Penn State Football: Praise And Position Change Highlight Morning Workouts

Chances are that you aren’t awake at 5 a.m. thinking about Penn State football.

And that’s okay.

But for Penn State’s coaching staff and players, the early mornings have already started. The Nittany Lions are getting in their winter workouts before the sun ever rises. Fortunately for everyone involved they’re taking place inside so the snow and the -26 windchill is only impacting the walk over to the Lasch Building.

Like all things in the Franklin era, everything is getting its own little bit of publicity. These workouts could come and go without anyone really noticing, but the offseason is a critical part of future success.

So Franklin and his staff treat it that way. For those fans paying attention, they will notice the occasional tweet praising a player for his strong workout earlier that morning. It maybe only be 140 characters, but it’s a big message to send in the dead of winter. Everything matters, and the coaches are watching. 

The entire exercise is entirely motivational, but it does give everyone on the outside a brief look into how things are going just a month from spring football.

Nearly 30 players have seen their efforts rewarded on social media. It doesn’t mean that Penn State has 30 All-Americans in the making, but there are a few interesting notes worth mentioning as spring practice rapidly approaches. Until the real news comes along, here are some nuggets to chew on for now.

Two-Time Winners:

Bob Shoop has made the most news with his tweets, giving Troy Apke the honors of best workout twice already. That makes Apke one of only two players who have made the early morning Twitter mentions multiple times for Penn State assistants. The other being Austin Johnson thanks to defensive line coach Sean Spencer.

Position Change:

Shoop also quietly noted on Twitter that Jordan Lucas will make the switch from corner to safety this season. With Adrian Amos headed to the NFL that keeps Lucas on the field in an area of need while opening the door for younger talent to fill in Lucas’ role at corner. It’s hard to imagine Lucas avoiding any snaps at corner this season, but it sounds like the majority of his time will be spent at safety.

Walk-On Power:

Brian Tomassetti also got some love from Shoop as a walk-on safety during the morning workouts. Goes to show that anybody can have the best day of the group. Receiver Gregg Garrity has also gotten his fair share of appreciation from wideout coach Josh Gattis.

Offensive Line:

Still the biggest question mark on the team, offensive line coach Herb Hand has given four of his guys some love. Chase Wright, Noah Beh, Angelo Mangiro and Albert Hall have all made the morning list.

New Faces: 

These players aren’t new to the team, but they could be new to the spotlight. Tight end Dom Salomone and defensive back Amani Oruwariye both got some praise from their respective assistant coaches along with Troy Apke’s two mentions.

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