The Penn State Nittany Lions had a strong campaign last season in the NCAAF; however, they fell short of their main goal of at least reaching the National Championship. To address this, it became crucial to improve their roster, and thanks to the Transfer Portal, James Franklin can assure that this year, their rivals will face a much stronger team in all areas.
One of the biggest deficits last season, according to their coach, was their receivers. Regarding this, it was James Franklin himself who assured that they have strengthened in the best way possible for what’s to come.
“I felt like we got better this year,” Franklin stated to the press. “Obviously, when the season ends the way it did, that probably taints the perspective.”
Despite the departures of both Wallace to Ole Miss and Evans to Washington, Drew Allar will be able to count on Hudson and Ross, two of the receivers who recently joined Penn State through the Transfer Portal.
“We obviously went into the transfer portal and got some guys as well who have also been impressive,” Franklin also added. “But we’ll have a better idea once we get through winter workouts. We’ll have a better idea through spring ball. We’ll have a better idea after talking to the strength coaches and we kind of really get into it.”
A new window opens for programs in mid-April, where they can bring in players through this important process. Despite this, the coach intends to be cautious with any moves that happen within the program.
“You have to be careful that you [don’t] get intoxicated by the transfer portal and the possibilities of the transfer portal,” Franklin said. “We have not lived in the transfer portal, really for any position. We want to be very strategic about who and what we bring in, because we work so hard to create a locker room that we feel really good about culturally.”
The opportunity for the youngest players at Penn State
In addition to the important arrivals of both Ross and Hudson, coach James Franklin will also have the services of two major prospects in the receiver corps: Tyseer Denmark and Peter Gonzalez.
Denmark, who already had the luxury of catching two passes and scoring a touchdown against Maryland, spoke to the press and shared his feelings about the opportunity that lies ahead in the near future.
“I see a great opportunity looking forward just because I know how hard I’m gonna work. Like, it ain’t gonna be easy. You gotta work for it,” Denmark stated during a recent media availability. “The opportunities I’m gonna potentially and eventually get? Who knows, but I’m just here to get better every day.”
“[The touchdown vs. Maryland] just made me realize, like, ‘Okay, it’s time to go.’ You could step into a role, or some type of place on the team, to where you can spark a fire,” Denmark said. “… I just know I’m going to work hard, take advantage of what the [wide receiver room] turnover has become, and just keep my head down and lead.”