As Penn State gears up for its homecoming showdown against Northwestern, head coach James Franklin met with the media Wednesday evening to address key questions about the Nittany Lions’ personnel usage.
Franklin offered insight into snap distribution across several positions, including the offensive line, running backs, wide receivers and linebackers — and the strategy behind those decisions.
Right tackle
In last weekend’s disappointing loss to UCLA, Texas A&M transfer T.J. Shanahan Jr. made his first start in blue and white, logging a career-high 58 snaps at right tackle in place of the injured Anthony Donkoh, who had been listed as questionable pregame.
Despite not starting, Donkoh did see the field, subbing in for Nolan Rucci late in the game, which Franklin clarified was part of the plan.
“(Donkoh’s) had some bumps and bruises that he’s been dealing with,” Franklin said. “That’s just part of the entire plan. We want to be able to get Rucci a few series out, and get Donkoh in there for depth, for durability, for all of it.”
Franklin said the plan is to continue to rotate at right tackle throughout the season, given both players remain healthy.
Running back
The running back usage has also been a heavy point of contention among fans, with Nick Singleton continuing to log more snaps and touches than Kaytron Allen despite substantially lower production.
Franklin previously said there’s been a “discussion” among the staff about getting Allen more carries, and on Wednesday he expanded on that claim.
“Yeah, there’s been discussions that have happened with the players,” Franklin said. “There’s been discussions that have happened with the coaches. Obviously, Kaytron is doing some really good things and deserves an opportunity to get more touches.”
Linebackers
The second level of Penn State’s defense has seen little rotation throughout the first five games. Amare Campbell and Tony Rojas were among the top of the roster in total snaps and at the top in tackles through four games, but Rojas’ injury threw a wrench into things.
Against the Bruins, veteran Dom DeLuca earned the start alongside Campbell and they finished as the only players on the field for every defensive snap, even as DeLuca’s struggled with gap integrity.
Despite a poor showing in his first start, the staff chose not to rotate in any of the younger linebackers who were praised during the offseason, including Cam Smith, Alex Tatsch and Anthony Speca. According to Franklin, the decision was rooted in their inexperience and the complexity of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ scheme.
“If you’re making mistakes at linebacker and can’t run the defense, then it’s hard to execute, no different than at the quarterback position,” Franklin said. “So those positions, it’s a little bit more magnified, but obviously it’s going to be important for us.”
Wide receivers
Penn State’s trio of transfer wideouts have shown flashes of potential but have yet to deliver consistent production. Meanwhile, promising young receivers like redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark and true freshman Koby Howard have seen minimal to no action despite offseason buzz and limited contributions from the starters.
Per PFF, Denmark has played just 19 snaps this season — including just two since the season opener — while Howard has seen none. Unlike the linebacker situation where younger players simply aren’t ready for action, Franklin said the wideouts are losing playing opportunities due to the nature of games.
“We’re in a position right now where we don’t have plays and drives that just throw somebody out there and see how it goes,” Franklin said. “We got to get our best guys on the field. Every rep is like gold, every drive is like gold, and we got to maximize that. If we feel like guys give us a better chance based on what we see in practice, then yeah, we would do that.”
