James Franklin explains why he's managing Penn State offensive line expectations differently in 2022

James Franklin wasn’t high on Penn State’s offensive line depth during spring practice. With preseason practice now in full swing ahead of the 2022 season opener at Purdue on Sept. 1, apparently his concern with the unit hasn’t changed.

The Nittany Lions struggled mightily to run the football in 2021. Their 3.2 yards per carry was tied for 2nd worst in the B1G, probably why they opted to run 437 times, 4th from last in the conference, versus 486 pass attempts, 4nd-most in the league. Their 1,402 yards on the ground was 3rd-worst in the B1G.

During his media availability on Wednesday, Franklin, who opted not to promise a breakthrough for his OL in 2022 during B1G Media Days, didn’t sound as if he was still ready to do so, and he explained why:

Why is Franklin taking a measured approach to discussing the O-line this year?
1. "The other approach hasn't worked"
2. "It wasn't like this big, comprehensive plan in the summer to not talk about it. … I'll be interested to see what you guys say Thurs. night after the game"

— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) August 11, 2022

Franklin sounds as if he feels that his approach in past years of stating that the OL was on the verge of something great has backfired. Will the unit show significant improvement as the Nittany Lions look to bounce back from a disappointing season?