Off Season and Pre Season Articles Thread
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GregInPitt
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Penn State Training Camp Ends Soon. Here's What We Know About the Nittany Lions
The second-ranked Nittany Lions begin the 2025 season with talent to spare and some questions to answer.
GregInPitt
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Penn State Football Power Rankings: Which Position Is the Nittany Lions' Best?
James Franklin called this his best combination of personnel and coaches at Penn State. So let's rank their rooms.
GregInPitt
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Penn State: Examining the Future of the RB Room | NSN
With 2025 being the last dance for many Penn State stalwarts, we examine what to watch for as replacements and the pipeline coming in.
nittanysportsnow.com
I don't know what we are thinking in regards to Quinton Martin. If Wallace holds on to the RB3 position and becomes the starter next season then what is Martin's role? He is athletic and versatile and can't just be the 2nd string RB. Kotelnicki has to be creative in how he uses Martin. He played receiver in high school so we should be leveraging his receiving talents.Penn State: Examining the Future of the RB Room | NSN
With 2025 being the last dance for many Penn State stalwarts, we examine what to watch for as replacements and the pipeline coming in.
GregInPitt
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I'm not sure what happens at the RB3 position near term has much standing when the competition to replace the Singleton/Allen duo after this season begins. There will be 5 RB's competing for 2026 carries after this season if all stay at PSU. I can see a decent possibility that Franklin rotates the RB3 role this season between Wallace, Martin and Smith, still giving Hayes and Coleman a few carries in blowout games while maintaining their redshirts in order to stress the fact that all 5 of the RB's now on the roster behind Singleton and Allen will have a legit shot at meaningfull RB roles in 2026.
I also look for Franklin to try and form a new main duo at RB if there are 2 excellent RB's at the top of the competition. The days of a super RB1 that get's 70+ percent of the carries in non joke games (Cappeletti, Warner, Johnson, .... Barkley) may be over.
Of the 5 that can return for 2026 it would seem that Franklin would really like at least 4 to return for 2026 so he can redshirt next year's true freshman Mickens. And the way to see that happen is to give as many of them meaningful carries this season. Martin may be the best receiving RB of the 5 and I hope we see him being used in that role as Singleton is used regularly, and possibly in more down the field routes but still coming out of the backfield. Remember when Saquon beat TJ Watt like a rented mule on the wheel route?
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I think Wallace will be a starter next season but you bring up a good point that we probably want two RBs like we have now. Using that as a model I can see Martin getting on the field. I think we will see some creative sets this year that leverage Martin's receiving ability and we will see even more of that next season. One thing that is finally becoming apparent to me is he won't play WR.
LudicrousSpeedGO!
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Not concerned about the RB3 competition. Like Greg said, it will probably continue throughout the season. And the depth has talent, we just need to let the cream rise to the top. Give them all a chance to show what they can do. They should all realize that there is massive opportunity for carries in 2026. If someone falls significantly behind, I could see them moving on. But otherwise, there is a competition for 2 spots going all the way into 2026 summer camp.
Add Spell and it could change the outcome. He is the #1 overall RB recruit. He may force his way in right away. That may run someone off next in 2026 that sees the writing on the wall. But this is projecting too far out to have any real confidence. Spell is taking visits. We need to get him here first.
Add Spell and it could change the outcome. He is the #1 overall RB recruit. He may force his way in right away. That may run someone off next in 2026 that sees the writing on the wall. But this is projecting too far out to have any real confidence. Spell is taking visits. We need to get him here first.
GregInPitt
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I'm not sure Spell will have much of an impact on who of the 5 RB's now in competition for RB3 (really 3, not including the true freshmen) stay and compete for a big role in 2026 as he's a 2027 class recruit. Who ever gets a big role for 2026 would seem to have the self confidence in being the returning starter or co-starter to stick around for 2027. But it does seem that the non-freshmen RB's that are not getting carries in 2026 would move on after 2026.
RickinDayton
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Gregg, I think you want Mickens as the incoming 2026 RB, not Spell. Spell is 2027 if PSU can sign him. The competition for Spell continues to heat up.
LudicrousSpeedGO!
Well-known member
Sorry for the confusion. I was discussion the 2026 competition which has already started in paragraph 1. I was talking the 2027 competition in paragraph 2 when I introduced Spell. I just didn't label that the 2027 competition.
I'm thinking it's possible that whomever is lowest in the pecking order for the current RB3 competition amongst the non-true freshman could move on in the next portal period. I think that RBs 3&4 from this season have a leg up on the 2026 jobs (2 of them). But we still see the current true freshmen and maybe even Mickens competing for RB1-3 carries in 2026. I'm also thinking that in 2027, Spell could be good enough to leapfrog a couple of guys at least that would then decide to portal. But that crystal ball gets fuzzier and fuzzier the further out you look.
Let's just land Spell first, that is no lock.
LudicrousSpeedGO!
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Yep, that's what I stated in the original post that I brought his name into the RB sidebar.
GregInPitt
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Yep, that's what I was getting at, focused on the 2026 RB camp competition to really be in RB1-2 competition. To be one of the RB's that get lots of carries. This year's true freshmen realize they are pretty inexperienced regarding pass protection and the other responsibilites of the PSU RB position which is a disadvantage that likely keeps them out of the true competition for the 2026 RB3 job.
And I agree that if any of the 3 non freshman backups come to the conclusion that they are truely behind the other 2, and possibly even behind Hayes or Coleman, they likely will portal after this season. That's why I see Franklin trying to keep as many of them happy as possible by alternating the RB3 job game to game.
I can't even begin to project what might happen for 2027. Spell might not end up at PSU, or he may with a 2nd RB in the class if a couple of the current RB's would decide to leave. So many possibilities.
Remember the big RB in the 2020 class Keyvone Lee I believe, that was bascially a starter early at PSU that ended up transferring when he got beat out. Even whoever starts next season as RB1 could get beat out by the end of the 2027 season and transfer. Franklin will continue to try and put the most explosive RB's on the field. We've been spoiled the last couple of years with having Singleton and Allen who are clearly both top college RB's and future NFL RB's.
Sheriff Coffee
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i read an article that is blocked by a pay wall that was pretty interesting.
tOSU has lost both coordinators from their 2024 natty season.
On defense, they hired Matt Patricia. Matt has had a spotty career, cutting his teeth and getting his best football under Bill Belichick in New England (who was a DC, so oversaw Patricia's schemes). This is quite a change for both Patricia and the team. Plus, Day came in as an OC so is less helpful on defense.
On offense, Chip Kelly left to become OC in Vegas. This may be less impactful since they promoted long-time WR coach Brian Hartline. However, it is still a change.
tOSU has lost both coordinators from their 2024 natty season.
On defense, they hired Matt Patricia. Matt has had a spotty career, cutting his teeth and getting his best football under Bill Belichick in New England (who was a DC, so oversaw Patricia's schemes). This is quite a change for both Patricia and the team. Plus, Day came in as an OC so is less helpful on defense.
On offense, Chip Kelly left to become OC in Vegas. This may be less impactful since they promoted long-time WR coach Brian Hartline. However, it is still a change.
GregInPitt
Well-known member
The year(s) PSU had 10 drafted they had more than 10 that were "draftable". I love the talent on the team but in the longer term I expect more than 10 to be drafted from this roster, but maybe not in the Spring 2026 draft......
