Tag: Zane Durant

5 takeaways from Penn State’s Blue-White spring game

5 takeaways form Penn State’s Blue-White Gme

Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] admitted the 2022 Blue-White Game may not have been the best way to entertain fans and answer questions for the media, but he seemed to be pleased with the development of his team as the spring practices came to a close. Saturday’s Blue-White Game allowed plenty of players on the roster to get some opportunities to shine and, more importantly, just get some playing time in a scrimmage format.

With a roster with some key freshmen just joining the program, the expectations are high. But for a team coming off a pair of mediocre seasons, Penn State’s Blue-White Game may have felt a tad underwhelming for some fans watching.

But there are some takeaways you can have from what was largely a glorified scrimmage with a modified scoring system. Here are five that stood out to me.

Instant Reaction: Blue-White Game shows Penn State is a work in progress (and that’s OK)

Penn State Blue-White Game instant reaction: Some highlights, some solid performances, and some work to do

If you were expecting to see great changes in Penn State in the spring game on Saturday afternoon, you probably had your hopes up a bit too much. The defense got the last laugh with a 17-13 victory over the offense after the action came down to one final play to determine the winning side.

[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] played a little bit more than may have been expected but he showed good ability to make some plays, especially in the seven-on-seven drills sprinkled throughout the afternoon. But Clifford didn’t have much to prove. Instead, the backup options were the real show as [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] had a solid afternoon and freshman [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] had a few moments that reminded you he is just a freshman getting his first taste of college football. But after shaking off a few rusty moments early on, Allar provided a brief glimpse of what’s to come in his future.

The same could be said about the performance of freshman defensive lineman [autotag]Zane Durant[/autotag] and running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag], although neither had a monster performance that made you think Penn State will be a juggernaut right away this fall.

Instead, the star of the spring game may have been [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag], the redshirt freshman linebacker who notched a pair of interceptions and a sack. It may not be enough to throw him into the starting mix for the linebackers in the fall, but it was certainly enjoyable to watch as a player that was flying well under the radar for most.

Overall, spring game reactions can tend to be either wildly exaggerated or extremely reserved. The Penn State spring game will likely lead to more timid reactions moving forward for the majority of fans, and that’s perfectly acceptable. There were not any glaring problem areas for Penn State, and it would be unfair to be too critical of the running game in this setup even with much attention placed on it this entire offseason.

The game did offer some worthy highlights, including a nice catch in the end zone by Trey Harrison and solid play in seven-on-seven drills by Clifford and Veilleux.

Penn State’s spring practices have now come to a close, and all eyes are on what’s next for the program. Penn State still has a good amount of work to do later this summer, and the addition of some more key players to the roster will only help the cause.

Penn State’s 2022 season begins Thursday, Sept. 1 at Purdue.

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Everything James Franklin said in his spring press conference

Here is everything James Franklin had to say in his spring football press conference.

As Penn State hit the football practice fields for the first spring practice of the year, head coach James Franklin spent some time in front of a microphone to answer questions from reporters about the current state of the program for the 2022 season. After two mediocre seasons, a number of departures to the NFL, and some notable changes on the staff and roster, there was no shortage of topics to discuss with the head coach of the Nittany Lions on Monday afternoon.

Franklin covered a lot of ground, including key position battles and concerns, the future of the program under a new athletics director, and how the confidence level is for a program that has struggled the past two years. Franklin also discussed the impact some of the newest additions to the program are having in workouts, whether as an early enrollee or via the transfer portal.

The following quotes from Franklin were provided by Penn State.

Penn State announces uniform numbers for new players

Penn State has confirmed the jersey numbers for 10 new players in the program as spring football practices open

Penn State officially kicks off the spring football practice season on Monday, and a handful of new faces will get their first taste of spring football in Happy Valley. A number of early transfers from Penn State’s highly-touted Class of 2022 and a key addition through the transfer portal are getting to work with returning members of the program as Penn State looks to set the tone for what they hope will be a better 2022 season.

And with the start of spring football practices comes an official update to the roster, including a batch of new jersey numbers for the newest members of the program.

Penn State officially announced a batch of new uniform numbers for its newest players on the roster, including Western Kentucky transfer wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley, and Class of 2022 running back Nick Singleton and quarterback Drew Allar.

Here are the jersey numbers for 10 new players to the Penn State roster in 2022.

  • 5 – Mitchell Tinsley, wide receiver
  • 7 – Kaden Saunders, wide receiver
  • 9 – Beau Pribula, quarterback
  • 10 – Nick Singleton, running back
  • 13 – Kaytron Allen, running back
  • 15 – Drew Allar, quarterback
  • 18 – Omari Evans, wide receiver
  • 28 – Zane Durant, defensive tackle
  • 55 – JB Nelson, offensive line
  • 88 – Jerry Cross, tight end

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Uniform numbers for Penn State early-enrollees revealed during THON weekend

Uniform numbers for Penn State early enrollees in Class of 2022 revealed during THON weekend, including Drew Allar and Nicholas Singleton.

THON weekend is a signature event on Penn State’s campus, and it is much more important than sports. But sometimes it tears a page back on some sports developments going on around the campus. In this case, the first look at some of Penn State’s newest additions in the Class of 2022 in their new jerseys is worth noting.

Lions 247 caught a number of Penn State’s early enrollees in the Class of 2022, including quarterback Drew Allar and running back Nicholas Singleton, taking part in some activities that are a part of the THON Weekend, and they were wearing Penn State uniforms for the first time in a public setting.

While there could always be some changes down the line before the 2022 football season kicks off with a Thursday night opener at Purdue in Week 1, here is what uniform numbers some of the newest Nittany Lions were spotted wearing this weekend.

  • Kaden Saunders, WR – 7
  • Beau Pribula, QB – 9
  • Nicholas Singleton, RB – 10
  • Drew Allar, QB – 15
  • Omari Evans, WR – 18
  • Zane Durant, DL – 28
  • Jerry Cross, TE – 88

Penn State’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 23.

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Video highlights of each member of Penn State football’s Class of 2022

WATCH: Video highlights of each Penn State Class of 2022 player

Penn State locked in its Class of 2022 at the start of the NCAA’s early signing period, and with it comes a bunch of buzz for the future of the Nittany Lions under the leadership of head coach James Franklin. But chances are most of you are unfamiliar with what any of these new faces will bring to the table for Penn State. So it’s a good thing Penn State served up some highlight packages to give fans a quick glimpse of the kind of talent that is joining the program.

Enjoy this collection of video highlights of Penn State’s newest additions in the Class of 2022.

Zane Durant’s ability to get to the quarterback will be huge for Penn State

Class of 2022: Penn State commit Zane Durant is a player that could give opposing Big Ten QBs nightmares

Position: Defensive Line

Height: 6-1″

Weight: 251 lb

Hometown: Orlando, FL

High School: Lake Nona High School

Twitter: @darealbabyzane

247 Sports: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overview:

Zane Durant was one of a handful of commitments for Penn State this past Fourth of July. When it comes to the 2022 recruiting class, one thing that stands out immediately is versatility. From Cristian Driver to Mekhi Flowers, Durant also provides that trait of his own.

Duranrt was recruited as a defensive end, but he does have experience playing tight end as well.

There is a reason he was recruited as a defensive end though. He does a terrific job getting to the quarterback, something that Penn State has done a good job of, but could potentially be losing some players to the draft.

Durant also has experience playing linebacker. We all know the history of linebackers that have gone through and have had successful careers at the collegiate level.

Durant had plenty of offers across the country, including three Big Ten schools, which included Penn State.

Penn State made a big splash just before bowl season by hiring former Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz. As mentioned, he is arguably one of the best defensive coordinators in college football and walks into a perfect situation of talented, versatile athletes.

Durant brings a lot of traits to the table, and his ability to get to the quarterback will help Penn State even more.

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Big board: Penn State’s 2022 football recruiting class by position

Breaking down Penn State football’s Class of 2022 position by position.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 has long been recognized as one of the top classes in the nation. The latest (and greatest) recruiting class to be signed by James Franklin looks to add some tremendous quality and depth to various positions across the roster and has some players to really look forward to watching grow almost immediately.

For a long stretch in this recruiting cycle, Penn State had the nation’s top-ranked class, and it continued to be ranked highest among Big Ten schools up until shortly before the early signing period. But there is no disputing the ranking of Penn State’s Class of 2022 is proof Penn State has been hitting it hard on the recruiting trail this cycle.

Here is a breakdown of Penn State’s Class of 2022 broken down by position.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 is now ranked No. 2

Penn State’s latest recruiting efforts continue to pay off in a big way in the recruiting rankings for 2022

After a brilliant week of recruiting news, Penn State’s Class of 2022 continues to move up in the national rankings. And it didn’t have that far it could have moved. After coming out of the July 4th weekend with the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class according to the 247 Sports composite ranking, the Nittany Lions have moved up one spot.

According to the updated composite rankings from 247 Sports, Penn State has moved up to No. 2 in the nation, passing Notre Dame. The Irish fell one spot to occupy the ranking recently held by the Nittany Lions. Ohio State remains the nation’s recruiting leader with the highest-rated class featuring four five-star recruits in the Class of 2022.

Penn State’s recruiting ranking was given a healthy boost over the July 4th weekend with the additions of four-star defenders Tyreese Fearbry and Zane Durant. The weekend also saw the additions of linebacker Keon Wylie and defensive lineman Kaleb Artis. Penn State also added a JUCO commitment from JB Nelson. The big splash continued on Tuesday when four-star running back Nicholas Singleton from Reading, PA announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 already included a number of four-star recruits as well including wide receivers Kaden Saunders, Mekhi Flowers, and Anthony Ivey, offensive tackle Drew Shelton, quarterback Drew Allar and defensive end Ken Talley, just to name a few.

As of the morning of July 9, here is a look at the top 10 in the recruiting rankings from 247 Sports;

  1. Ohio State
  2. Penn State
  3. Notre Dame
  4. LSU
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Florida State
  7. Georgia
  8. Texas
  9. Oregon
  10. Michigan

Asking Penn State to climb to No. 1 is unrealistic at this point, barring a completely unexpected collapse from Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions are easily on track to record the highest-rated recruiting class under head coach James Franklin yet. Keeping everyone in the class still requires work too between now and the early signing period in December. And it’s possible another school may eclipse Penn State at some point. But the Nittany Lions are in a terrific spot in the middle of the summer.

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Penn State wins recruiting battle vs. Miami for four-star DL from Orlando

Penn State’s July 4th was full of recruiting fireworks, including a big boom from Orlando

For all the hype the Miami Hurricanes have generated under Manny Navaro, Penn State’s James Franklin just topped him for a key recruit from the state of Florida. Penn State secured the verbal commitment of four-star defensive lineman Zane Durant, a recruit from Orlando, on Sunday as Durant was enjoying some family time on the Fourth of July.

Durant is a four-star recruit according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, and the No. 42 player overall in the state of Florida.

Durant made his commitment official with the obligatory commitment graphic posted on Twitter, and it is quite a notable one for the Nittany Lions. Durant chose Penn State over offers from Miami and the hometown UCF Knights. Indiana was also in the running according to recruiting analysts monitoring Durant’s decision.

Durant made his final official visit to Miami, a week after he visited Penn State. So whatever happened at Miami was clearly not enough to convince Durant to stay away from Happy Valley. That’s a solid recruiting victory for James Franklin and his staff, including Ja’Juan Seider and John Scott Jr.

Durant is a 6’1″ defensive lineman, so he may lack some of the size that makes for the most desirable defensive lineman, but has shown the ability to break through the line of scrimmage and create problems for opposing offenses. His strength and agility help make him a player worth watching.

the addition of Durant along with another July 4th prize in edge rusher Tyreese Fearbry, helped escalate Penn State’s team recruiting ranking for the Class of 2022 up to No. 3 in the nation, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

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