3 Questions James Franklin and Penn State Must Answer Ahead of September
With Penn State Football fall camp well underway, the Nittany Lions have questions that they still need answered.
Even in what most would consider the most talented roster and most anticipated season in recent memory, there are still several question marks. Here are three questions James Franklin and Penn State must answer ahead of September.
1. Who is the 2nd Safety?
Penn State has had a very good run on Safeties in the past few seasons. This year, they return what looks to be the next elite Safety, Zakee Wheatley. However, the spot opposite Wheatley is up for grabs.
Of Penn State’s Safeties on the roster, the two battling for the spot opposite Wheatley appear to be King Mack and Dejuan Lane. The Safety room is backfilled with solid depth in Vaboue Toure and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter. I wouldn’t expect either of those two names to compete for the starting role, but they will provide depth.
As camp goes on, I would anticipate that the position battle between Lane and Mack will drag on as well. Mack missed spring ball with an injury but appears to be holding his own. On the flip side, Dejuan Lane was forced into a slightly bigger role last season following KJ Winston’s injury.
Given that Lane has yet to seperate himself from Mack, makes me think King Mack may ultimately emerge as the other starting Safety. However, the competition is still wide open between Mack and Lane.
2. Is There Enough Depth at Defensive End?
Defensive End is another position that the Nittany Lions have been successful with historically.
This year, Dani Dennis-Sutton is slotted to be the game wrecker Edge Rusher for Jim Knowles and company. But the depth behind Dennis-Sutton is, shaky at best.
Opposite Dennis-Sutton looks to be Senior, Zuriah Fisher.
Fisher is a guy who has generated buzz in the past, but has always struggled to stay healthy.
Keeping Fisher healthy will go a long way in helping the 2025 Penn State Defensive Line our. Beyond Dennis-Sutton and Fisher is a lot of young, unproven talent. Losing Max Granville hurt the Defensive End depth a lot.
Given that Penn State likes to rotate bodies on the edge, it is up to Mylachi Williams, Jaylen Harvey and freshmen talents, Chaz Coleman and Yvan Kemajou.
The Nittany Lions desperately need 2-3 of the aforementioned names to step up and play productive snaps this season. Right now, figuring out the Defensive End depth is a big question Franklin and co need to get answered before September.
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3. What to do on the Offensive Line?
This third and final question is a positive one.
For years, Penn State had struggled to put together a good Offensive Line. This year, Phil Trautwein does not have that struggle. He has a wealth of options.
In fact, there are so many good Offensive Linemen, they will need to play musical chairs to find the best combination.
four of the five Offensive Line starters return from last year’s team. The only loss is Saleem Wormley. With the way Nolan Rucci played after Anthony Donkoh went down with a long-term injury and Cooper Cousins knocking at the door, Penn State will have a tough time finding out the best combination of players.
Does Donkoh move inside to Guard so Rucci can stick at Tackle?
Does Cooper Cousins not see the field?
Does Donkoh get his starting job back?
This final question is a good one for Penn State to have to answer.
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Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.
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