Penn State completed its spring practice sessions less than a week ago. No better time to check in with PennLive’s text subscribers, right?
The transfer portal is open and two PSU veterans wideouts, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Malick Meiga, are shopping their services.
The White team shut out the Blue side on a chilly, windy day at Beaver Stadium.
Our subscribers have some thoughts on James Franklin’s offense — err, Andy Kotelnicki’s offense — and some of them had high praise for PennLive sports columnist David Jones, who is ready for retirement.
Some comments have been edited for clarity and before we get to them, remember that if you want to be a part of our weekly Subtext mailbag and submit a question, in addition to getting other Penn State updates sent directly to your phone, our PennLive Sports Insider page has more details.
The Lions didn’t want to show anything at the Blue-White game. Andy Kotelnicki will have them ready to play, and they will surprise you!
I am optimistic about what Kotelnicki, Penn State’s new offensive coordinator, can do for Penn State in 2024. In a short time, he has come across as a confident, charismatic coach. His work at Kansas stands out. The Jayhawks’ top two quarterbacks in 2023, Jason Bean and Jalon Daniels, combined for more than 2,800 yards and 23 touchdowns. Kansas’ top two runners, Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr., amassed 1,906 yards and 24 combined rushing scores. The Jayhawks had four pass-catchers with 450 or more receiving yards, and they all averaged at least 16.7 yards per catch. Kansas’ top tight end, Mason Fairchild, averaged 16.7 yards per catch on 27 receptions.
Drew Allar and Beau Pribula looked like they were running two different offenses during the Blue-White game, with Pribula running like Michael Vick and Allar throwing from the pocket like Dan Marino. Will we regularly see Pribula on some meaningful series this season and not just as a closer who gets Penn State late-game “front-door covers” after the straight-up win is already in the bag?
I wouldn’t use Dan Marino and Michael Vick as comparisons for Drew and Beau but I get your point. New OC Andy Kotelnicki wasn’t going to show much of anything in the scrimmage and the QBs weren’t allowed to get hit. I spoke to Pribula after the game and he is pleased with his development as a passer. The windy conditions limited what Allar could do in the passing game. And yes, I believe Kotelnicki is going to use both QBs throughout games in the fall. You should see more of Pribula in critical situations.
Penn State’s biggest weaknesses coming out of spring are a lack of good receivers and little signs of progress in Drew Allar’s development, thus a poor passing game with no big-play possibilities.
The interesting name to me in the wideout room is Harrison Wallace. He’s a vet who began 2023 as a starter but he was slowed by injuries. Wallace is an athletic player who can win 50-50 balls outside and Drew Allar must build a rapport with someone in the passing game other than tight end Tyler Warren.
Dave Jones is my favorite of all the writers I can remember who have covered Penn State sports. I think Penn State’s biggest weakness is the wide receiver position. They don’t seem to have a lot of talent there and I question whether position coach Marques Hagans can get the most out of the talent they have. Beyond that, I’ll believe their offensive line is good when I see it play that way in run and pass blocking against top competition.
The wideout question will not go away this year unless some players step up. The hopes are high for Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming but Penn State fans want to see it on the field. I believe James Franklin feels good about the interior of the offensive line, with guards JB Nelson, Vega Ioane and Sal Wormley returning and veteran Nick Dawkins set to replace Hunter Nourzad at center. The tackle spots are interesting because PSU is replacing two NFL talents (Olu Fashanu, Caedan Wallace). Drew Shelton has starting experienced but is coming off an injury and the right tackle spot is up for grabs.
I sincerely hope you and Dave can still do your weekly podcasts, Bob. Even if I didn’t always agree, they were so entertaining.
I started at the Harrisburg Patriot-News in 1993 and Dave was already established as one of the top writers on the Penn State beat. He steps away as THE top writer, on the beat and at PennLive. As far as the podcasts, I can honestly tell you I was never quite sure where Dave would go with a topic from week to week. We tried to focus on Penn State football but Dave has some fascinating opinions on everything.
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