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What James Franklin said after Penn State concluded spring practice
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Penn State put a bow on spring practice on Friday night, closing out with a live practice and scrimmage in front of first-year students at Beaver Stadium.
This was an important spring for Penn State, coming off a disappointing 4-5 campaign in 2020. The Nittany Lions are looking to get acclimating to new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, improve quarterback play and get the newcomers and early enrollees some important reps before summer and fall camp.
Franklin thought it was a really good spring season, but acknowledged there’s still plenty of work to be done if Penn State wants to re-establish itself as a contender in the B1G. The head coach pointed out some individuals who had big springs, dissected the quarterback battle and addressed other questions following Friday night’s practice.
Here’s what Franklin said while meeting with reporters:
Franklin on spring ball: "I thought we had a good spring…we stayed healthy, for the most part, and identified some key strengths and weaknesses."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
Franklin identified Tariq Castro-Fields, Jaquan Brisker, Rasheed Walker, Kalen King, Tyler Elsdon, Mike Miranda, and Parker Washington as guys who had great springs.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
Franklin on Penn State's quarterback development: "There's so many things on their plate…having a strong supporting cast around your quarterback makes a difference."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
Franklin added that he's been pleased with all three scholarship quarterbacks but there's still work to be done.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
Franklin on transfer running back John Lovett: "Early on he was flashing some things and we were really excited…he's a mature guy."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
Franklin on the quarterback job: "I don't think you're ever comfortable at the quarterback position until those guys have gotten game reps."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
"We'd like that gap to be closed between our ones and our twos," Franklin added.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
Franklin on Jesse Luketa and Ellis Brooks: "We view both of them as starters for us. They will both be starters for us."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
Franklin added that he's had conversations with Luketa about a potential position change and will get into more detail about it over the summer.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
Franklin said Luketa wasn't able to get any live work done this spring.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) April 24, 2021
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