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Highlights from Penn State spring practice day one; See two freshmen stars in action: Newsstand

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel03/22/22GregPickel
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Penn State coach James Franklin watches as his team goes through drills during its first spring practice of the year. (BWI photo)

Spring football practice is officially underway at Penn State.

The Nittany Lions went through drills for the first time this year on Monday outside of Holuba Hall and the Lasch Building. They will do so 13 more times over the next month before ending with the annual Blue-White spring game on April 23. That will start at 2 p.m. inside of Beaver Stadium.

Head coach James Franklin spoke to reporters Monday. The newsstand for March 22 focuses on what he had to say plus highlights from the open portion of practice.

Let’s dive into the top tweets and headlines about Penn State and college athletics on Tuesday.

Penn State tweets of the day

We start with the news conference.

Franklin was asked to cover a wide array of topics during his first in-person news conference at Beaver Stadium since Feb. 2020. He said he feels good about how new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has integrated his system into the Lions’ existing one. On offense, it was clear that the staff knows change and improvement on offense is an absolute must. And, in a general sense, he said Penn State players were excited to back out on the field.

We also know how the offensive line two-deep is set for the spring but also that numbers are light there and it’ll look different in the fall. Finally, we heard that freshman defensive tackle Zane Durant is definitely living up to the hype after just a few months on campus.

Finally, some highlights from the open practice included a first look at quarterback Drew Allar and running back Nicholas Singleton in Penn State pads for the first time. There wasn’t a ton to glean, as the team only went through position drills. But, everyone appeared to be there and accounted for.

Headlines of the day

Penn State’s Sandy Barbour discusses retirement after nearly eight years leading athletic department: Gallen, PennLive

James Franklin gives review of Mike Yurcich’s first year, outlook of Penn State’s offense in year two: Eckert, BWI

Time to Show Some Extra Gratitude for Penn State’s Cael Sanderson; How About a 10-Year Contract?: Poorman, Statecollege.com

Press conference notebook: Penn State QBs, run-game take center stage: Bauer, BWI

James Franklin ‘Comfortable and Confident’ Penn State’s Offense Will Improve: Wogenrich, SI

Penn State spring practice news, notes, and observations: Inside the Den: Bauer, BWI

Penn State football spring ball notebook | James Franklin talks competition, staff additions: Yoder, Daily Collegian

Retiring Penn State AD Sandy Barbour on transition out, what’s next: Eckert, BWI

Penn State football team begins spring practice intent on improving running game: Scarcella, Reading Eagle

PSU announces TV info for season opener at Purdue: Eckert, BWI

PSU’s quarterback room, fixing the running game and more from James Franklin: CDT

Lions add former head coach, letterman, with nearly 40 years of experience to staff: Pickel, BWI

Quote of the day

“I think the competition Sean embraces, I think Veilleux embraces. I think we all saw Veilleux get in a game last year and play at a really high level, and then we’ve got two young kids that have done some great things throughout their career and put themselves in position to come to a place like Penn State and compete.

“We’ll see how it goes. I’ll have a better feel probably after practice six or seven than we are now, but obviously based on how we’ve recruited them and the tools that they have, there’s a lot to be excited about, and whether that’s in the future or whether that’s sooner, that’s to be determined.”

—James Franklin to reporters Tuesday when asked about the competition in his quarterback room.