Penn State Football: Post-Spring Notes to Chew on While Waiting for QB Decision

Anticipation is bubbling with Penn State’s quarterback announcement imminent.

Sorry, nothing to report on that front yet. Coach Bill O’Brien said he could name a starter by the end of the month. We’ll grant him some wiggle room and say a decision is coming soon.

Meanwhile, Penn State kicks off the summer camp season Saturday with the first of two advanced skills camps.

Aside from that, football is on the backburner. Players are conducting team-organized practice sessions without coaching supervision — per NCAA rules — and are hitting their stride with strength coach Craig Fitzgerald’s summer conditioning program.

That’s why a Q&A between PSU media savant Tony Mancuso and Coach O’Brien about training camp and post-spring assessments is so noteworthy on this day.

O’Brien told GoPSUSports.com the month of June will consist of many staff meetings to plan training camp and further evaluate the roster.

The amount of practice time increases from 15 sessions to 29 starting Aug. 6.

“Practice will be a little bit different in the structure of how we do drill work,” O’Brien said. “We pretty much know who our top players are. Now, it is about getting a team ready to play a season. Understanding how we are going to practice during a season is part of it. The other thing that is really important is what we want to get accomplished during the first week, the second week and then the third week.

“Then we will have three or four scrimmages during the training camp to really get our guys in a game mentality. Training camp will be different, but at the same time, the tempo won’t change. The intensity won’t change. The way we coach won’t change.’

Other highlights from the two-part interview:

• Addressing the secondary, O’Brien expects big things out of sophomore Adrian Amos, who can play either safety or corner. Jacob Fagnano and Stephen Obeng-Agyapong were said to have good springs at the safety spot opposite Malcolm Willis. One name noticeably absent from the secondary report: Curtis Drake, who is reportedly not with the team because of academic reasons. For as much flak as the secondary has gotten for its depth, O’Brien thinks the starting core is good enough. ‘It is really depth,” he said. “I want to make sure that I am really clear on that.  It is not talent.  It is depth.’

• At linebacker, Khairi Fortt and Mike Mauti will be back for training camp. Both missed most of the spring because of knee injuries, though Mauti was held out for precautionary reasons following an ACL tear last season. Penn State will get creative in finding ways to pressure the quarterback, including a bevy of blitzes from the linebackers. Anyone in mind, Coach? “Mike Hull, to me, one of the things he does well is the way he blitzes.  He has a knack for blitzing.”

• The front four on the defensive line seems set with Pete Massaro, Jordan Hill, DaQuan Jones and Sean Stanley. But O’Brien gave another name to watch for this fall to be a regular in the rotation. “I think [Deion] Barnes, who is a young guy, can be a really special player.”

• O’Brien feels good about the wide receiver position. Alex Kenney should be all-go for training camp following a minor knee injury that limited him in the spring. Kenney is one of about five or six receivers O’Brien thinks can contribute, along with Justin Brown, Devon Smith, Shawney Kersey and Allen Robinson.

Related coverage:

• StateCollege.com’s Penn State football page