For the last time before toe meets leather between Penn State and Villanova on Saturday, head coach James Franklin met with the media to field questions about his program.
Franklin touched on the ongoing battle for Penn State’s RB3 role, early issues with defensive playcalling and offensive lineman TJ Shanahan’s development since transferring from Texas A&M.
Here’s what he had to say Wednesday evening.
The battle continues
Entering the season, Franklin made it clear redshirt sophomore Cam Wallace and redshirt freshmen Quinton Martin Jr. and Corey Smith were in a three-way battle for Penn State’s third running back spot behind Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
Against Nevada, Wallace and Smith each saw 11 snaps and five carries, making it difficult to decipher who had the edge, while Martin didn’t see any time. The following game provided no further clarity, as Singleton and Allen stayed in until the final whistle.
Franklin said Martin, who’s yet to see a snap this season, was dealing with “bumps and bruises” that made him unavailable to participate against the Wolf Pack.
“For Week 1, he was banged up, so that’s why he was not available,” Franklin said. “But yeah, we expect and anticipate, he’s been part of that battle. There’s three guys battling for that number three job. He’s part of it.”
Franklin added that they’d like for one of the trio to pull away, but until one does so, they’ll keep splitting time throughout the season.
Communication frustration
Last year marked the debut of in-helmet communication, allowing one player at a time — marked with a green dot on his helmet — to be in direct communication with a coach. Last year, Tom Allen began the season broadcasting plays to linebacker Kobe King, but linebackers coach Dan Connor took over after communication errors.
This season has also seen its share of struggles, with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and linebacker Amare Campbell as the primary contacts.
“Different coaches have different styles in the way they do it, and then sometimes you got technology issues, and you can signal, but we know what that leads to, right?” Franklin said. “So yeah, there’s been some challenges with it.”
Franklin didn’t get into specifics but mentioned crowd noise and tempo offenses as factors that create difficulty relaying plays. He did say the team is not considering reverting back to Connor as the play-caller.
Shanahan’s in shape
When asked about Shanahan, Franklin was complimentary but noted his physical improvement since arriving on campus, saying he’s made major strides working with Penn State’s strength and conditioning staff after spending two seasons at Texas A&M.
“Sometimes we get guys from other schools, and they’re lacking in some areas, and we can make a difference in a short period of time,” Franklin said. “And that’s talking about all the transfers, not just TJ. Some guys come in from programs, and they’re in really good shape, and other guys, it seems like they haven’t done a whole lot, you know, based on the previous school.”
Shanahan, who was listed at 330 pounds last season with the Aggies, said Wednesday he’s in the 310-315 range and is “definitely the strongest” he’s ever been.
Though Shanahan hasn’t started through two games, he’s played for multiple drives and was in contention for the starting spot at right guard entering the season. His physical development has put him in position for a bigger role than many anticipated this season.
