James Franklin shares results of wide receiver, safety position battles, among others, going into Penn State's season opener against Nevada.
It's game week for Penn State, as the No. 3 Nittany Lions get set for their season opener at home against Nevada. Head coach James Franklin provided updates for several key position battles on Monday, hinting at who could see the most playing time early on this year.
Backup quarterback
Penn State's No. 2 quarterback position is between redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik and redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer. Franklin said he's decided the position battle, but he hasn't yet revealed who won. There's not a "clear cut, wide margin" between the two quarterbacks, according to Franklin, and they'll continue to compete as the season kicks off.
Wide receiver
Franklin revealed his top six receivers on Monday in no particular order. The first four are no surprise: Kyron Hudson, Trebor Peña, Devonte Ross, and Liam Clifford. The last two are younger options: redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark and true freshman Koby Howard.
Ross, who transferred in from Troy this offseason, will be more limited because of an injury that impacted how much he could play during the summer. He and Clifford will rotate with each other at least for the opening game.
Although Howard was mentioned as one of the team's top six receivers, he doesn't quite have the "green light" to burn his redshirt. For that to happen, Franklin said, Howard will need to have a bigger role on special teams.
Offensive line
Franklin mentioned seven offensive linemen who will be considered "starters" for Penn State, which will include some packages with six or seven linemen on the field. Those names include Nick Dawkins, Anthony Donkoh, Vega Ioane, Drew Shelton, Nolan Rucci, Cooper Cousins and Texas A&M transfer TJ Shanahan Jr.
Safety
The biggest news from Monday's press conference came at safety, where redshirt freshman Antoine Belgrave-Shorter was named a Week 1 starter opposite of Zakee Wheatley. Franklin said Belgrave-Shorter led the defense in turnovers during camp and earned the Week 1 start, though Dejuan Lane and Alabama transfer King Mack will also get significant snaps.
Nickel
Franklin said junior Zion Tracy, redshirt freshman Kenny Woseley Jr. and redshirt junior Kolin Dinkins will all get reps at the nickel position against the Wolf Pack.
Kick/punt returner
At kick returner, Franklin said Mack and running back Nicholas Singleton will rotate during Week 1. Franklin didn't name a starter at punt returner, but he mentioned Peña, Ross and Tracy as guys who will compete for that position. Peña and Ross returned punts at Syracuse and Troy, respectively, while Tracy returned 15 punts for Penn State last season.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Depth chart updates for Penn State football ahead of Week 1 vs. Nevada
Category: General Sports
