Ad Disclosure
James Franklin says Shaka Toney’s intelligence, football IQ is ‘off the charts’
Published:
Penn State is ranked No. 10 in the country and 5-0 overall. The only hiccup came against Pittsburgh, when the Nittany Lions won 17-10.
Each of the other four games this season have resulted in Penn State winning by at least 28 points. In the team’s last game — a 35-7 win over Purdue — defensive end Shaka Toney recorded three sacks. Toney is a junior and now has five sacks this season.
RELATED: BTN analyst says ‘Kinnick is where Top 10 teams go to die’
On Tuesday, ahead of Penn State’s matchup at No. 17 Iowa, coach James Franklin spoke with the media about Toney and exactly how smart he is:
https://twitter.com/audsnyder4/status/1181610540222877698?s=21
JF: Toney's football IQ is "off the charts," an underrated aspect of his game.
— Donnie Collins (@PennStateTT) October 8, 2019
JF: "We couldn't be more proud of Shaka" Toney. Grown in every area since he arrived on campus. Recruited him to be an OLB, but he changed his mind during the recruiting process. "I think our program has embraced Shaka."
— Donnie Collins (@PennStateTT) October 8, 2019
Toney, as Franklin said, was recruited to be an outside linebacker. So much for that. He’s now a defensive end and if his three-sack performance is any indicator of what’s to come, Toney is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Penn State-Iowa is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC.
Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.