James Franklin Says Penn State 'in a Good Place' as Training Camp Nears End

Unlike Georgia Tech coach Brent Key, who recently said in a press conference that his team “isn’t anywhere close to being ready” for a game, Franklin said that Penn State is in a good place.

“I feel really good about [camp],” Franklin said. “We’ve had a ton of reps. … I think the morning walkthrough and the afternoon practice is enough. We get a ton out of it, especially the way we are walking through. Guys are doing a really good job of being detail-oriented, footwork, pad level, all of it.”

Additionally, Franklin said it’s “very different” in Year 2 with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig, noting that Kotelnicki has had fewer questions this camp. 

“I think the biggest thing is he knows our program,” Franklin said. “He knows how to operate. So there’s a ton of value in that [and] less questions he has to ask. But then the other thing is, he knows our personnel better, he knows our team better. He knows what our strengths are [and] he knows what our weaknesses are. We’ve come to a point now in camp [that] we have a pretty good idea of what our identity is going to be.”

The backup quarterback competition continues

Franklin said he’s close to deciding between redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer and redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik as the No. 2 quarterback. He’s also not ready to announce it. 

“We haven’t sat down and talked to those guys yet,” Franklin said. “Probably a week ago, we were close to making the decision and then held off because we had a couple of inconsistent practices. But we’re close to making that decision again.”

Franklin also said that his staff has started to adjust the reps for the quarterback whom they believe leads the competition; Grunkemeyer took reps at practice Tuesday behind starter Drew Allar. Still, Franklin mentioned a few weeks ago that the situation might be “whoever has the best week that week could be the backup quarterback [that week].”

Right guard decision looms as well

Though Anthony Donkoh and Cooper Cousins lead the competition at right guard, Franklin included Texas A&M transfer TJ Shanahan in the mix as well. Shanahan is a former 4-star in the 2023 recruiting class and, while he likely won’t win the battle, he could be a viable depth piece.

But the competition goes beyond just the guards. It also factors in how right tackle Nolan Rucci is playing. If Rucci stumbles, Donkoh could return to tackle, where he started last season before getting injured. Franklin said it’s close and the final decision is near.

“Donkoh, Cousins, Shanahan. All three of those guys are in the heat of it,” Franklin said. “It’s also how Rucci is playing, right? All those things kind of are factored in together. But I’d say it’s similar to the quarterback. I think we've got a pretty good idea if we were going to play this Saturday, but it’s still close enough to continue the competition.

“We’re going to continue the competition differently than quarterback. We’re still probably rotating all those guys [so they get] equal reps. But it’s a battle and it really included all four of them, because how Rucci plays factors in. Because we can move Donkoh to tackle and then it’s a two-man race inside. So [we’re] not ready to make the decision yet, but it’s a really good battle.”