State of the program: Nittany Lions address Galiano, early enrollees as spring camp nears

As Thon celebrated its 46-hour dance marathon across the street at the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State football players used Saturday to reflect on everything that’s transpired in the 46 days since the Citrus Bowl.

Since the Nittany Lions’ narrow loss to Kentucky, Penn State players have been forced to adjust to the following: Wide receivers coach David Corley was fired, Phil Galiano was retained before bolting for an NFL gig, five underclassmen left for the 2019 draft, 14 freshmen enrolled early and 11 players made their intent to transfer clear. That, after two other players announced transfers following the regular season.

For a program that saw its all-time winningest quarterback take his final snap in Orlando, that’s quite a bit of change to endure. But spring camp starts March 13, and with the 2019 season knocking on the door, Penn State’s veterans projected optimism and excitement for the new campaign.

Blake Gillikin spoke to the CDT three weeks ago at Penn State’s academic celebration, and head coach James Franklin addressed the busy offseason at his National Signing Day press conference. But Saturday served as the first time since the Citrus Bowl that multiple players were made available to the media.

They addressed Galiano’s recent departure, the influx of freshmen and more.

“I think everyone is disappointed with how everything ended last year,” rising redshirt senior linebacker Jan Johnson said. “We’ve kept that in the back of our minds.”

Galiano’s good-bye

Penn State fans were surprised when Galiano — the Nittany Lions’ much-maligned special teams coordinator — was not fired after the 2018 season. But they were even more stunned that he seemingly left on his own accord, accepting an assistant position with the New Orleans Saints on Friday.

But Gillikin knew it was coming. And so did his teammates. The rising senior said the team had a meeting Thursday night to discuss Galiano’s departure.

“We always know before it’s out in the media. I really appreciate that Coach Franklin and the other coaches do it like that,” Gillikin said. “There are a bunch of different factors that go into a decision like that, and moving on to the NFL, that’s a great opportunity for him and his family. Just getting to know him for a year and having that connection, it really means a lot to us all.”

Of course, those who fill the Beaver Stadium bleachers had a different kind of connection to Galiano. The first-year coordinator somehow survived a miscue-laden season. In 2017, Penn State was ranked No. 16 nationally in punt-return average, No. 25 in net punting, No. 29 in punt defense and No. 39 in kick-return defense. All of those categories saw a significant drop-off in Galiano’s lone year running the unit.

However, now the Nittany Lions are tasked with filling his role prior to spring camp. And in the meantime, Gillikin is left as the most tenured member of the special teams unit.

“At this point, I am the coach right now, per se,” the punter said with a half-smile. “But we’re really excited to have a new coordinator going into next season. Just want to get him here as fast as possible and get to know him and start having him earn the respect of our guys here.”

Early enrollee count

Of Penn State’s 14 early enrollees, 10 own at least a four-star rating on 247 Sports. Five-star linebacker Brandon Smith was the No. 18 overall prospect in the 2019 cycle. And running back Noah Cain said at his signing ceremony that he would be in Happy Valley for three or four years, already admitting an eye on the NFL.

But the abnormally large crop of early enrollees don’t seem to have an ego.

“They’ve all been, for the most part, keeping their mouths shut and working, which is what you want to see from freshmen,” returning offensive lineman Michal Menet said.

That makes it easy for Menet, Johnson, Gillikin and the veterans to guide them from the get-go.

It helps that Franklin has created, in safety Garrett Taylor’s words, “a player-friendly environment,” one that’s conducive to early development. Menet also said that the Nittany Lions held a few player-only meetings after the spring semester started, just to get on the same page with the early enrollees about the team’s goals and expectations.

“Fourteen guys is a lot of guys. Everywhere you look there’s a face that should probably still be in high school,” the punter added. “But I think they’re really handling it well. They’re meshing with the guys.”

Leadership

Trace McSorley, Nick Scott, Shareef Miller, Miles Sanders, Ryan Bates and Connor McGovern could all be on NFL rosters when the Nittany Lions kick off their 2019 campaign against Idaho on Aug. 31. Meanwhile, Juwan Johnson, Brandon Polk, Isaiah Humphries, Zech McPhearson and nine others will be competing for a different program.

But Jan Johnson isn’t worried.

“We just focus on who’s here, who’s with us now,” the linebacker said. “What we have is what we need.”

His teammates believe that, too. Gillikin said, unlike last year, leadership has become an important aspect of every position group. Menet said while Cam Brown and Tommy Stevens primarily ran the player-only meetings, there were too many teammates with a voice to mention them all. Taylor, meanwhile, praised the team mentality the Nittany Lions have adopted this offseason.

“Everyone’s feeling really included,” the safety added. “It’s a good dynamic.”

With spring practice so soon — and the 2019 season creeping closer — that’s ultimately what matters to the veterans.

“The biggest thing right now is leadership and attitude,” Gillikin said. “I think leadership-wise and morale-wise we’re doing really well at this point.”

Added Menet: “The attitude and mentality throughout the entire team has been really good. Guys are showing up, busting their butt every single day. Everyone wants to get better, and it shows.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2019 at 7:00 PM.