3 Penn State things we learned from the Big Ten Network campus tour stop in State College

The Penn State football program welcomed reporters to preseason practice on Wednesday. It also had the Big Ten Network crew in town as it continues its annual campus tour before another season kicks off.

An episode featuring interviews and thoughts about the Lions, Rutgers, and Maryland aired Wednesday night. If you didn’t catch the show, we did. Here are three things we learned.

1. The Penn State Class of 2022 hype train isn’t slowing down

To the surprise of no one, the Penn State Class of 2022 continues to impress observers this offseason.

“One of the things I saw from [Nick] Singleton, a true freshman, is he’s one of those guys when I watched him on film, he puts the foot in the ground and gets north and south,” Howard Griffith said. “I wondered about his long speed when I watched him on tape. He ran a wheel route today, and ran away from people for a touchdown in a team drill. So he has a skill set.”

Griffth also praised the running backs as a whole but said that they can’t succeed by themselves.

“I really like all the backs because I think they do a great job of making people miss in the hole,” Griffith said. “But again, this is a team that’s had great running backs and great running back room in years past. It’s going to depend upon what’s happening upfront to see if they can maximize that skill separately.”

Defensive tackle Zane Durant also received a shoutout. He is another Penn State first-year player who has been brought up frequently this offseason.

“The true freshmen Durant, to me, really jumped out, particularly in one-on-one drills,” Griffith said. “But, then in team drills, he was able to make some plays. So they have a lot of young players on the defensive side. This place has been really doing a great job recruiting, and it shows up when you watch these young guys.”

Analyst Joshua Perry added, too, that he was impressed by how well the Lions’ young defensive linemen used their hands to make things happen instead of opting for straight bullrushes to make a play.

2. The Lions will scrimmage for the first time today

Penn State has only been in pads for about a week. They have surely included some 11-on-11 work during team periods of practice. But, things take a step up on Thursday.

Head coach James Franklin told BTN host Dave Revsine that the Lions will scrimmage for the first time today. Usually reserved for Saturdays during camp, Penn State is likely taking the field at Beaver Stadium today because of its Thursday opener at Purdue on Sept. 1.

“It’s been really competitive,” Franklin said. “The film’s been great. I’m pleased with where we’re at from a physicality standpoint. There are still a lot of things we got to get clean up. But, we still got 22 days, if I’m correct. We’ll go into the stadium for our first scrimmage. So taking a measured approach, but so far, so good.”

Expect to see plenty of social media clips from the program tonight.

Also, the group raved about PJ Mustipher being back and fully active, and that’s obviously a big, if not expected, deal.

3. Keep an eye on game four

We’ll wrap things up here. Revsine asked Franklin for other young players who were standing out. Always one who worries about leaving someone out, the Penn State coach didn’t divulge any new names. But, he talked about a timeline in terms of what to expect from the many first-year talents fighting for snaps.

“We’ll see,” Franklin said. “Saquan Barkley became a starter in week four. If you look at some of the guys on defense, and some of the guys on offense, I think a lot of them will have a chance to play game one. But really, you’re hoping by game four, that they’re ready to take the next step.”