Tag: James Franklin

Latest info from Penn State’s last visit with top QB target

Penn State hosted its top QB target this weekend. Now it’s time for a decision to be made.

It was a huge weekend in Happy Valley for Penn State as they welcomed a ton of visitors to campus to see the program and watch spring practice.

With many high-valued targets on their list attending over the weekend, there was one that stood out the most based upon the importance of that position and the profile he has within the state.

That player is quarterback [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag].

Listed as the No. 1 recruit in Pennsylvania, he also is ranked as the third-best QB in the country and the 17th overall player in his class according to On3.

This would be a huge get for the Nittany Lions after Zollers’ recruitment went national. His final four will be between Penn State, Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, and Pittsburgh and the announcement will come on April 4.

That’s why this was such an important visit for both parties.

It was the last time that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and the offensive staff could put together a pitch with the recruit also getting to see how practices would work.

Zollers is visiting three schools in five days before making his decision, and his trip to Happy Valley was the first before he heads to Alabama and Georgia.

He spoke with Brian Dohn of 247Sports coming out of his visit this weekend and shared some insight into what took place and where Penn State stands following the trip (subscription required).

When asked what he wanted to see during this trip after already having visited six times previously, Zollers said he wanted to see what practice was like and how the communication was during meetings.

This was a great opportunity for these recruits to see how practice works, giving them an idea of what it’s like within the program.

Zollers also told Dohn that the coaching staff reiterated they want to coach him and want want him at Penn State.

With new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] inheriting the recruitment of the top prospect, developing a relationship is going to be paramount in this process.

Zollers said they discussed scheme and how he would fit into what Kotelnicki would run with him behind center, changing things to match what the quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses are.

Lastly, Dohn asked Zollers about his relationship with Franklin. The recruit said he likes the coach and has times where they communicate without discussing football.

Zollers will finish up his visits before ultimately making up his mind about which school he will attend and announce his decision on April 4.

Penn State transfer CB A.J. Harris is impressing teammates early

The early indications are sounding positive for Penn State transfer cornerback A.J. Harris this spring.

Penn State’s secondary is going to look a whole lot different in 2024-25 after they lost three of their starting cornerbacks to the NFL draft.

There will be internal candidates who get opportunities to replace the departures, but [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff recognized the unit might be a bit thin if they don’t hit the transfer portal for immediate help.

They were able to get some very high-profile names by landing two players leaving SEC schools.

[autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] were major additions for the Nittany Lions after they decided to leave Georgia and Florida.

Early returns from both players have been positive with Kimber likely factoring in for playing time more this season because of his age and experience, but that’s not stopping the hype from building around Harris.

The former five-star recruit and No. 2 cornerback in his class decided to transfer to Penn State after doing tons of research on the team and program.

“When we got on the phone with him, he had done his homework. He knew our roster. He knew the coaches. He had watched our film, studied our film, looked at the data, where we were ranked, how we played defense,” Franklin said according to Daniel Gallen of 247Sports.

While that impressed the coaching staff, Harris is also turning heads of his teammates with his play on the field.

“I feel like, personally, A.J. Harris is one of them ones, you know? I feel like A.J. Harris, he’s a stud, man. He’s a great player,” safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] told Gallen. “Just the way he plays the game of football and … his preparation is insane.”

That is about as good of news as the Nittany Lions could have hoped for when landing the former coveted recruit.

Harris will be part of Penn State for the next couple years based on eligibility remaining, and he could become an important part of this secondary.

There’s a chance he could even factor in during this upcoming season.

“I feel like he’s gonna do great things for us this year,” Reed added.

It will be interesting to see how everything sits coming out of spring practice, but the feedback on Harris has been great so far and it looks like the Nittany Lions might have found themselves a gem in the portal.

Julian Fleming emerging as important player for Penn State

It sure sounds as if Julian Fleming is fitting right in with his new Penn State teammates.

Penn State missed out on [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] when he was a highly-touted recruit out of Pennsylvania. The five-star ultimately chose Ohio State after a long, drawn out process that left many fans with a sour taste in their mouths.

However, as a graduate transfer, Fleming decided to come back home and become a member of the Nittany Lions for his final year of college football.

With there being a clear need for upgrades in the wide receiver room heading into the 2024-25 season, this was met with a lot of excitement considering he can immediately have an impact.

Early reviews coming out of spring camp have been great.

“The guys love him. He’s been awesome as a teammate. He’s been really coachable. I think he has been able to kind of move on, we’ve moved on. There’s been no talk about the past. He just been really good,” [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] said according to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports.

There was some uneasiness going into the second recruitment of Fleming based on what had transpired previously, but Franklin decided to personally reach out when the former coveted wide receiver entered his name into the portal.

Fleming talked about how both sides have grown and there was no issue building relationships the second time around.

As a fifth-year senior, he’ll be expected to have a leadership role within the locker room, something that the current players are noting he’s already starting to do.

“I’ve been nothing but impressed with Julian. He handles everything the right way and approaches everything like a pro … And he’s also bringing the young guys along. I think he’s a great mentor for all them,” [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] said back in February.

That’s a positive sign coming from the other position that the receiver will be working closely with.

But Allar isn’t the only one who Fleming has impressed so far.

“He’ll make a great impact and (be) a great leader. I think he could be a great leader for us. Like he does everything right. … Just the way he approaches practice, anything he does, it’s always the same. You never see him down bad. He’s always got good posture,” [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] added.

While Fleming will ultimately be judged by what he accomplishes on the field, his impact could be felt more than just the dozen or so games played on Saturdays.

The early reviews are a great sign that this new marriage is going to work for the upcoming season, and his presence could help the Nittany Lions develop their young receivers into becoming top-level performers as well.

Top Penn State QB targets sets announcement date ahead of weekend visit

Penn State’s top in-state QB recruiting target has set his announcement date ahead of an upcoming visit. Is that good news?

Penn State is looking to take home a major win in the recruitment of one of their top targets on the board for the 2025 class.

In-state quarterback [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag] has become one of the most important targets for the Nittany Lions and their staff after he started shooting up boards for other schools as well.

After looking like it would only be a local recruitment, Missouri and Georgia are now firmly in play for the 6’3″, 200-pounder.

Zollers had yet to visit schools during his basketball season, but once it ended, he hit the trail to see the four schools on his final list.

He saw Missouri last week and is scheduled to visit Happy Valley this upcoming weekend in what will be an important trip for Penn State as they try to land the No. 49 player in the country and top recruit in the state.

After the Nittany Lions failed to land edge rusher Zahir Mathis, who was originally the No. 1 recruit in Pennsylvania, they have an opportunity to keep [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s prideful streak of getting the best player home to Penn State.

Greg Pickel of On3 reports that Zollers will make his announcement at his high school on April 4.

This will come on the heels of his scheduled visits to Pittsburgh and Penn State this week and Georgia next week.

For a while, it looked like Zollers was definitely going to end up selecting the Nittany Lions, but when his recruitment took a national turn, there were questions about what school he would select.

Based on the updated timeline, this weekend is going to be massive for Penn State to separate themselves from the pack and put them at the top of his list.

Two wide receiver decommits gives Penn State more options

Could Penn State get a second chance at a couple of wide receiver targets in the Class of 2025?

The conversation about Penn State and their wide receiver situation is not going to end anytime soon as long as there remains major questions surrounding the viability of that room.

Entering the upcoming season, they need established players on the team to step up and prevent what happened last year from occurring again.

Going forward, there will be a lot of attention paid to how the Nittany Lions recruit and develop the position.

With that established, it should come as no surprise that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and wide receiver coach [autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag] are targeting multiple top-end recruits in the class of 2025.

As of now, there is only one commit in the class.

It’s still early, but things would become a lot more comfortable if Penn State was able to start landing some of the targets on their board.

There was a positive update for the Nittany Lions as two of their past targets in the class decommitted from schools and have reopened their recruiting process.

Tyler Calvaruso of 247Sports reports [autotag]Adrian Wilson[/autotag] has backed out his Oregon commitment and [autotag]Jayvan Boggs[/autotag] decommitted from Ohio State. The insider said Penn State maintained their relationships with both players even following their original pledges, but locking them into a commitment won’t be easy (subscription required).

Wilson is a 6’0″, 170-pound prospect from the state of Texas who is rated as a four-star and the No. 16 overall wide receiver in the 2025 class. It will be seen if they can get him in for a visit after failing to get him to campus during the fall.

Boggs has a similar profile, listed at 6’0″ tall and 188 pounds. The Florida native is also a four-star in 247Sports’ Composite Rankings and is listed as the No. 24 player at his position.

The Nittany Lions have been going after wide receivers heavily in this cycle and these decommitments give them more options to pursue throughout spring and summer.

Penn State hosts No. 1 2026 quarterback for visit

Penn State hopes to have left a solid impression on top-ranked QB in 2026 on recent visit.

Penn State is looking to lock up their 2025 recruiting class for the quarterback position still, but that’s not stopping [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his offensive staff from looking ahead to the next cycle.

Right now, the Nittany Lions have already secured one commit for the 2026 class in elite Pennsylvania running back [autotag]Messiah Mickens[/autotag].

There is no rush as the 2025 class is still being worked on as spring and summer camps are underway or are getting finalized with participants, but coaching staffs across the country are starting to host recruits from younger cycles.

Penn State is doing just that when they welcome elite 2026 quarterback [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag] to campus on March 26.

The North Carolina native is ranked as the 46th-best recruit in his class according to On3’s Industry Rankings, but On3 themselves have him listed as the top quarterback and No. 12 overall player.

According to their database, the Nittany Lions haven’t offered Brandon, but that likely changes during his visit. The talented quarterback has amassed just under 20 offers from elite schools across the country.

Brandon is a 6’3″ 185-pounder who finished his last high school season with over 3,500 passing yards and 45 touchdowns.

Penn State will try to jump into consideration for the North Carolina quarterback as he has started visiting schools. There is a real focus on this position early in this class as the Nittany Lions have hosted two other top quarterbacks for visits as well.

With new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] and quarterbacks coach [autotag]Danny O’Brien[/autotag] running the offense, it’s more important than ever that they start getting guys who fit their system onto campus and develop future relationships.

It looks like that’s what the class of 2026 will be for the quarterback position.

James Franklin on how Andy Kotelnicki will help Drew Allar in 2024

James Franklin says Andy Kotelnicki will have a few ways to help take the pressure off Drew Allar in 2024.

After a frustrating season with the offense in 2023, Penn State is hoping for much more positive and explosive results in 2024. Penn State hired one of the top offensive coordinators in the country this offseason with the addition of [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] from Kansas, and the transfer portal has likely helped add some potential to improve the passing game with the addition of [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] from Ohio State. But head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] knows all of these changes will only help out if Kotelnicki and quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], who is heading into his second season as the starting quarterback, get on the same page as early as possible.

Kotelnicki and Allar are getting more of a feel for each other this spring as football practices continue on and lead up to next month’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, but Franklin knows there will be a lot that goe sinto helping Allar take his game to the next level. And he belives Kotelnicki will use a number of things to help take the pressure off of Allar and improve his game this fall.

“I think some of the things that we can do to compliment the run game in the play action pass to create explosive plays to open really the field up and make them defend the whole 120 yards and the whole 53 and one-third, I think is really important, and I think the play-action pass will be a big part of that with Drew, with Andy, with our offense in general,” Franklin said in a recent press conference.

“The other thing is, I think some things that you can do that we did later in the season,” Franklin added. “I think the last two games, if you look at our explosive play percentage, it dramatically increased. I think there’s some things that you can do with the wide receivers in terms of motion, in terms of alignment, like stacks and bunches and things like that, that we can do to help our guys versus man coverage. I think that’s going to be really, really important for us as well.”

Penn State was lacking in explosive plays last season but the return of [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and the addition of Fleming could help change that a bit this fall. Opposing defenses were rarely threatened by Penn State’s wide receivers, so the hope will be that Kotelnicki finds ways to get the ball to Allar’s targets quicker so they can do some damage.

Quotes provided by Penn State athletics.

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James Franklin updates status of OL Drew Shelton for spring practices

One of Penn State’s key offensive linemen for 2024 is currently not available for spring football practices, according to James Franklin.

With three starters off to pursue their NFL dreams, Penn State’s offensive line was going to be in a bit of a spotlight this spring. As Penn State opened spring football practices this week, head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] offered an update on one potential starter for the 2024 season during his spring press conference.

[autotag]Drew Shelton[/autotag], entering his junior season with the Nittany Lions, was spotted this winter wearing a sling. When asked about his availability, Franklin confirmed Shelton is recovering from an offseason surgery and suggested his availability for the spring is unlikely.

“Drew did have surgery at the end of the season. It was one of those surgeries that he could get through the season with, but it probably made the most sense to get it done as soon as the season ended,” Franklin said during his spring press conference this week.

“Some guys decide to kind of play through those things for a number of years,” Franklin continued. “Some guys decide to get them done right away, and some guys decide to wait until right after the season. He decided to wait until right after the season.

Shelton is coming off a sophomore season that saw the Downignton West product appear in eight games on offense and special teams. As a true freshman in 2022, Shelton got a chance to appear in seven games, including five starts at left tackle in place of an injured Olu Fashanu.

“Right now, obviously we wish we had him, but I think long-term it will be in his best interest and our best interest as well, but we have a number of guys there that we feel good about,” Franklin said.

Penn State will wrap up spring football practices with the annual Blue-White Game in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 13.

Quotes provided by Penn State athletics.

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Penn State makes top-five of four-star wide receiver

Penn State is one of the top schools remaining for this four-star wide receiver from New Jersey.

Until the wide receiving group takes a step forward from what they showed on the field in 2023-24, a ton of attention will be given to that group in preseason workouts and recruiting.

Penn State only has one commitment at receiver so far in the class of 2025 in [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag].

It goes without saying that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff will heavily be focused on landing as much talent as possible for that position room before this cycle is over.

They got some good news when four-star wide receiver [autotag]Michael Thomas III[/autotag] included the Nittany Lions in his top-five list.

The 5’10” 185-pound New Jersey native is rated as one of the best players in the state, listed as No. 3 and 19th-best player at his position according to On3’s Industry Rankings.

Along with Penn State, he’s also included Rutgers, Illinois, Syracuse and Boston College on his list.

An interesting note Thomas’ recruitment is that his longest standing relationship is with assistant recruiting coordinator Khalil Ahmad, who recently returned to Penn State after stepping down from his role at Syracue.

“Coach Ahmad is a cool dude. We built a relationship a while ago before he joined PSU. He keeps it 100 all the time. He just checks in on me, makes sure I’m good and gives me some good points and advice about my upcoming season,” he told Sean Fitz of On3.

Despite the close proximity, the Nittany Lions have not necessarily recruited New Jersey to the level that some might expect.

Ahmad has roots in the state from his high school coaching days and should prove to be a major asset in Penn State’s approach to recruit New Jersey at a higher level.

Getting a commitment from Thomas would be a major plus.

New Penn State coordinator on CBS Sports’ list of most consequential offseason hires

Penn State’s new OC seen as one of the most consequential hires ahead of next season

Penn State is going into the next football season with two new coordinators. [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag], the former Indiana head coach on the defensive side, and former Kansas offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] to run the offense.

The latter has been tied to Kansas head coach Lance Leipold throughout his career and is now tasked with resurrecting an offense with talent but one that underperformed mightily a season ago.

CBS Sports’ David Cobb listed Kotelnicki seventh in his ten most consequential coordinator hires ahead of the 2024 college football season made during the offseason. Six out of the ten coaches on Cobb’s list are Big Ten coaches, making many teams in the reconfigured Big Ten on the short list of teams to watch this upcoming season.

Cobb notes that Kotelnicki has a tall task ahead of him and a significant amount of pressure to improve a unit that was not dynamic enough last year.

After more than a decade of working exclusively with Lance Leipold, Kotelnicki will be asked to mesh with 11th-year Penn State coach James Franklin and unlock the Nittany Lions’ offensive potential. Penn State is replacing both coordinators — Tom Allen is also stepping in for DC Manny Diaz, who accepted the Duke job — but the offense will be more closely scrutinized after a lack of explosiveness kept it from reaching its full potential in 2023. The Nittany Lions tied for 116th in plays of 25-plus yards last season with just 26. Kotelnicki’s offense at Kansas ranked No. 23 nationally with 50 plays of 25-plus yards, even while running the football far more often than throwing it. In theory, hiring Kotelnicki will allow Penn State to get more offensively dynamic while keeping its defensive identity and run-first ethos.

The word “unlock” strikes a chord with many Penn State fans. It seemed like the talent was there last year, but the production and consistency were severely lacking. Kotelnicki now has the pieces to run a high-powered offense, and his calling card of explosive plays while committing himself to running the ball seems to line up with what [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] is looking for in his offense.

Without a doubt, Kotelnicki has his work cut out for him despite the talent, and all eyes will be on him to bring Penn State’s offense to a similar level as its defense.

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