The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Where does Penn State football stand after spring ball?
Penn State wrapped up spring ball Saturday with its Blue-White game in Beaver Stadium, marking the team’s final practice until fall camp ahead of the 2025 season.
Let’s get right into the good, the bad and the ugly from Penn State’s 15 spring practices.
Good
Devonte Ross: There has been no more important development this spring than Ross showing he doesn’t just belong at this level, he can excel at it. The former Troy wide receiver played against only one Power 4 school last year in Iowa, and his five catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns were very impressive, but they largely came against coverage busts by the Hawkeyes. It would have been reasonable to be skeptical that he can make the jump to the Big Ten and be impactful, but right now there’s no reason to believe he can’t.
He’s not a true burner at wide receiver, but his ability to change direction is elite and should make him one of the best playmakers Penn State has had at wideout in the last few years. He’s a good bet to be the type of player offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki gets the ball to in different ways, with schemed up touches that give him room to work in the open field. Ross might not end up being a height-weight-speed WR1, but I’d put him as the clear favorite to lead the team in receiving yards.
Kyron Hudson: Ross may have gotten the first mention, but that doesn’t make Hudson any less important. The Nittany Lions were in need of a lot of turnover in their receiver room after the group didn’t catch a single pass in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Ross will help raise the ceiling for the receivers, but Hudson will help raise the floor. He’s a well-rounded wideout who can create separation, is strong at the catch point and can contribute as a blocker. He may not make the same number of ‘wow’ plays as Ross by the end of the season, but he will still likely provide more value than the Nittany Lion receivers did last season.
The addition of Syracuse wide receiver Trebor Pena from the transfer portal Saturday morning could limit Hudson’s targets but shouldn’t limit his playing time. He’s the type of wide receiver who can bring value to every snap, no matter the play call or situation.
Jim Knowles’ defensive impact: The Penn State defense was one of the best in the country in 2024, and in 2025 it might be the very best. That’s despite losing multiple starters to the 2025 NFL Draft, including No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter, and having a new defensive coordinator. That’s because that new coordinator — Knowles — is a football genius who will give the Nittany Lions a schematic advantage unlike any other in the country. He’s already made an impact on the players, with cornerbacks Kenny Woseley Jr. and A.J. Harris both glowing about their coach’s ability to disguise coverage.
Knowles has only been with the team for a few months, and said he’s only installed about half of his defense, but it’s clear he’s going to make an impact on this program and specifically on this season. There will inevitably be personnel deficiencies as with any roster, but there is no better coordinator in the country and he’ll maximize whoever the Nittany Lions put on the field this fall.
Depth development: Penn State was without a few key contributors this spring and had plenty of veterans in less need of practice reps this time of year. That opened the door for the Nittany Lions to get more young players reps and Saturday made it evident that some have begun to emerge because of it. Tackle J’ven Williams was able to get a lot of time with the first team thanks to absences from Nolan Rucci and Anthony Donkoh at right tackle, and has establish himself as a legitimate backup option down the road.
That applies to defensive end Yvan Kemajou, who earned the first reps at defensive end on the blue team (which featured most of Penn State’s best players) on Saturday. He just joined the program in January, which makes a potential role this season even more impressive. While players who soaked up reps this spring — like Kemajou and Williams — are unlikely to start once the team is ready to be full go, it should help the team in the long run in case of future injury or absence.
Getting out healthy: While there were some absences this spring, it’s important to note that Penn State seems to have made it out relatively unscathed. There were no discussions with head coach James Franklin about long-term injuries to key players, and no noticeable absences from the Blue-White game that weren’t already expected due to players missing time in spring ball. There are some important developments from a player perspective — like Ross and Hudson having an impact — but nothing is more important than this.
Penn State is a true national title contender, and in order to achieve that goal it’s going to need its best players in the most important games. Those begin early this year with a conference opener against Oregon in late September — so any long-term injury from spring ball on could have a massive impact on the season. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, there are none of those to speak of as April comes to a close.
Bad
Lack of stadium experience: This may not seem like a big deal, but because of the ongoing construction project, Saturday was Penn State’s first chance to get practice reps in Beaver Stadium — something Frankliln pointed out in his postgame press conference.
“I think it was a little obvious that this was the first time that we’ve been in the stadium,” Franklin said. “I think it affected some guys. Typically, we would come in every Saturday during spring ball and get some work in here, but with the stadium under construction it was unavailable. That’ll be important that we do that during training camp”
This might be a team with high expectations but it’s also one that could have new starters at key spots. Players like Hudson and Ross at receiver, Xavier Gilliam at defensive tackle and Dejuan Lane at safety. All of those players will have to adjust to one of the loudest and largest venues in college football. And while that may not seem like a big deal, playing in a stadium is very different from playing on a practice field. It won’t make or break this season, but it will be important for Penn State to get out there this fall, as Franklin noted.
Ugly
Linebacker depth: Penn State may not need starting linebackers, but it does need playable ones. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.
“I think we’re in good shape, but there’s some concerns there,” Franklin said about the linebacker position. “We lost a guy that we didn’t anticipate losing. As you guys know, we’re not a big portal team, but we’re going to have to address some issues. So if there is a linebacker out there that wants to come and be a part of our program and play for LBU — the most historic linebacker program in the history of college football — there’s an opportunity here to join the room and compete. So we will look at that. I think we’ve got enough in the room, but to get through an entire season if we get some injuries, it could get challenging.”
The player in question that the Nittany Lions lost is Ta’Mere Robinson who has committed to USC after leaving Penn State. He was slated to be one of the team’s primary backups.
The good news is the Nittany Lions are likely going to play two linebackers at a time in Knowles’ defense, which means they only need four viable options to get to a two-deep on the depth chart. Right now they likely have that with Tony Rojas, Dom DeLuca, Keon Wylie and Anthony Speca. But, as Franklin said, if they face any injury issues then things could get ugly quickly for the team.
