Penn State Football: Franklin Eyes Small Change In How Nittany Lions Use Redshirt Rule

As the NCAA’s rule that allows true freshmen to play in four games without losing a year of eligibility enters its second season, the question for Penn State and coach James Franklin is how to make the most of it.

On the one hand you could play lots of freshmen early. Idaho and Buffalo shouldn’t prove to be much of a challenge and while it stands to reason that the Pitt game will be competitive, sneaking in a few new faces isn’t out of the question. One final game against Rutgers or another lower tier Big Ten team could round out those four games.

Effectively those players get experience, but they don’t really impact the season, and their youth doesn’t show up in games when a mistake might cost you points.

Fans with a good eye would have seen this last year as Penn State played defensive end Jayson Oweh in three Big Ten games and against Kent State. Receiver Justin Shorter also followed a similar path after he was finally healthy, making appearances in four games as well. [They weren’t the only two, but they’re the best examples.]

But in many ways neither player served a larger role when it came to the timing of their appearances, Shorter managed two catches in the bowl game but that was his most meaningful contribution. Similarly, Oweh, who heads into 2019 with high expectations, had a fairly inconsequential stat line during his appearances in 2018 aside from two sacks against Kent State.

According to Franklin not much will change in 2019, but a few players might wait in the wings as reserves to be used later in the year. A few more months of practice under their belts, and a bit more of an impact if their number is called.

“I will say the one thing where we’re probably a little different is there’s a couple guys we would like to redshirt,” Franklin said. “So what we’re probably going to do is not play them early on and save all four games for the end of the season for injuries and try to use those four games at the end of the year, but try to save them so we don’t burn them unnecessarily if we don’t have to. And there are a couple of guys that fall into that category.”

The new redshirt rule isn’t rocket science because Penn State will play everyone that is ready to play, but if the Nittany Lions utilize the rule in a way they feel is more efficient, late-season cameos that don’t count against a player’s eligibility could be an interesting wrinkle by the time November comes around.

And then suddenly those four games mean a lot more than simply getting players on the field during a blowout.