Here’s what we saw and what stood out at Penn State’s first spring practice of 2025
James Franklin sat at the front of the Beaver Stadium media room Tuesday afternoon and answered questions the best he could about his team, one he hasn’t seen practice with a football since early January. He praised players for their work so far during the offseason and for how they performed during winter workouts — players like transfer portal additions Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson at wide receiver.
They play the position that will be under the biggest microscope this offseason as the Nittany Lions try to fill a pass-catching void left behind by Tyler Warren while improving off a poor season by the receivers as a whole. A positive winter workout is a good start.
But at the end of the day, there’s only so much to glean from those situations — especially at receiver.
“You guys have (seen) the competition winners and things like that that we post on social media,” Franklin said. “But, we don’t have footballs really involved. To really judge a wide receiver before you’ve seen them at practice and running routes and creating separation and one-on-ones and making contested catch es and catch percentage and radius and those things, it’s hard to say.”
Fortunately for Franklin and his coaching staff, they will now get that information. The Nittany Lions started spring practice Tuesday night, with an extended portion open to the media.
Here’s what we saw from Penn State’s first spring practice. It’s important to note that the viewing window was only a portion of a single spring practice out of 15 that will happen overall. There will be good and bad reps for most players throughout the spring, and one bad rep does not necessarily indicate a player isn’t going to play well for Penn State.
What we saw from the offense
- The wide receivers are going to be the focal point of the offseason — for good reason — and in a limited viewing window this group looks much different than last year. Part of that is the personnel turnover, of which there’s been plenty, part of it is the physical development of players.
- Freshmen Matt Outten and Koby Howard both look physically impressive. Outten in particular is built like a linebacker. He won a 1-on-1 rep over Elliot Washington II, a projected starter at cornerback, despite not running a great route. That’s going to be the biggest point of emphasis for him moving forward — improving his route running and refinement at the position. Right now he looks like a player who you draw up ways to get the ball to him easily and let him go to work in the open field.
- Ross and Hudson both impressed in the viewing window as well. Hudson has the looks of a physical outside receiver who should be reliable for quarterback Drew Allar, while Ross has the makings of a potential No. 1 option. That’s not to say he’s going to be the team’s savior at the position, but he looked very impressive in drills. He moves at a different speed in short areas than most other receivers and has good long speed.
- Speaking of Allar, he’s moving very well and looks like he’s continuing to improve his athleticism. He was on the money with a few throws and showed off his impressive arm strength. He’s likely to have a limited spring practice schedule. That shouldn’t matter as he’s a proven commodity. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take a big step in his second year under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
- The first group of offensive linemen from left to right in drills was as follows: Drew Shelton, Cooper Cousins, Nick Dawkins, Vega Ioane, and J’ven Williams.
- Anthony Donkoh, the team’s starting right tackle for a long stretch last season, was a player Franklin said would not be completely available to start spring ball after he suffered an injury late last season. Nolan Rucci was not seen during the practice viewing window. However, during spring ball it’s not uncommon for players to have conflicts between class schedules and practice, or to receive treatment during that time.
- At tight end, Luke Reynolds made a few impressive catches in 1-on-1s. He’s likely going to factor heavily into the tight end rotation in 2025 and is primed to take a step forward in his second year on campus.
What about the defense?
- Moving to the defense, there was, admittedly, a little less to take in because the defensive backs were so far away from the media. Transfer defensive end Enai White looks the part from a size standpoint but will need some developing from a skill standpoint.
- Linebacker Tony Rojas was not seen during the viewing window, but was someone Franklin said would not be completely available to start spring practice during his presser.
- Redshirt freshman linebacker Anthony Speca was moving well from an agility standpoint. He’s an option to see an increased role in the situations where Penn State decides to go with three linebackers.
- Washington II was very impressive in 1-on-1s, even in reps where he gave up a catch. He looks the part at corner and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him as the No. 2 corner behind A.J. Harris. He broke up a pass after it was caught, sparking a big reaction from teammates and coaches watching on.
News and notes
- Franklin noted at his press conference that the Blue-White game will continue thanks to its community impact, but will have a few adjustments. The April 26 game is unlikely to have a halftime, and will also not be televised. The lack of broadcast will allow Penn State to have the game and not worry about other schools scouting their players as potential transfer portal options.
- The Nittany Lions are likely to lean into 4-2-5 personnel on defense this season. Having a fifth defensive back instead of a third linebacker should suit their personnel more under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, with more quality defensive backs and fewer high level linebackers on the roster.
- Franklin said that position could come from the safety room or the cornerback room depending on how the competition shakes out. He noted that Knowles leaned into three safety looks in the past, and that Penn State would have liked to do the same last year if not for safety K.J. Winston’s early season injury.
- Penn State intends to limit reps for many of its best players, something Franklin has done in the past during spring ball. He said Tuesday afternoon that there is probably one or two players at each position that could have their spring ball modified, along with their fall camp.
