camp,” Franklin reportedly said to reporters.
Franklin didn’t disclose any information regarding the specifics of the injury issues those players had that held them out of spring practices, but his words on Thursday are encouraging for a team expected to utilize each of those players as key players on offense or defense this fall.
Johnson and Warren in particular should be the key players at tight end this season after losing Brenton Strange. The absence of Johnson and Warren during the spring helped get some younger players some extra reps.
Izzard is a player that could easily be thrown into the defensive line rotation even if he is not starting this fall. Elsdon is a player competing for a starting job at middle linebacker with Kobe King.
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