Latest Penn State football practice updates; Lions target decommits from Auburn: Newsstand
Penn State football news, notes, and updates for Sept. 15 include the latest from the practice field plus a key Lions recruiting update on target Karmelo English.
It’s time to dive into Thursday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college football.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with the latest updates from the Penn State practice field. The program opened up a brief portion of drills on Wednesday before head coach James Franklin spoke with reporters.
There were two top takeaways. The first is that the Lions are hopeful but not yet sure if tight end Theo Johnson will make his season debut after he was spotted going through drills. Beyond that, there is still no clarity regarding whether or not defensive linemen Coziah Izzard and Smith Vilbert will see the field this weekend. Neither saw game action in the team’s first two games, and they were not even in pads last weekend.
Beyond that, the talk mainly focused on preparing for Auburn ahead of Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium. And, some of that focused on the work the front seven, and especially the defensive line, must do against the Tigers’ run-heavy attack.
“We want more production, we want more tackles for loss, we want more sacks, Franklin said. “And we want more interceptions. All those disruptive type plays that are drive killers and momentum changers. So we need more of them. There’s no doubt about it. And that’s for our entire defense.”
In other news, Phenix City, Ala., four-star receiver Karmelo English decommitted from Auburn Wednesday. He is a Class of 2023 prospect Penn State has been keeping in contact with, per BWI’s Sean Fitz. Where things go from here remains to be seen. But, the Lions could end up firmly in play by hosting him for a game this fall.
Finally, for this section, we’ll highlight the major marks Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu has received through two games.
Headlines of the day
What we learned from Bryan Harsin’s SEC Teleconference: Penn State week: Oldham, AuburnLive
James Franklin mum on Penn State DL personnel: Notebook: Bauer, BWI
Penn State Nike sneakers 2022: How to get these new limited edition Air Zooms, featuring Nittany Lions logo and colors: Dill, PennLive
Penn State football practice notes and observations: Lions continue Auburn week prep: Fitz, BWI
How Penn State Got a Head Start on Auburn: Wogenrich, SI
What is the status of Penn State tight end Theo Johnson ahead of Auburn?: Pickel, BWI
After Two Weeks Through the Air, Nittany Lions Prepare Ground Defenses Against Auburn: Jones, Statecollege.com
Trimmings: Checking in on Penn State commit Dakaari Nelson: Fitz, BWI
Penn State football front 7 locking in on strong Auburn run game led by Tank Bigsby: Allen, Daily Collegian
Penn State-Auburn Predictions: Lions set for SEC road test: Snyder, BWI
Quote of the day
“Well, I think Sean is really good, I thought he was last year, but this is another year… I think he’s operating well. I think they’re going a few new things, I’m sure they are… I’m not sure we’ve seen everything that they’re capable of doing in the first two games. He’s a good player, he makes good decisions. I think he’s got a good feel for when he needs to escape. He’s more slippery than people think.”
–Auburn coach Bryan Harsin on PSU QB Sean Clifford during the SEC head coaches teleconference.
