PSU Spring Football – Syndication Server

Penn State spring football preview: Defensive Line

Now that a new coach is in place, here’s a quick look at the Penn State defensive line situation this spring

It’s an exciting time for the defensive line unit at Penn State. Coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] recently announced that [autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] would be the new defensive line coach for the upcoming season.

Barnes, who played defensive line at Penn State from 2012-2014, is taking over the role after the departure of [autotag]John Scott Jr.[/autotag]

It seems like a natural progression for Barnes who served as a graduate assistant and was involved in the development of multiple players going to the NFL.

While the news of this hire is certainly exciting, the other electrifying thing surrounding the defensive line is they might be the best unit of Penn State football this season.

[autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] are the headliners of the line, but there are other players that could have a big year as well.

Here are names to watch as spring practices get underway.

Chop Robinson

Measurables: 6’3″ 240 lbs.

Year: Junior

Expected Role: Starting Defensive End

Chop Robinson was an absolute star for Penn State in 2022-23. After transferring in from Maryland, he was a game wrecker for the Nittany Lions. He recorded 26 total tackles, 10 of them for loss, and had 5.5 sacks.

His PFF grade of 90.6 ranked him sixth out of 862 edge rushers last season. Robinson’s pass rush grade had him fourth in the country. It’s crazy to think that he can improve his run defense to become an even better player. Robinson will be a household name if continues to produce like he did last year.

Coziah Izzard

Measurables: 6’3″ 292 lbs.

Year: Redshirt Junior

Expected Role: Starting Defensive Tackle

This is the starting position on the defensive line that should be watched. [autotag]Coziah Izzard[/autotag] is the projected starter, but he’ll be battling to secure that title. Last season he was expected to start alongside [autotag]PJ Mustipher[/autotag], but missed the first four games of the season due to the decision of coach Franklin.

After a bursting onto the scene in 2021 with 21 tackles and two sacks, he recorded 10 tackles and two sacks in nine games last season. Izzard has tons of talent and should be able to produce this year whether he’s a starter or not.

NEXT: Other potential starters up front

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James Franklin previews plan for quarterbacks in Penn State spring practices

James Franklin says there will be a QB competition at Penn State this spring.

For the first time in a number of years, Penn Stae opened its spring football practice schedule with a bit of a competition at quarterback. The expectation is that sophomore [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] will be the team’s starting quarterback, the successor to Sean Clifford, this fall, but head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] isn’t at the point where he is designating that starting job for Allar just yet. Instead, Franklin will make sure the quarterbacks get an even number of reps, or close to it, as the spring practices open.

“Well, this spring is just to get those guys as many reps as we possibly can to be able to evaluate them, to create a competition, and to also create depth,” Franklin said in a press conference on Tuesday as Penn State opened its spring football practice schedule. “I do think, if you look at last year, we had a very specific plan to get Drew as many reps as we possibly could to build that depth and to build that experience, so if we needed him, he was ready, but also to help us this year moving forward.”

Allar appeared in 10 games for the Nittany Lions last season, each time in relief of Sean Clifford and generally in games when the outcome was all but official one way or the other (mostly in Penn State’s favor). Allar, the top quarterback from Ohio in the Class of 2022, passed for 344 yards and four touchdowns. Allar was used as the primary backup ahead of Christian Veilleux, who has since moved on to Pitt by way of the transfer portal.

Penn State’s plan iht the quarterbacks this spring will allow [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] and transfer addition [autotag]Jaxon Smolik[/autotag] to get some reps with the offense, which is also working on cementing its situation at wide receiver. Allar may be the top option and few expect him to be knocked off the top of the depth chart, but Franklin will encourage competition at quarterback this spring before anointing Allar the one to run the offense.

“This year’s a little bit different because we’re back to kind of having a true competition again,” Franklin explained. “Beau has got some athletic traits that are desirable and maybe make sense for us to use if they give us the best chance to win.”

But as Franklin continued with his thoughts on the quarterback plan this spring, it did seem as though he left the door open to get Pribula a few more reps later in the spring that suggests there may be a few specific ways Pribula could be used on offense.

“There could be some situations where Beau actually gets more reps by the end of spring because I think there’s some things that we may want to do with Beau to take advantage of his skill set and maybe create an opportunity for him to get some more experience, not only during spring ball, but in games next year as well,” Franklin said. “So we’ll see how that all plays out.”

The spring is clearly a good time to experiment a bit with the talent you have in place, especially if the starting job is actually known behind closed doors. Fans may get a glimpse of the quarterback plan in the annual Blue-White Game on Saturday, April 15.

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James Franklin outlines Penn State’s spring goals for the defense

James Franklin shares his spring football goals for the Penn State defense

Penn State made sure to open its spring football practice schedule with a coaching staff fully optimized with the naming of Deion Barnes as the school’s new defensive line coach on Monday. On Tuesday, as the Nittany Lions got together for the first of 15 spring practices, head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] ran through the list of objectives he wants the defense to focus on this spring.

Franklin’s goals for the defense this spring are fairly straightforward, and some are similar to what Franklin wants the offense to focus on this spring like identifying new leaders on the field and improve toughness both mentally and physically. Franklin also noted he wants the defense to focus on leverage on tackles, breaking up passes, and forcing turnovers. Some of these goals are more to keep things chugging along the way they have in recent years, like forcing turnovers. Penn State forced the second-most turnovers last season among Big Ten teams with 26 forced turnovers (only Illinois forced more turnovers with 31 in 2022).

The offense may have its share of starters to sort out this spring, but the defense may have a few more position battles to work through this spring. The Nittany Lions have two big spots to fill in the second arty with the departures of Joey Porter Jr. and Ji’Ayir Brown. [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] will be the returning star in the secondary, but the rest of the secondary could have some competition to join him.

Penn State could also be looking for someone to emerge alongside linebacker [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. Following an incredible freshman season, Carert has emerged as a potential leader of the defense, but the Nittany Lions would benefit from seeing someone step up to be a defensive leader on the defensive line and at another linebacker spot. Who elevates themselves in the spring could be something to watch.

The other focus for the Penn State defense this spring should be in establishing depth. It’s one thing to figure out a starting 11, if you can, but knowing you can have confidence in the backups to step in and contribute in relief of an injured player or as part of a rotation is instrumental for any successful team.

Penn State will continue spring practices through April 15, at which point the spring practice schedule will come to a close with the annual spring Blue-White Game.

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What does James Franklin want Penn State’s offense to improve this spring?

James Franklin outlines the spring practice goals for the offense

Penn State officially opened spring football practices on Tuesday with a full staff now put in place. The Nittany Lions are looking to build off the rejuvenated momentum of the 2022 season that ended with a 10-2 regular season record and a victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl, and there will be a number of key positions to pay attention to this spring. But head coach James Franklin outlined what he is looking to improve on all parts of the roster beginning this spring.

Franklin noted a number of areas to improve on offense, including getting more out of the running game, increasing the toughness, and getting more explosiveness out of the offense on the ground and through the air. But perhaps the more pressing issue on offense is finding new leaders on the offense. After losing veteran and experienced starting quarterback Sean Clifford, two NFL wide receivers in Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley, and tight end Brenton Strange, the Nittany Lions have some big shoes and a good chunk of offensive production to replace in 2023.

Penn State will open the spring with [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] expected to be the successor to Clifford in his sophomore season. Allar was given a number of opportunities to get some playing time last season in relief of Clifford. Allar will have some new targets to get in sync with the return of [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and the transfer portal addition of [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag] from Florida State this spring. The tight ends will be anchored by returning vets [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag].

The passing game does begin the spring with more questions than any other facet on the offense, it would seem. Such is bound to happen with a young quarterback set to take over and after losing the top three receivers on the roster from the previous season.

“That room, we think there’s the talent in that room to go where we want to go,” Franklin said in a press conference on Tuesday. “I think we have to be tougher and we have to be more consistent. If you look at college football and if you look at the NFL, probably the area where you can change games the fastest in college football and the NFL right now, is at wide receiver.”

Franklin’s mentioning of the running game was interesting considering the strength of its young running back duo last season. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] each exceeded the former freshman rushing touchdown record for the program last season. Penn State had the Big Ten’s fourth-best rushing offense last season with an average of 181 rushing yards per game.

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NEXT: Other potential starters up front Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

NEXT: Other potential starters up front

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4