Tag: class of 2023

Penn State makes top four for four-star offensive tackle

Penn State makes top four cut for four-star Class of ’23 offensive lineman

Penn State head coach James Franklin addressed the need to finish strong with the offensive line in the current recruiting cycle after the early signing period. And after hoisting the Rose Bowl trophy above his head in Pasadena, it seems the Nittany Lions could be in play for a four-star offensive tackle from Maryland in the Class of 2023 coming down the final stretch of the recruiting process.

Chimdy Onoh, from Dundalk, Maryland, announced on his Twitter account on Thursday he has cut his list of top schools down to four. Among the four was Penn State, and an official visit to State College is coming up for Onoh  next week. The other three schools being considered by Onoh are Michigan State, Rutgers, and Ole Miss. Onoh has also scheduled official visits to Michigan State and Ole Miss before the end of January following his planned visit to Penn State. Onoh made an official visit to Rutgers in December 2022.

Onoh would be a massive addition to Penn State’s already impressive Class of 2023 haul, in more ways than one. Onoh measures 6-6 and 270 lb according to his recruiting profile on 247Sports. The four-star recruit is the no. 8 players in the state of Maryland, which has been a well-established pipeline state for the Nittany Lions both historically and in more recent years by Franklin and his staff.

There are no crystal ball predictions on file on the 247Sports database, but the On3 recruiting prediction machine has calculated a slight advantage for Penn State with a 21.0% chance of securing the commitment. Michigan State could be a significant threat to Penn State’s chances, but this will certainly be something to watch as Onoh makes his official visit. Having a chance to show off a freshly polished Rose Bowl trophy is certainly a nice recruiting tool for Franklin. We’ll see how that pays off.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

[listicle id=27803]

[lawrence-related id=28389,28374,28266,28264]

Fred Taylor again not named finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Four years in a row as a Hall of Fame semifinalist and Fred Taylor has still never been a finalist.

For the fourth straight year, former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor was named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame but didn’t advance to the list of 15 finalists.

On Wednesday, the Hall of Fame narrowed its list of candidates for the Class of 2023 from 28 to 15 and Taylor was one of the 13 who didn’t make the cut. The only finalist who played for the Jaguars is former wide receiver Torry Holt, although he’s much more well known for his decade with the St. Louis Rams rather than his career-capping season in Jacksonville.

No running backs are on the list of finalists. Among the others who didn’t make the cut Wednesday was former 49ers, Eagles, and Seahawks running back Ricky Watters.

Taylor, 46, finished his NFL career with 11,695 rushing yards and is 17th on the all-time rushing list. Frank Gore, Adrian Peterson, and 14 Hall of Famers are the only players above Taylor on the leaderboard.

The only Jaguars player in the Hall of Fame is the team’s former offensive tackle Tony Boselli, who was inducted in August 2022.

These 114 players made the 2023 All-American Bowl roster

Here are the 114 players who made the cut, according to On3.

High school football’s all-star game will be played on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas – the site of the 2023 All-American Bowl.

Here are the 114 players who made the cut, according to On3.

The All-American Bowl West team has 60 players:

Quarterbacks

Lincoln Kienholz
Pierre (S.D.) T.F. Riggs

#2 Kenny Minchey (not participating)
Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II

#10 Pierce Clarkson
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco

#16 Austin Novosad
Dripping Springs (Texas)

Running Backs

#0 Quinten Joyner
Manor (Texas)

#4 Rueben Owens
El Campo (Texas)

#25 Samuel Singleton Jr.
Orange Park (Fla.) Fleming Island

Wide Receivers

Cordale Russell
Mesquite (Texas)

#1 Rico Flores Jr.
Folsom (Calif.)

#3 DeAndre Moore Jr.
Los Alamitos (Calif.) St. John Bosco

#5 TJ McWilliams
Indianapolis (Ind.) North Central

#7 Mikal Harrison-Pilot
Temple (Texas)

#9 Adarius Redmond
Powell (Tenn.)

#11 Jamari Johnson
Inglewood (Calif.)

#13 Jurrion Dickey (not particating)
Palo Alto (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton

#14 Malachi Coleman
Lincoln (Neb.) East

#15 Ryan Niblett
Houston (Texas) Eisenhower

#80 Malik Elzy
Chicago (Ill.) Simeon

Tight Ends

#8 Walker Lyons
Folson (Calif.)

#17 Lawson Luckie (not participating)
Norcross (Ga.)

Offensive Linemen

Sullivan Absher
Belmont (N.C.) South Point

#55 Spencer Fano
Provo (Utah) Timpview

#56 Tyson Paala-Ruffins
Long Beach (Calif.) Poly

#64 Joshua Bates
Durango (Colo.)

#71 Shamurad Umarov
Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark

#72 Zechariah Owens
McDonough (Ga.) ELCA

#73 Charles Jagusah
Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman

#74 Kadyn Proctor
Des Moines (Iowa) Southeast Polk

#75 Isaiah Robinson (not participating)
Arlington (Texas) Lamar

#76 Caleb Lomu
Gilbert (Ariz.) Highland

#77 Colton Thomasson
Spring Branch (Texas) Smithson Valley

Defensive Linemen

Princewill Umanmielen
Manor (Texas)

#9 Tomarrion Parker
Phenix City (Ala.) Central

#15 Keldric Faulk
Highland Home (Ala.)

#17 Matayo Uiagalelei
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco

#19 Yhonzae Pierre
Eufaula (Ala.)

#31 Caleb Herring (not participating)
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale

#33 Joshua Mickens
Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence Central

#44 Bai Jobe
Norman (Okla.) Community Christian School

#47 Anthony James
Wylie (Texas) East

Linebackers

#3 Tre Edwards III
Chula Vista (Calif.) Mater Dei Catholic

#6 Anthony Hill Jr.
Denton (Texas) Ryan

#7 Samuel Omosigho
Crandall (Texas)

#10 Tausili Akana
Kahuku (Hawaii) Skyridge

#11 Arion Carter
Smyrna (Tenn.)

#20 Blake Nichelson
Ripon (Calif.) Manteca

#34 Drayk Bowen
Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean

Defensive Backs

#0 Jasiah Wagoner
Spanaway (Wash.) Spanaway Lake

#2 Dalton Brooks
Shiner (Texas)

#4 Aaron Williams
Corona (Calif.) St. John Bosco

#5 Caleb Presley
Sammamish (Wash.) Rainier Beach

#8 Jelani McDonald
Waco (Texas) Connolly

#12 Braxton Myers
Coppell (Texas)

#21 Cole Martin
Chandler (Ariz.) Basha

#22 Calvin Simpson-Hunt
Waxahachie (Texas)

#23 Micah Bell
Houston (Texas) Kinkaid School

#24 Jordan Shaw
Downey (Calif.) St. Pius X

Special Teams

K- Nicolas Radicic
Coppell (Texas)

P- Tyler White
Southlake (Texas) Carroll

LS- Grant Rountree
Lebanon (Tenn.) Wilson Central

Meanwhile, the All-American Bowl East team has 54:

Quarterbacks

#5 Dante Moore
Detroit (Mich.) King

#9 Aidan Chiles
Downey (Calif.)

#10 Eli Holstein
Zachary (La.)

#12 Christopher Vizzina
Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian

Running Backs

#3 Treyaun Webb
Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy

#4 Mark Fletcher
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage

#22 Justice Haynes
Roswell (Ga.) Buford

Wide Receivers

#0 Jalen Brown
Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep

#1 Brandon Inniss
Miami Gardens (Fla.) American Heritage

#2 Rodney Gallagher
Uniontown (Pa.) Laurel Highlands

#8 Hykeem Williams
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Stranahan

#11 Jaed’n Skeete
West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial

#14 Nathaniel Joseph
Miami (Fla.) Edison

#15 Kenric Lanier
Decatur (Ga.)

#17 Carnell Tate
Chicago (Ill.) IMG Academy

#24 Cameron Seldon
Heathsville (Va.) Northumberland

Tight Ends

#6 Olsen Patt Henry
Naples (Fla.) First Baptist Academy

#19 Pearce Spurlin
Santa Rosa Beach (Fla.) South Walton

Offensive Linemen

#53 Kelton Smith
Columbus (Ga.) Carver

#54 Luke Montgomery
Findlay (Ohio)

#63 Samson Okunlola
Brockton (Mass.) Thayer Academy

#64 Caden Jones
Gretna (La.) De La Salle

#71 Payton Kirkland
Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips

#74 Jven Williams
Reading (Pa.) Wyomissing

#75 Connor Lew
Kennesaw (Ga.) Mountain

#78 Monroe Freeling
Mount Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Academy

#79 DJ Chester
Conyers (Ga.) Eagle’s Landing Christian

Defensive Linemen

Darron Reed
Columbus (Ga.) Carver

#9 Brenan Vernon
Mentor (Ohio)

#11 Damon Wilson
Venice (Fla.)

#17 Kamran James
Orlando (Fla.) Olympia

#35 Daevin Hobbs
Concord (N.C.) Jay M Robinson

#55 Jamaal Jarrett (not participating)
Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley

#86 Vic Burley
Warner Robins (Ga.)

#97 Keon Keeley
Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep

#99 Jordan Hall
Jacksonville (Fla.) Westside

Linebackers

Kaveion Keys
Richmond (Va.) Varina

#0 Malik Bryant
Orlando (Fla.) Jones

#3 CJ Allen (not participating)
Barnesville (Ga.) Lamar County

#8 Jayvant Brown
Deerfield Beach (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas

#10 Grayson Howard (not participating)
Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson

#30 Whit Weeks
Watkinsville (Ga.) Oconee County

#40 Josiah Trotter
Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s

Defensive Backs

#1 Kayin Lee
Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove

#2 Caleb Downs
Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek

#4 AJ Harris (not participating)
Phenix City (Ala.) Central

#5 Makari Vickers
Tallahassee (Fla.) Munroe

#7 Michael Daugherty
Logansville (Ga.) Grayson

#18 Adon Shuler
Irvington (N.J.)

#20 Malik Hartford
West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West

#21 Tyler Scott
Mableton (Ga.) Pebblebrook

Special Teams

K – David Olano
Naperville (Ill.) North

P – Palmer Williams
Mocksville (N.C.) Davie County

LS – Drew Prieto
Atlanta (Ga.) Marist School

Kickoff is noon Eastern on NBC.

More high school football stories

12 recruiting stories for the new year

The 6 finalists for Player of the Year

12 signees to represent Alabama in the Under Armour All-American Game

Alabama has 12 signees on the Under Armour All-American Game roster.

Alabama will be well represented by the class of 2023 early signees at the Under Armour All-American Game. A total of 12 signees are on the roster for the annual all-star contest.

It should come as no surprise that Alabama has so many signees on the roster since [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Crimson Tide have the nation’s top class.

Even recruits who decided to graduate early and practice with Alabama ahead of the Sugar Bowl will be eligible to participate but we will not know until late Thursday if any players have made that decision.

Here is a complete list of Alabama signees on the Under Armour All-American roster.

Could Penn State welcome back Marcus Stokes to the Class of 2023?

Penn State needs a QB. Could this former commit still be the missing piece?

If you ask Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] how many quarterbacks he would like to have on his roster, he will tell you anywhere between three and five. After the departures of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] and [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag], Penn State will have a pair of freshmen returning to represent the team’s only returning quarterbacks with [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag]. But Penn State is adding Jaxon Smolik to the program as a late-blooming prospect in the Class of 2023, giving Penn State three quarterbacks on the roster going into 2023. Still, the Nittany Lions will likely be on the market to add at least one more quarterback in 2023, and one possible addition could still come through the recruiting process.

Enter [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag], a four-star talent out of Florida who at one point was committed to Penn State in the Class of 2023. In fact, it is because Stokes eventually decommitted from Penn State that caused Franklin and his staff to bring in Smolik as its quarterback in the Class of 2023. Stokes flipped his commitment from Penn State to Florida but the Gators ultimately pulled his scholarship offer after a controversial video of Stokes went viral. And now, Stokes could come back to Penn State as a result.

The On3 prediction machine has been leaning pretty hard on Penn State once Stokes became available again with a 66.3% chance of joining the Nittany Lions. But the prediction machine is a bit difficult to trust at times and could change at any moment. And given the nature of Stokes’ situation, there are no crystal ball predictions on the board at 247Sports. Forecasting where Stokes goes after committing to Penn State and then Florida and having a scholarship offer pulled for a negative viral video is difficult. Stokes has baggage that any program bringing him in now will have to address to some degree. Kids are dumb and will do dumb things. Stokes isn’t the first nor will he be the last. But the content of Stokes that resulted in his scholarship pulled is a PR issue that must be addressed in this day and age.

Whether or not Penn State gives Stokes a second chance remains to be seen, but there is no question he fills the hole Penn State is looking to plug. Although, at this point, maybe Franklin would prefer to add a more veteran presence to the quarterback room through the transfer portal. Allar got some good opportunities to play last season but there is no question the position is very raw on meaningful experience going into 2023, even with terrific upside potential in Allar. The quarterback position is a legitimate concern for 2023 even if just focusing on the depth.

Adding Stokes helps the depth, but the experience factor is still lacking if that ends up being the case.

[listicle id=27803]

[listicle id=27820]

[lawrence-related id=27872,27865,27863,27823,27813,27811]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Former Penn State commit still on the recruiting market for Nittany Lions?

Ejani Shakir backed off his commitment to Penn State, but could he still be in play?

Penn State officially announced the addition of 22 new members to its program on the first day of the early signing period, but there are still some players to keep a close eye on as the recruiting process moves to the next stage, which leads up to the traditional signing period at the beginning of February. Of the handful of players who backed off a prior commitment to Penn State, there are two who are still uncommitted to a program at the close of the early signing period. And Penn State could still be the leading candidate for at least one of them.

Wide receiver [autotag]Ejani Shakir[/autotag] will be a key player to watch in the coming months as James Franklin looks to add a little more depth to the wide receiver position. Two of the top positions Franklin stressed he would be focusing on in the next stage of the recruiting cycle and in the transfer portal was offensive line and wide receiver.

“I’d like to see us get another offensive lineman and then wide receiver,” Franklin said recently. “That’s a position where I could see us signing a couple more guys at that position just to make sure that we have the competition at that position on a similar scale that we do at tight end and running back. I think that’s going to be important for us moving forward.”

And this is why Shakir is a player to watch. Shakir, a key recruit out of New Jersey, was previously committed to Penn State but backed off his commitment in November for undisclosed reasons. Sometimes a player will do so because another program has caught their eye or the player simply feels he needs more time to feel truly comfortable with his college decision. It’s a normal part of the decision-making process, and sometimes, perhaps more often than not, a player who decommits from a program eventually lands with another when it comes time to announce a decision. But the early signing period breezed by without a commitment from Shakir, and the recruiting services still feel Penn State is the leader in the recruiting efforts.

The crystal ball page for Shakir on 247Sports has not been updated since before his commitment, which is why Penn State is still showing up with a 100% chance of landing his commitment, so this may not be the most accurate gauge right now. And the On3 recruiting prediction machine is still likely to be heavily influenced by a previous prediction made before Shakir’s commitment. So take those predictions for what they are at the moment; outdated data.

But it would make sense for Penn State to still have Shakir on the map as he is in the region that Penn State likes to call home and he fills a need at the receiver position. Unless there is more to the story, Shakir still ending up at Penn State would not be out of the question it would seem.

Reading the tea leaves through Shakir’s social media account doesn’t shed much light on the situation either though.

As of the holiday weekend, there is no indication when Shakir may ultimately announce his decision, but this is a player to keep an eye on as Penn State looks to fill out the remaining pieces it can add in 2023.

[listicle id=27803]

[listicle id=27820]

[lawrence-related id=27865,27863,27823,27813,27811]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Penn State football recruiting profile: S King Mack

Penn State football recruiting profile: King Mack added star power at safety in Class of 2023

Penn State attached the Class of 2023 hard at the safety position, and the efforts paid off in a big way. Penn State ended up with a strong trio of safeties in the Class of 2023 with all three coming out of the south. Among those key recruits in the typical SEC territory is a standout from Florida with one of the coolest names in the recruiting class, [autotag]King Mack[/autotag].

Mack committed to Penn State over the summer and signed his letter of intent in the early signing period to make his journey to Penn State a reality. Mack has already been highlighted as a player that could be most likely to receive some early playing time in 2023 as Penn State will have a starting job to fill in 2023 with the departure of [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag]. Even if King doesn’t slide right into a starting job, fans should still anticipate hearing his name next fall as Penn State’s secondary looks to be one of the deepest in the Big Ten.

Here is a snapshot look at one of Penn State’s key additions in the Class of 2023.

King Mack mentioned as player who could play early by 247Sports

247Sports says this Class of 2023 piece could have early impact at Penn State

Penn State’s latest recruiting cycle certainly hit the mark when it came to adding quality depth across the roster. A solid follow-up to the Class of 2022, the incoming Class of 2023 is not short on quality pieces that could have an impact relatively early on for the Nittany Lions. Among those in the class highlighted as a player to watch as early as 2023 could be safety King Mack.

247Sports put together a list of 15 players across the country in the Class of 2023 that could potentially have an early impact with their new teams. Mack was the one player in Penn State’s class put in the spotlight by 247Sports in its list.

Here is what 247Sports said about one of Penn State’s next big defensive stars;

Penn State’s 2023 safety haul is absurd. The Nittany Lions landed a trio of Top247 four-star safeties from the state of Florida, headlined by King Mack. Not only is Mack the most ready-to-play prospect of the group, but he’s also the highest-upside player. Mack was a defensive and special teams terror this fall for Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, which got 50 tackles, one interception, two punt blocks, one kick block, one defensive TD, two kick return scores and two punt return TDs. The 5-foot-11, 180 pound speedster has an outstanding track profile which contributes to the excellent athleticism he shows on the field (a 10.69 100, a 21.43 200, and a 46.25 400, which won gold in Florida’s Class 3A).

As referenced by the writeup from 247Sports, Mack is one of three safeties in Penn State’s recruiting class. He is joined by four-star DaKaari Nelson from Alabama and four-star Elliot Washington from Florida. Penn State was close to adding another safety to the mix but Conrad Hussey flipped his commitment from Penn State to Florida State in the early signing period.

Penn State will have at least one starting job open at the safety position in 2023 with [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] graduating and moving on to the NFL. Penn State’s most senior safety heading into 2023 will be [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag]. Potential candidates for starting in Brown’s vacant spot include returning players such as [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag]. But Mack certainly is on the radar coming into the program.

[listicle id=27803]

[lawrence-related id=27863,27823,27813,27811]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Where did the players who decommitted from Penn State end up?

Where did the players who decommitted from Penn State end up in the Class of 2023, and who is still out there?

Penn State just welcomed 22 new members to its football program with the signing of its Class of 2023, although there could still be some more room for another recruit or two or new pieces coming through the transfer portal. But there are some players that got away from Penn State during the recruiting process, which is perfectly normal in this game. Every school deals with a handful of players who change their minds after committing to them at some point in the process because high school students are allowed to change their minds for whatever reason they choose when it comes to where they will be going to college. Such was the case for Penn State with a number of players opting to back off a commitment to the Nittany Lions in the Class of 2023.

Fortunately for Penn State, [autotag]Mathias Barnwell[/autotag] was a rare case where he came back to committing to Penn State after decommitting.

“When he committed, wanted to make sure they were comfortable, truly knew what that was,” head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] said when reflecting on the recruiting efforts of Barnwell that ultimately led to Barnwell signing with Penn State in the Class of 2023. “His eyes started to wander in 10th grade, then committed back to us, which doesn’t always happen.”

Penn State could still end up welcoming another player or two that had previously committed to Penn State before backing off of it along the way. Quarterback [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]Ejani Shakir[/autotag] are two players still available in the recruiting pool. Each had committed to Penn State in the past before stepping back. In the case of Stokes, he flipped his commitment to Florida before having his scholarship offer pulled after a controversial video of Stokes went viral. Shakir merely wanted to take more time to weigh his options, it seems. Both players are currently projected by recruiting analysts and metrics to end up at Penn State, but time will tell how that all plays out.

Here are a few others who backed off a commitment to Penn State and where they each ended up in the early signing period.

James Franklin likes athletic flexibility of Class of 2023 linebackers

Penn State’s Class of 2023 adds some star power at the linebacker position

Few schools love recruiting and developing linebackers the way Penn State does. And Linebacker U added quite the trio of linebackers in the Class of 2023 with the additions of [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag], [autotag]Kaveion Keys[/autotag], and [autotag]Ta’Mere Robinson[/autotag]. If there is one thing [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] likes about his three new linebacker recruits, it is the athleticism that allows for positional flexibility moving forward.

“[We] really like to recruit kind of three outside backers, then whoever makes sense at the end to move to Mike, do that,” Franklin said when asked about the new linebackers in the Class of 2023 in his early signing day press conference on Wednesday. “You really don’t want to play with an old school true Mike on the field. You’d rather have three outside linebackers that create position flexibility.”

Did Penn State accomplish that in the Class of 2023? Franklin seems to think so.

“We’ve got three guys that we think could really play all three positions,” Franklin said. Franklin went on to suggest Robinson would probably be the one most likely to be molded into the Mike position on the defense.

“If I had to kind of put it on the board right now, Ta’Mere probably at Mike. With his size, he’s a big, big, big young man, but has the athleticism and movement and leadership qualities,” Franklin explained.

“The good thing is we have flexibility with all three of those guys,” Franklin said, referring to Robinson, Rojas, and Keys. “All three have really good tape. All three of them are really good students. I know they’re excited about the opportunity of coming here, coming in and competing in what’s going to be one of the better linebacker rooms in the country, especially the way we’ve been able to get Abdul [Carter] to develop in his first year on campus.”

If nothing else, the future of the linebacker position appears to be pretty well-stocked for the Nittany Lions in the coming years. With Abdul Carter coming off a stellar freshman season and the addition of these three new potential options to work into the mix, Linebacker-U will be living up to its namesake.

“It’s going to be a fun position to watch over the next year,” Franklin said. Yes, it certainly should be.

[mm-video type=video id=01gmrbq442m5cz8z187z playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gmrbq442m5cz8z187z/01gmrbq442m5cz8z187z-74ac5666fa9be6e5567352c8edc49be6.jpg]

[listicle id=27803]

[lawrence-related id=27811,27806,27794,27752,27757]

Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.