‘We Can’t Throw Enough.’ What That Looks Like to Drew Allar and KeAndre Lambert-Smith

James Franklin thinks that heading into this summer his offense doesn’t lack for talented players — albeit somewhat young — who can catch or throw the football.

It’s just that now, at the conclusion of 15 spring practices, including the Blue-White Game, he wants them to do it. Again and again and again.

There are, after all, only 20 weeks until the Nittany Lions’ Sept. 2 season opener vs. West Virginia in Beaver Stadium.

On Saturday after the annual scrimmage in Beaver Stadium, it was as if Franklin was channeling that old musician in New York City who was asked by a young tourist, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”

“Practice,” he said, “Practice.”

Here’s what Franklin, who wrapped up his 10th set of spring practices as Penn State’s head coach, really had to say after his three young quarterbacks were a combined 29 of 57 for 294 yards, with a TD and an interception, in the Blue-White Game:

“We have the talent in the room, currently in the room,” Franklin said. “We just got to grind through it. We can’t throw enough. Our quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs — we cannot throw enough all summer.”

It is #107 days until Aug. 1, very likely Penn State’s first official day of fall practice.

For Franklin and his offensive coordinator, Mike Yurcich, there aren’t enough hours in a day over the summer to rapidly mature Penn State’s passing game. Assistant coaches are permitted to work directly with each player for only eight hours a week during the summer. That leaves a wide gap in the players’ schedule that they must fill with direction from the strength coaches and — most of all — in group workouts that the players put together and supervise on their own.

On Saturday, Allar — who was 19 of 30 for 202 yards and a TD in the Blue-White Game — said he sees that work as being essential.

“Yeah, I think it’s a huge thing,” Allar said. “We won’t have any problems with getting people there. We’re all super motivated. We’re already meeting with the strength staff about the schedule and when’s the best time to throw, and when we should be throwing.

“Obviously, we don’t want to burn legs early in the summer. But it is really important that we throw a ton this summer. We can take the passing game as far as we want to go, but it’s going to take a lot of work. It’s going to take a lot of just grinding the little details. I’m looking forward to it. I know the tight ends, receivers and running backs are really looking forward to this summer, too.”

THE HAMILTON DOCTRINE

There is a lot of work to do.

Allar has 10 college games and 60 pass attempts under his belt, after going 35 of 60 for 344 yards and four TDs as a true freshman in 2022. Fellow QB Beau Pribula, also heading into his second season, did not throw a pass in a game last season. He was just 10 of 26 for 92 yards and a pick on Saturday.

Overall, the Nittany Lions have 13 players back in 2023 who caught at least one pass in a PSU uniform. Combined, that group has an even 200 receptions at Penn State. Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith leads the way, with 63 catches, while tight end Theo Johnson has 43 career receptions. Running back Kaytron Allen has 20, followed by WR Harrison Wallace (19), TE Tyler Warren (15) and RB Nick Singleton (11).

Two additions via the transfer portal— Malik McClain (Florida State) and Dante Cephas (Kent State) — have already combined for almost 200 college catches themselves.

McClain, who arrived in January 2023, had 33 receptions for 396 yards and five TDs in two seasons and a dozen starts at Florida State. Cephas, who will fight Lambert-Smith for the No. 1 receiver spot, will enroll this summer. He had 145 receptions for 2,139 yards and 12 TDs at Kent State.

Cephas, especially, has some catching up to do this summer to get in synch with Allar and Pribula. He’ll get his chances.

I remember Penn State’s all-time career reception leader, DaeSean Hamilton, sharing several years ago how arduous — and important — the team-led summer passing drills were.

“We realized the past two or three years that guys were not taking that kind of stuff seriously,” Hamilton said in July 2016, leading up to a breakthrough 11-3 season. “For some people, they thought the summer didn’t matter because they could turn it on when camp came around. That’s not the type of mindset we need. We want to take it seriously.

“The workouts can get drawn-out throughout the whole summer. We want guys to stay intense and not lose interest while we’re out there trying to get better. It’s up to us to make sure they stay attentive and take it seriously and stay on the same page.”

Hamilton, who finished his career with 214 receptions, worked with longtime starters Christian Hackenberg and Trace McSorley over the summer. I asked him how many passes he caught at each players-only practice session.

“It depends on how many guys are out there,” Hamilton said, “but on average I’d say (we make) probably over 100 catches (per session) – 100 to 200 catches, out there for about two hours, two-and-a-half hours, running routes and working on specific concepts.”

KLS: SUMMER IS A PLUS

Lambert-Smith, who is entering his fourth season as at least a part-time starter at wide receiver, thinks his teammates are up to the challenge.

The skill players in Penn State’s offense — quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends — are all part of a group chat that is directed by Allar and Pribula. They’ll be the ones who will send texts to their teammates, directing them to get together this summer, to throw pass after pass together, and to review film as a group.

“They put in a group chat, to be at the field at this time or watch film at this time, and that’s what it’s going to take,” Lambert-Smith said. “This summer is going to be big for us getting up on off-days, hitting the field and continuing to build on that.”

The receivers’ chemistry with Allar is good, KLS said, but can be better.

“I can’t say it’s bad, but you know there’s always room for improvement,” he said. “It’s just timing and just knowing every receiver in and out. How this guy runs his route, the speed of different receivers. That’s going to come with time. This past spring was the first time we actually had Drew the whole spring get reps with the 1s and us getting reps with him.”

The veteran receiver knows, though, that for the next 100 or so days, the team’s overall success and the ability to meet Franklin’s mantra that they “can’t throw enough” is fully on the players and not their coaches.

From Lambert-Smith: “It’s like Coach Franklin says, ‘The good teams are led by the coaches and the best teams are led by the players.’ We just need to find that leadership, of getting up and holding guys accountable. And I feel like the team has done a great job in that way.”