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James Franklin gives Penn State’s defensive ends ridiculously high praise
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James Franklin really believes there isn’t a better group of defensive ends in college football than the one he has in Happy Valley. He’s mentioned that before during the offseason, and he’s sticking with the statement.
On Tuesday, Franklin met with the media for his weekly press conference, and provided more high praise for his defensive end group. He doesn’t suspect Penn State will face a better group of defensive ends than the ones on the roster.
“I cant imagine we’re going to see a better defensive end group in the country,” Franklin said.
Penn State’s defensive end group is highlighted by Yetur Gross-Matos, Jayson Oweh and Shaka Toney. Together, those three combined for 15 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss last season. The expectation is for their presence to grow even more in 2019.
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All offseason, there’s been quite a bit of praise for Penn State’s defense. There are some nice pieces at linebacker, as well, highlighted by sophomore Micah Parsons. There is some good speed and skill in the secondary, as well.
The defensive will definitely serve as the strongest unit for Penn State this fall.
But do the best defensive ends reside in Happy Valley? It’s a bold statement, but there’s no doubt that group is talented. We’ll see just how well that group performs with high expectations this year.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB