Ad Disclosure
James Franklin shares running game philosophy, comments on RB competition in fall camp
Published:
Penn State coach James Franklin discussed the team’s running game options for this upcoming season, amongst other topics when speaking with reporters on Wednesday evening.
Franklin said Penn State plans to play three running backs in a rotation this year, but he also emphasized the need for depth.
Franklin on the RBs: "We're big believers that we're gonna play three backs. … I think it's hard to play four. You better have a fourth ready."
Live scrimmages will help determine who the top three are.
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) August 11, 2021
The good news for Nittany Lions fans: Penn State has one of the deepest running back rooms in the country.
“You better have a fourth ready, because one of those three will get dinged up and then it will just go to a three-man rotation with that new guy in there,” Franklin said, via Rivals. “I do think we have four backs who we can play. We’re trying to figure out who the top three will be. We’ll get a couple of live scrimmages that will help us determine that.”
Penn State’s running back room includes Noah Cain, Keyvone Lee and Caziah Holmes. Cain was set to be Penn State’s primary starter last season before suffering a season-ending injury.
That injury gave opportunity to Lee and Holmes, who both cleared 4.0 yards per carry as true freshmen. Lee led the team in rushing with 438 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Devyn Ford is also back for another season after rushing for 274 yards on 67 carries last season. There’s also Baylor grad transfer John Lovett, who has 17 career touchdowns with the Bears.
That stable of running back should give Penn State one of the deepest rooms in the country at that position.
The Nittany Lions start the 2021 season on the road against Wisconsin on Sept. 4.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.