Way-too-early Penn State Preview: Offense

Let’s get this out of the way now, I know everything I say is based on the potential. Nothing that I say the rest of the way should surprise you. This is everything I say out loud but in written form. All the predictions and sometimes the outlandish things I say, none of that should ever surprise anyone.

 

(Photo: Drew Allar Instagram)

Having said that…

 

The Penn State football program is entering a crucial stretch of 3-4 years starting with the upcoming 2023 season. James Franklin’s teams have been this close more times than fans want to remember but this is the year that will make those same fans feel as confident as they ever have. Franklin has had some good teams, but how many GREAT teams? You can make an argument for 2017 as the only one but great teams win the games where they’re up 18 points on the road. This 2023 team has the potential to be elite and finally clear the hurdle(s) that have tripped them up seemingly every year. I’ve mentioned this on my podcast (The Quick Slants) but the reason why teams like Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, etc. are constantly at the top is because they have multiple elite players on both sides of the ball. Penn State has some of those elite players but haven’t had any many on both sides. That’s different this year and the pieces are finally in place. Penn State has gotten a lot of love this offseason when it comes to almighty pre-season polls. I know it’s April but who doesn’t love a top-25 poll when your team is listed at or around number 5? The expectations are as high as they’ve EVER been under James Franklin and to be honest, maybe ever. With the nucleus he has now and with how young most of that nucleus is I said the next 3-4 years are crucial because that young and very talent group can take this program to heights is hasn’t seen in decades.

 

We’ll start with the offense and see what offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich can do in his third season in Happy Valley.

 

After six seasons, four as a starter, Sean Clifford is gone. That’s met with mixed emotions from some I’d imagine. Replacing him is former 5-star quarterback Drew Allar. Penn State fans know him but maybe not everyone else. They will. The 6 foot 5, 242-pound sophomore from Medina, Ohio saw action in 10 of Penn State’s 13 games last season including the season opener against Purdue which showed how prepared he was mentally. Not an easy thing to do at quarterback. He only completed 2 passes but showed Penn State fans a tiny glimpse of what he can do. I can’t speak for all Penn State fans of course, but I was really committed to Allar after that game (if you know, you know). I knew Clifford wasn’t going to get benched unless things went south and did so quickly, but I kept driving the Allar train. When he did come in you could see the potential and you could see more people jump on the train. That train is full speed ahead now. The other name in the quarterback room is fellow sophomore Beau Pribula. Pribula figures to take a back seat once West Virginia comes around and while James Franklin did mention there is a “competition” at quarterback, I think we all know what that means. If you watched the Blue White game, you didn’t see anything that made you jump out of your seat from either guy, but you did see Allar show off some of his arm talent and why the praise for him outside of the Penn State community is growing. There were some throws that got away from him but nothing that should make fans think twice. Something else to keep an eye on is how much more open the offense is. One of the biggest changes will be the downfield throws. We didn’t get to see Allar throw it downfield a lot last year, but the coaches have, and they know what he can do. His teammates have mentioned on different occasions how well he throws the ball and the placement of the ball. One final thought on Allar and it's a big one; how much pressure is this kid. Sean Clifford didn’t have that pressure because you knew what you were getting from him. Trace McSorley didn’t have pressure on him either. Allar is looked at as the guy who can take Penn State to the next level and yes, everyone else on the team must do their part, but Allar is the one who has the ball in his hands every play. Whether it's fair or not the direction of this program not just in 2023 but beyond falls on the shoulder of 15 in blue. If he can handle it, then I’ll be able to keep my room booked for Houston in January. Grade: B

 

The running back room is going to be better than last year which is nice to think about. It’s fun to have the best running back duo in the country and arguably one of the 3-4 best running backs in Nick Singleton. Singleton has that second gear that not many have and if he can add in some of the vision fellow freshman phenom Kaytron Allen displayed last year things will be even more fun. Both backs need to work on their hands when it comes to catching the ball. I mentioned the playbook being more open and that includes getting #10 and #13 more involved in the pass game. Being able to put the ball in their hands in space and having them matched up with a linebacker or defensive back and depending on those defenders to A) catching Singleton or Allen and then B) bring them down, I like our chances. This duo can be very special and if they can take that next step from year one to year two our offense can be even more special. I don’t think I need to spend any more time on this group other than mentioning the depth issue behind Singleton and Allen, but the addition of Minnesota transfer Trey Potts will no doubt help that. Grade: A-

 

The tight end room is finally going to blossom like I’ve always thought and said it would. I believe Theo Johnson could be one of the better tight ends in the country and believe him and Tyler Warren could be the best duo in the country. Having three tight ends is nice, but there aren’t enough throws to go around. With Brenton Strange moving onto the NFL , which BTW he’s going to be better at the next level than people might think, the focus is now on Johnson and Warren. It’s a 1A and 1B type of thing with who starts but personally I’d give the nod to Johnson but that’s a slight nod. Something else to keep an eye on is the development of the receivers and if that takes longer to get in a good rhythm than Franklin and company would like then Johnson and Warren will see their targets go up and ideally their production follows. Both stand 6 foot 6 and tip the scales around 250 pounds so they are no doubt a matchup nightmare for anyone on defense. I’d expect to see us use that to our advantage and up those targets. There is still depth at the position with Jerry Cross and Khalil Dinkins lurking and while I do expect both to play, Johnson and Warren will be the obvious focus. Grade: B-

 

Heading into the season last year I said that the linebacker spot would be the biggest “weakness” for Penn State, and they would progress to one of the better units. That happened. I expect the same for the wide receivers this year. Much like the linebackers last year, you know the names at receiver, but you don’t KNOW them. Aside from KeAndre Lambert-Smith, the room is full of mostly unknowns. Harrison Wallace played more down the stretch when Parker Washington went down and is the likely number two to KLS but who are in the 3-6 spots? I just have to say this before I go on, I’m going to miss Washington. Omari Evans played well in the Blue White game, but what does that mean? Liam Clifford played more than expected last year but can he carry that into this Fall? Kaeden Saunders hasn’t played much at all. Malik McClain transferred from Florida State so everything is entirely new to him, can he develop some chemistry with Allar? There are a ton of questions with this group in terms of who will be the “other guys”. Malik Meiga is someone else to keep an eye on as well as Kent State transfer Dante Cephus. Cephus was one of the more highly coveted portal names before committing to Penn State so his presence in the receiver room should only help but he’ll only have a handful of months to get going before West Virginia comes to town. I have confidence in this room mainly because I have that much more confidence is Drew Allar but there’s no doubt this group will need to step up in 2023. Grade: C+

 

We’ll finish with the big guys up front. I’ve said it before the last two seasons that this will be the best group that Franklin has had. Well, I’m going to say that again. Anchored by a potential top-5 and maybe even number 1 overall pick next year in Olu Fashanu. The Maryland native surprised everyone when he announced he was coming back for another season. The 6 foot 6, 320-pound All-American is poised to be THAT guy for offensive line coach Phil Trautwien. A guy that Penn State hasn’t had on the offensive line since Levi Brown in the mid 2000’s. Fashanu, who once protected the blind side for last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in high school will have to do the same for someone (Allar) many believe (by many I mean me) can be in that same position. The rest of the offensive line is filled with depth and talent which is something Penn State hasn’t had both of in a while. Outside of Fashanu, the only position that is solidified is center which will be played by Hunter Norzad who is another name that might’ve surprised people when he chose to come back. He’ll take the place of long-time starter Juice Scruggs who is off to the NFL. The “other guys” on the offensive line include Nick Dawkins
(JR), JB Nelson (JR), Landon Tengwall, (RS SO) Vega Ioane (SO), Drew Shelton (SO), Caeden Wallace (JR), and Sal Wormley (JR). All those guys have played meaningful snaps, some more than others, but they’ve been out there. Shelton replaced Fashanu after the Ohio State game and figures to be in competition for right tackle with Caeden Wallace. Tengwall suffered through injury here and there last season but will absolutely be in the mix in the interior. A name to keep an eye on is the 6 foot 4, 352-pound Vega Ioane. His coaches and teammates say they haven’t seen too many guards his size move like he does and couple that with his aggressiveness, which I’ve been saying we need up front, fans should be excited for what he can bring. I love this group we have up front and obviously it starts with them, but they have the experience needed and Trautwein has proven recently that he can get those guys to play the way he wants. Having two backs like Singleton and Allen and a quarterback like Allar behind them that should be all the motivation that group needs to take the next step. Grade: A-

 

Overall, for the Mike Yurcich offense, I feel good. There’s a lot to play out with the group and while it might take a few games to get into a rhythm I don’t have any major concerns. I’ll talk about our defense next but with how elite I think that unit can be I don’t think we’ll need to score that many points. However, I do think this offense is going to be capable of putting up big numbers as the season goes on and again if number 15 can take that next step, fans will be in for a real treat.

 

Overall Offensive Grade: B