Penn State Football: As One Season Ends Another Begins For Early Enrollees

The 2014 season may have only just ended but college football never really stops.

Three future Nittany Lions are set to enroll early at Penn State this January.

The advantage for early enrollees is the chance to get familiar with the system on and off the field. It’s a head start on the physical aspect of the game in the weight room and also a chance to adjust to everything about college life. Football teams are limited to only five early enrollees per cycle so space is limited for those players who have graduated early from high school and are ready to trek to Happy Valley.

So far the picture is pretty clear with three soon to be freshman headed to town, all in important areas on the roster.

Quarter Tommy Stevens from Indianapolis will join the Nittany Lions as Penn State looks to secure the position behind Christian Hackenberg following the departure of Michael O’Connor. The three star dual-threat quarterback will give Penn State some mobility in the post-Hackenberg future either a year or two from now.

Stevens will also join two key offensive linemen prospects as Penn State hopes to add depth and skill to what was a highly-scrutinized position in 2014.

The first is Lackawanna College offensive tackle Paris Palmer. Palmer had committed to South Carolina before deciding to take his talents to State College. He is a 6-foot-8, 305 pound prospect who will bring size and a college-ready body to the table. It will be some time before Palmer finds his role on the line, but it’s hard to say no to that kind of size.

Speaking of size, Pittsburgh native Sterling Jenkins will be the final freshman to enroll early as Penn State adds another 6-foot-8, 305 pound building block to the front line.

We’ll have to wait and see what kind of impact these three players have on James Franklin’s program. But for at least Palmer and Jenkins, an early jump on the offense and weight training certainly can’t hurt with spring ball not that far off.

Penn State’s season may only have ended days ago, but another one is just about to begin.

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