Penn State coach James Franklin has been open about the fact this season will require its fair share of new faces stepping into big roles if the Nittany Lions are going to get back to winning in 2022 and beyond.
Take the likes of receiver Mitchell Tinsley from Western Kentucky, a veteran of the game, he’s new to Happy Valley but old to what it means to play college football.
But for younger faces, freshmen in particular, it’s an interesting dynamic. You’re brand new to a team, only a year removed from high school and now you’re tasked with making an impact on a brand new team. Maybe you’re a high profile prospect, maybe you’ve got a little bit of swagger coming into the Lasch Building.
And that can – in theory – rub people to wrong way. So what’s the right way to win over the veterans and earn your teammates’ respect as a new guy on campus?
“Just their actions,” tight end Brenton Strange said on Tuesday. “I mean, when a guy comes in, you’re obviously not familiar with who they are. But just by their actions, how they act in the locker room, how they treat each of their teammates. Obviously a big part of it is the play on the field but I think another important part is definitely how you treat others in the building whether that be a coach or whether that be a faculty member, anybody.”
How you conduct yourself can go a long way towards all the right kinds of vibes in a locker room. Take for example the advice former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg had for incoming freshman quarterback Drew Allar. When Allar isn’t sticking his head in the playbook, Hackenberg says the next best thing he can do is build that relationship with his teammates.
“Really trying to level with the guys on the team,” Hackenberg told StateCollege.com back in December. “And that’s a huge part of it. You have to be able to insert yourself in a way where you can touch every guy, you can influence every guy, you can do those extra things with throwing sessions and things like that where you can start developing rapport within the locker room without being a threat or without being an ego. There’s a balance in that and I think that’s huge, especially with everything that he’s got coming in: the stars, the press, the expectations. Being able to level as just a really good hard working guy and earn those guys’ trust, especially some of those older guys. I think that would be massive for him too.”
As it turns out, everything is about relationships. Good teams have good relationships, every sports has its championships won by teams that haven’t been the most talented but have been close knit. That can sometimes bridge the gap.
And while it might be too early to know what this Penn State team has in terms of chemistry and rapport, the early returns are good.
“Just working together every day so we just build on those relationships,” Penn State safety Keaton Ellis added. “You know, obviously you’ve got to start somewhere. I remember when I came in as a freshman I might not know everybody but after two or three weeks, I knew everybody by name and had a different relationship with everybody. The locker room is very positive and that’s a great sign of a good team.”
As for the functional relationships on the field, that just takes time.
The good news for Penn State fans is that Allar, probable start Sean Clifford and the rest of the quarterback room can often be seen working on the field well after practice has ended.
And people notice that, teammates notice it, and it makes a difference.
“I think they both look pretty good,” receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith said of Allar and fellow freshman Beau Pribula. “They earn respect by just coming out in practice giving their all every day and I feel like both of them do that. […] the bond is gonna build, the trust is gonna build and I feel like they’re gonna be great quarterbacks in the future.”
