James Franklin addresses Joey Porter Jr.’s absence and Ji’Ayir Brown’s impact this season
James Franklin cleared up Joey Porter Jr.’s absence from Saturday’s game against the Maryland Terrapins after what he called “misreporting” of the situation.
“Joey had appendicitis,” Franklin said. “That’s what happened. Obviously I wouldn’t release any medical information without clearing it with the family first, but I don’t like the fact that there has been some misreporting out there. I don’t really understand how that happens. It did, so I wanted to clear it up.”
Porter’s absence against the Terps was not as notable as one might think given his ability. The redshirt junior is widely projected as a first round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and has proven he can be a lockdown cornerback for the Nittany Lions this season against high level receivers.
Yet, on Saturday, the Nittany Lions didn’t miss a beat.
The team’s other cornerbacks, including Kalen King and Johnny Dixon, stepped up and helped all but eliminate the Maryland passing game as the defense pitched a shutout.
Franklin said that play is a testament to the depth the defense has at the position.
“Obviously Joey gets a ton of credit, and he deserves that,” Franklin said. “You look at how Kalen King has been playing, look at how Johnny Dixon has been playing. Johnny may be one of the most improved guys in our entire program. You look at Daequan Hardy and you look at Marquis Wilson, we feel like we got five corners that have played a lot of football for us and played really well.”
While Porter has the ability to step up and take on an opponent’s best wide receiver for an entire game, that’s not necessarily something that has been asked of him this season. King could theoretically fill that role if it were the case, but because it hasn’t been, the team was in a better position on Saturday and should be moving forward.
The Nittany Lions and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz didn’t have to make drastic alterations to their scheme in the game and were able to play how they usually do, despite not having one of the best players on the defense available.
“We didn’t change scheme or how we play on Saturday,” Franklin said. “We were able to do it with those guys and do it at a high level. Obviously excited and hoping to get Joey back as soon as possible, but we were able to execute our defense at a very high level on Saturday against a really good team with those corners that were available.”
Ji’Ayir Brown’s time winding down
The Penn State defense has been the most consistent side of the ball for the Nittany Lions and a large portion of that credit goes to senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown. He returned for this season after having a chance to go to the 2022 NFL Draft and has been one of the clear leaders on that side of the ball.
Franklin said his name doesn’t pop up as much in the general discourse as it should, and credits the senior safety for the impact he’s made this season.
“I don’t think he’s getting enough attention,” he said. “I don’t think enough people are talking about him when it comes to college football awards, when it comes to the NFL. His name should be all over the place. He’s playing his tail off. He makes his teammates better. He’s able to impact the game both in the run game and in the passing game, so very well-rounded football player.”
Brown is a player whose impact has transcended the field of play in his time at Penn State. He can change a game with an interception or a sack but he’s also able to balance interactions with players and coaches, while understanding how to communicate with either group.
Despite all that, Brown has said he hasn’t met all the goals he’s achieved this season. Franklin said that’s just how the star safety is as a person.
“He’s been phenomenal in every way that I could describe,” Franklin said. “I would say really no matter how this season has gone, if he had ten interceptions right now, I think he would still be disappointed. Just kind of how he’s wired. He’s very driven. Very competitive.”
Brown’s impact on safety room
Brown has been a key piece for Diaz this season, but won’t be able to do that once his eligibility clock runs out after this season. Instead, he’s taken to influencing how the defense operates in the future a different way. His presence on the field helped provide stability, which gave the team’s other safeties time to grow into their roles.
“That’s probably a thing you heard me talk about before, about his ability not only to play well individually, but his impact on the guys around him,” Franklin said. “He’s probably one of the guys that early on his rep count was high. Why? Because we felt strongly and (safeties) Coach (Anthony) Poindexter felt strongly that all those guys, when you talk about our safeties, whether it’s Jaylen Reed or K.J. Winston or Zakee (Wheatley) or Keaton Ellis, that it was obvious when you watch the tape that they all played better when he was on the field with them.”
That will be necessary, because few players on the team can affect his teammates as positively after a win or loss as Brown can. He’s shown his leadership abilities time and time again this season and that will have to fall elsewhere once he departs.
Franklin singled out Ellis in particular as someone who can take over some of those responsibilities after this season because he’ll become the veteran in the room.
“Keaton is another guy that’s experienced, so when Tig wasn’t on the field we wanted to make sure Keaton was on the field, because he could have a similar impact,” Franklin said. “We need Keaton to step into that role moving forward.”
Quick Hitters
- Franklin said his program does not rely solely on analytics to determine when to go for it on fourth down. “I’m not one of these guys that I live and die by it, I do exactly what the book says. We go through the recommendations and I have a core group of guys that I meet with. We meet every Monday. What’s interesting, is we go over what we want to do. OK, here is what the book is suggesting we do this week. Because it does adjust based on your opponent.”
- The T package the team uses with two running backs and a tight end in the backfield, along with a tight end on each end of the line of scrimmage, is something Franklin said the team will continue to use and continue to take pride in given the success his team has had with it.
