Tag: Tom Allen

James Franklin sets the bar high for his squad at 2024 Big Ten media

James Franklin sets high expectations for his squad at 2024 Big Ten Media days

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] spoke to the media on Wednesday at Big Ten media day. He discussed the new Big Ten and how his team is shaping up for 2024.

With the expanded College Football Playoff coming into play this season, Penn State is one of the teams that should benefit the most. In his ten seasons in Happy Valley, Franklin’s Penn State squads have five 10-win seasons, making many view this season as a playoff spot or bust.

“We are one of the few programs in the country where you can win 10 or 11 games, and people are unhappy,” Franklin said at Big Ten media day. “We embrace that, and we are excited about those opportunities.”

Franklin and the Nittany Lions haven’t beaten Ohio State or Michigan since 2020 but will be able to face the Buckeyes on November 2 at Beaver Stadium. His record against the AP Top 10 is only 3-17 since he became Penn State’s coach, and that record will likely have to improve if the Nittany Lions want a playoff spot in December.

Related: Where Penn State lands in USA TODAY Sports 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

Franklin also discussed his three new coordinators at length and what they mean for the team. [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] (offense), [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] (defense), and [autotag]Justin Lustig[/autotag] (special teams) are all in place to get Penn State to the next level.

“They chose Penn State just like I chose Penn State, to compete for championships,” said Franklin.

Penn State will likely look different in 2024, but Franklin repeatedly stressed on Wednesday that finding coaches who can adapt to what Penn State has already built was a significant factor. Week one at West Virginia will be the first look at how the Nittany Lions are set up to compete for a playoff spot in 2024.

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Tom Allen and D’Anton Lynn are part of a fascinating Penn State-USC storyline

When Penn State meets USC, Tom Allen and D’Anton Lynn might share stories about their recent job changes.

When Penn State and USC meet on the football field this October, they will both have new defensive coordinators. Tom Allen is the new man for the Nittany Lions, while D’Anton Lynn is the new defensive guru for the Trojans. The two men might be able to share some stories about the similarities in how they are perceived by the PSU and USC fan bases.

Penn State fans were really high on D’Anton Lynn as a possible replacement for previous defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who left the Nittany Lions to take over as the head coach at Duke. We at Trojans Wire were high on Tom Allen as a possible Alex Grinch replacement. Yet, Allen went to PSU and not USC. Lynn went to USC and not PSU. Both fan bases would have been really happy with having one of these two as defensive coordinator, but they went to the other school. This is a battle of equals at defensive coordinator.

We wrote about Allen in November, before Lincoln Riley hired Lynn at USC:

Allen is a very good defensive coordinator. He isn’t a good head coach, but if he gets USC-level talent, he will do a very good job with it. Having Big Ten knowledge is a huge plus for USC, given the school’s move into the Big Ten. If it can’t get Jim Leonhard, Tom Allen is a strong second choice. He’s going to be available. He’s not likely to be in the market for another head coaching job. USC needs to be on the phone with Allen’s agent before too long.

Penn State and USC both did as well as they reasonably could have in finding new defensive coordinators. This fall, they will measure themselves against each other. It should be a lot of fun to watch.

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New Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen poses problems for USC

Tom Allen will give Lincoln Riley all he can handle.

Tom Allen, the new defensive coordinator at Penn State, is someone we at Trojans Wire were high on when USC began its defensive coordinator search.

We wrote:

“It’s Indiana football. It’s hard for anyone to recruit well there. Allen is highly respected as a defensive mind. Even if his actual recruiting chops aren’t great, Allen takes two- and three-star players and molds them into quality defensive performers. When recruits see that Tom Allen (or maybe someone with similar credentials) is USC defensive coordinator, that itself could have a positive effect on recruiting.

“Allen could recruit USC well even without doing the recruiting personally. His reputation could change a lot of recruitments, even without paying any prospect a house call.”

Allen is an elite X-and-O coach who will give Lincoln Riley a tough challenge. On our recent USC show at The Voice of College Football, we talked to Penn State analyst Marty Leap from Happy Valley Insider on Rivals. Our Tom Allen conversation begins at 19:05 in the video below:

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Four-star CB Antonio Branch commits to Penn State

Penn State is on a roll with another four-star cornerback in the Class of 2025 with Antonio Branch.

It’s been a good week so far for Penn State on the recruiting trail after suffering a couple rough defeats in the battle for top targets in the 2025 class and beyond.

However, that’s not going to stop James Franklin and his staff from turning the page and going after others who they want to get into their program.

The run this week started with four-star cornerback from New Jersey, Jahmir Joseph, verbally committing to the Nittany Lions, and they have now landed their second commitment of the week in four-star defensive back [autotag]Antonio Branch[/autotag].

The Florida native is listed as a cornerback in his class but is likely going to become a safety at the next level as he’s already 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds heading into his senior high school season.

This is a big win for Penn State.

He took an official visit to Happy Valley the weekend of May 31 and that left enough of an impression on him to decided this was the program for him.

Branch talked about the relationships he established with the coaching staff during his process, and that became even more prevalent when he was on campus.

The four-star decided to cancel his official visit with the University of Florida when he cut his list of schools down to three, leaving Penn State to battle it out between Louisville and Nebraska.

Branch is scheduled to take an official visit to Louisville this upcoming weekend, but there is no word if that has been cancelled following his verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions.

This marks another win for Franklin and his staff down in Florida as they have really been able to land some top talent coming out of that state. The connections [autotag]Ja’Juan Seider[/autotag] and new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] have in the state should only allow them to continue recruiting that area well.

Branch’s commitment now brings Penn State’s 2025 class up to 16 players.

Elite 2026 defensive line prospect locks in Penn State visit

Penn State is already working on recruiting in the Class of 2026 with an upcoming official visit.

Penn State is entering the most important part of their recruiting calendar this month as official visit season begins and their top class of 2025 targets will come to Happy Valley as these prospects prepare to pick their college program.

There’s still a lot of work to do for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff as they sit with 13 commits and plenty of players they would like to land are still preparing to make their decisions.

But, while the 2025 class is garnering the headlines, the recruits in the class of 2026 are getting out and laying the groundwork with unofficial visits.

It’s important to create relationships and establish connections early in these processes, and the Nittany Lions have been aggressively doing so with two new coordinators in [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag].

With that in mind, it was reported by Ryan Snyder of On3 that consensus four-star 2026 defensive lineman, [autotag]Titan Davis[/autotag], will come to Happy Valley for the first time on May 18. Penn State didn’t make his early top schools list, so getting him on campus and around the coaching staff should help them get on his radar (subscription required).

Davis is a 6-foot-5, 238-pound lineman from St. Louis is listed as the No. 66 player in the 2026 class and sixth-best player at his position.

He’s only taken five visits so far, three of them to Nebraska, so hosting the talented prospect this weekend while other elite players in the class are also scheduled to take a trip will be huge for Penn State.

[autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] has hit the recruiting trail hard since taking over as defensive line coach in 2023, but he’ll continue to get the opportunity to start recruiting players from scratch and landing Davis would certainly be a huge win.

Penn State getting visit from five-star LB ahead of commitment date

Penn State would love to secure a commitment from this five-star linebacker.

There is a lot of work left to do for Penn State in their class of 2025.

After starting off being ranked in the Top 10 during early rankings, they now sit 17th in On3’s latest update.

One thing that would go a long way to boosting their overall profile is landing one of the best players still available in the class.

They have that opportunity with linebacker [autotag]Zayden Walker[/autotag] set to visit Happy Valley this summer as he will announce his commitment after taking his scheduled official visits.

The Georgia native is rated as a five-star and the No. 9 overall player according to 247Sports.

His official commitment date is July 5.

Walker has set that date as a way to go on his official visits and have time to come back home and think about his decision before ultimately announcing which college he’ll play for going forward.

Greg Pickel of On3 shares that these visits are going to be a major deciding factor in where he commits. He is searching for strong relationships and a program that allows him to play and develops him. The good news is he’s a fan of new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]. The bad news is Walker already hinted that Georgia and South Carolina have an edge over the Nittany Lions (subscription required).

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine reflects that as Georgia are huge favorites to land him with a 74.1% chance.

But, with the 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker taking his official visit to Penn State starting June 7, there is still a chance they can land the five-star.

Walker said he’s never been to Happy Valley before but has liked the way he’s been recruited and is looking forward to seeing what campus has to offer.

Penn State’s young linebacker continues to get buzz after spring practices

Tony Rojas is preparing to take off at linebacker for Penn State in 2024.

There might not be a single player on the roster that Penn State fans are more excited to see get a bump in playing time than [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag].

The four-star linebacker out of high school was able to avoid redshirting his freshman season last year and appeared in all 13 games on defense and special teams, recording 21 tackles, 3.5 for loss, with a forced fumble and interception.

Much of that came from him bulking up during the summer and flashing in practice prior to last season.

Now, with [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] moving to defense end, it’s expected that Rojas will fill into the starting linebacker role and become an elite player for the Nittany Lions.

Tyler Donohue of 247Sports said that will likely be the case after the sophomore put together another impressive spring. Coaches told him that they’re confident he will be able to handle the increased responsibilities and he’ll be able to perform from the opening snap (subscription required).

If the Blue-White Game was any preview of what is to come, he paired with [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] as the starting linebackers for Team White.

Rojas also admitted to “overthinking things” when he was a freshman, but is feeling much more confident in his second season.

Donohue notes that he has already started gelling with new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] and that the young linebacker was able to read-and-react at a high level, making him look like a future star at his position.

At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he certainly has the body type that should allow him to be the starting linebacker and sustain being on the field against Big Ten competition.

Penn State’s junior safety could see more playing time this year

Is Zakee Wheatley ready for a bigger role in Penn State’s defense in 2024?

There aren’t very many spots on Penn State’s defense where they don’t have to address departures, but safety is one of them.

[autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]KJ Winston[/autotag] were the two starters on last year’s team who didn’t rotate out very often and that’s expected to be similar this season as well.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be opportunities for others to find themselves on the field in those spots based on different points of the game, or worst case scenario due to injuries.

Having backups ready to contribute is paramount for elite programs across the country and it seems like the Nittany Lions have someone ready to step into that role.

According to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports, [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag] has impressed during spring practices after being in third year of his transition from cornerback to safety with [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] saying “the light’s gone on for him” and he’s had “by far” his best offseason workouts (subscription required).

An interesting thing for Penn State’s secondary will be how it operates under new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] who is looking to implement a “Lion” role that has one of their safeties closer to the line of scrimmage.

Early comments from Allen suggest that Reed could be getting the majority of the snaps at the “Lion” position.

That could put Wheatley into deep coverage where he has excelled during practice.

In fact, Donohue notes that no player has come away with more takeaways than Wheatley.

Because of the unknown, it should be expected that the redshirt junior sees much more playing time this season after only logging around 250 snaps last year.

These two cornerbacks are standing out after Penn State’s spring practices

Penn State’s cornerback situation is looking solid after spring football practices.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his coaching staff knew he could have to replace three starting cornerbacks from this last year’s team and went into the transfer portal to address some of those concerns.

The player who could be an immediate plug-and-play guy is [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] who is coming over from Florida as a redshirt senior.

But it’s the other transfer corner in [autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag] who has been turning heads throughout spring according to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports (subscription required).

The former five-star recruit is coming off a freshman season at Georgia where he played in seven games as a reserve and recorded eight tackles.

With three years of eligibility remaining, Franklin and his staff envision Harris being a major part of this secondary for years to come and could be a factor as early as this season.

He’s an extremely physical cornerback who is billed as “super aggressive and super confident,” gaining status as a favorite of teammates and coaches alike.

It will be interesting to see how he factors into [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]’s defense this season since the Nittany Lions need to replace the production from three starters.

However, Harris isn’t the only one in the cornerback room turning heads this spring, either.

Donohue also notes that previous transfer [autotag]Audavion Collins[/autotag] has also earned some rave reviews from the coaching staff after being described by [autotag]Terry Smith[/autotag] as “a night-and-day different player.”

Collins is a largely unknown commodity after not logging any games for Mississippi State before transferring to Penn State last summer. In his first season with the Nittany Lions he only appeared in six games and logged eight defensive snaps.

Still, Donohue notes that the coaching staff told him they have been impressed with the corner’s attention to detail and tenacity this spring.

Whether that is enough to get him playing time in a room that features Kimber, Harris, [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag], and [autotag]Elliot Washington[/autotag] will be seen, but Penn State seems to be in a great spot with this position group despite losing three starters.

Penn State could get breakout season from sophomore defensive end

Here is a potential breakout defensive player for Penn State this season.

Penn State is coming out of a season where they had two of their edge rushers get drafted by NFL teams over the weekend.

While [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] will certainly be difficult to replace, their losses are lessened by the return of [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] moving to defensive end.

As has become the norm for the Nittany Lions under the past few years under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, they rotated many players across their defensive line throughout a game.

That’s likely going to continue with new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag].

So while it’s nice to have the returning production of Dennis-Sutton and Carter taking on a new role, they’ll still need other players to produce for them to operate like they have in the past.

According to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports, he’s expecting [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] to have a breakout season this year based on what he’s hearing coming out of spring practices (subscription required).

At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he certainly has the frame to be able to compete against Big Ten competition.

Lyons didn’t get much opportunity during his freshman season in 2023 because of how experienced the defensive line room was, but he still has loads of potential based on his four-star rating coming out of high school.

Donohue said that the coaching staff told him that they were confident he would have been able to handle a larger workload if it weren’t for the depth in front of him.

Instead, he was limited to 95 defensive snaps.

Lyons should have plenty of opportunities this season to showcase what he can do and [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] seems to think he’ll take that opportunity, saying that the sophomore has “got a bright future.”

He’ll certainly one to continue monitoring throughout the summer and during the early part of the year.