Live updates: Penn State coach James Franklin holds Central Michigan week news conference

Penn State head coach James Franklin returns to the Beaver Stadium podium Tuesday afternoon for his weekly press conference. And the Chippewas are on tap.

Returning to Beaver Stadium, this weekend, No. 14-ranked Penn State will meet a 1-2 Central Michigan team.

Can the Nittany Lions close out the nonconference portion of the schedule without a blemish? Can they build depth through valuable in-game reps again?

Blue-White Illustrated’s Nate Bauer is posting live updates from the news conference inside The Lions Den forum. Click here to access those.

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Follow our live updates, presented in reverse chronological order, here.

Live updates: Penn State coach James Franklin press conference

(Updates will begin at 12:30 p.m.)

Press conference has ended (1:14 p.m.)

Abdul handling more/Dani on trajectory: Want to be careful. It’s not just learning the defense, it’s learning the offense and all adjustments that take place when people trade or shift TE, or motion back, or receiver, or in unbalanced. How that affects your rules. That’s what people are trying to do with motions and shifts. Trying to give LBs and DBs indecision.

Want to help him grow and evolve, but fine line of not doing too much where he thinks more than he plays. He’s playing pretty well. Each week will be a challenge with who they’re playing.

For Dani, little bit less in terms of learning. He is physically ready to play. Another HS with players who thrive here. McDonough does a great job. Worked really well. Those kids came and were prepared academically, physically, and have adjusted well. Big brothers help that process too.

You’ll see his opportunities continue to grow with his success. But he’s another physically, emotionally mature kid. Always been super focused. 

Where he is different than others, he is from Delaware and boarded at McDonough. This isn’t his first time away from home. He’s also a guy who, he had his own dorm room at McDonough and that was a big part of recruiting process. A lot of schools they recruit against have athletic specific dorms. There’s a way to do it within the rules and get same thing accomplished. Lost a kid a few years ago, kid drafted and went to the NFL, and lost him over it. Almost lost Dani over same thing. 

But he’s doing very well.

On Kaytron Allen losing weight: Was kidding around about his nickname, Fatman. He’s less and less of that. From a program like IMG, he understood how to compete for carries. Play a national schedule. But does think even with really good training they have there, he’s probably changed his body as much as anyone in the program. Him and Maleek McNeil. Maleek has lost 47-53 pounds since being on campus in not a long period of time. And that’s without him even emphasizing it. 

Kaytron, just looking at him, he looks physically different. He’s quicker, faster, more explosive. Thinks he’s playing really confident, good football right now. Thinks you’ll see him gradually put weight back on, but the right weight. And right now, he’s thriving in a lot of ways. A little quiet and not most expressive guy. So seeing him Saturday, like a father figure looking at them as sons, seeing him smile and face light up and team react to him is cool. He’s starting to break out of his shell. Really proud of him.

He’s killed it academically. He’s thriving. Really happy for him.

On time between now and Michigan and how it’s measured, days or practices: It’s both. Manny brought up things about it in meeting today. Tweaking bye week. Offseason studying. You can have plan in offseason about tweaks, but also want to say where are we at, how does it make sense.

So, there’s this period of time. This is when players usually have off. This is when coaches usually go recruiting. And how do you use these days? Just developmental practice to get better at Penn State? Getting head start on next opponent? What’s the sweet spot of balance of those things?

Will do good on good. Scheme work is important. But will probably spend more time on opponents than they have in the past. Then probably not be out there very long. Short practices. Then have developmental aspect as well.

Looking at that complete window of time, and how to maximize it from current, future roster perspectives, and putting you in best position to take advantage of bye week getting started on next opponent if not multiple opponents.

Changing in staff sizes helps as well too because you can get ahead.

Changing redshirt rules: There’s a strategy to it. Some guys play early and show they’ll have a significant role and will expand. And some guys have played, due to bumps and bruises, and been OK. But best path is still to redshirt him.

Strategic about how you handle these guys. That is a conversation and there is more flexibility now based on NCAA rule changes.

Talking Nick Singleton and national spotlight

Prepping players for national spotlight, re: Singleton: A lot of these young players are prepared for this from a young age. There’s so much you didn’t have before, from a national perspective. So they’re more prepared for that. Some of the policies in place help because it takes some things off their plate. And then try to do things in summer and throughout year where they’re being educated and prepared for life after football, life outside of football, and trying to prep them for as many things that will come. Try to include parents in the process, too.

Nick is handling things pretty well. Also thinks that’s his personality. Players give him a hard time because after he scores a touchdown, has no swag. All substance. No gloves. Players give him a hard time but it doesn’t phase him. He is very steady. How he was raised with his family as well as the program he came from prepped him for this as well. 

And the relationships he has built with staff helped with that as well. So far, so good.

Penn State being “cool”: Point is a good one. This is a game. It should be fun for the players, the coaches, for fans, for alumni, for the community. And although the videos everyone puts out, hype videos, are good and cool and serve a purpose, providing other opportunities to peek behind the curtain, show personality and see these things and have fun are good.

Going bowling in the summer. Out at Bald Eagle lake. Whatever it is, you do need some things that are a change of pace. That’s internally or externally. There’s value in it. No doubt about it. But again, it can’t be at the expense of what you’re here to do, which is to educate young people and put team in a position to win.

Just don’t lose sight of what you’re here to do. Mix fun things in when opportunities present themselves.

Clifford under center, running downhill: It has helped physicality, not only of offense but also defense. The strength of TE room plays a factor in that as well. Wouldn’t do this without depth and strength of TE room as well. 

Does help in play action pass game. Helps sell it a little more. But it’s been valuable. Being able to run or pass or play-action pass, or two minute, those things have always been very important to Franklin. Not just for offense, but for defense getting some of those things in good on good periods so you aren’t blindsided by it when you have to defend it playing a team like that. Or, a spread.

Eli Manning: Has a good relationship with the Mannings. Sean has been part of Manning Passing Academy. Wishes he could go. Would be cool to be a part of. Has gotten to know Archie through that and NFF. Could make argument, or not, they’re like the first family of football. The impact of that family has been significant and cool. 

So when they reached out about doing this, wanted to be a part of this because Eli has done a great job with all of this. He’s also a regional guy. Lives in NJ. So they reached out, all those things factored in, but end of day, wanted to make sure it wouldn’t disturb Penn State process of what they needed to do. They did it first week of school. And they did 99 percent of it without messing up normal routine. Took 10 minutes of his time, out of walk or lunch, which was good. 

So once comfortable being able to do that, then they were all about it. Most of it was going to happen at run-on tryout, which is separate from normal routine. And then it was also cool because were able to couple it with Barney Amor getting his scholarship. That was cool. It just worked out and was unique and different. Also wasn’t going to cause distractions or issues.

Then when you can have someone like that on campus and they can get in front of team and develop a message, that was a good opportunity as well.

Penn State personnel updates

Anthony Ivey: He’s doing really well. Proud of him. His development and growth and evolution since they first recruited him to now, they’re really proud of him. Doing well in school. Making plays on the field. Further along as a player than they anticipated. Has made a bunch of big plays. Earned coaches respect. Earned D respect being over there on D squad. Whenever can keep good player in PA home, makes sense for everyone. He’s still got work to do like a lot of them do, but the people that read the newspaper and people in PA, they’ll be happy with him throughout his career.

Brenton Strange: He’s playing his best football right now. He’s an older guy who has played a bunch of football already. This isn’t a big change, expected for him, but that whole group and he is playing really good football which is really impactful. Talk about OL and run game, but TEs are having a big impact as well. Brenton is playing as well as any TE in the country.

Sees these awards going. Thought Stout was the best punter in the country last year. Because the only stat that matters in punting is net punting. Stout was No. 1 in the country last year. It’s similar with TEs. If we’re just going to award TEs individually because of receiving and receptions, there is so much more to being a tight end than that. Brenton is playing really well rounded TE play right now. The true football people understand that.

That will help Penn State this year. Helps the D having to go against him every day. That whole group. And will help brenton and his future, whenever that opportunity comes at the next level. So many TEs in HS and college are not TEs. They’re big wide outs.

Hard hit hammer/Finisher of the week: Something Manny brought with him. Finisher of the week, recognizing best block. Doesn’t know if Manny made the hammer in his basement woodshop or where it came from.

But, wants to recognize physical play.

Offensive line assessment through three games: Still not ready to bang the table. Is going to hold off. But also, media will clearly say how they’re playing. But, this past weekend with zero sacks and running the way they did, being on the road and handling crowd noise, it was a step in the right direction. 

But, still have work to do. Is still not ready to pound the table. But probably won’t be all year long because as soon as he says something positive, something won’t go well.

Opening statement

Central Michigan: Interesting that they’ve only ever played once. Jim McElwain. Looking forward to playing him.

Another big name on offense with Paul Petrino. They have a great history with knowing how to move the ball. His nine years at Idaho as well.

Other notes: Team does shares on Friday night at the hotel. Talking about yourself personally and the game of football.

Hunter Nourzad and Dan Connor did a phenomenal job at the hotel with their shares. Set the tone for the whole weekend. Really appreciative of them and what they said and how they said it.

Fourth-and-1 early in the game set the tone. Defense, having the offense’s back, holding to a FG, was a huge turn in the game.

Had a big discussion with the team about how they want to handle fourth downs. It’s not an offensive decision. It’s a team decision.

Handled hydration, noise, atmosphere well. Spike in penalties, that factored in a little.

On offense, had 17 players with double digit snaps. 20 on defense. 45 overall. 

Need to be better with punt/kickoff locations.

Opening statement: Honoring Penn State 1982 national championship team on Saturday at halftime. 40-year anniversary. So, awesome that they’re going to have an opportunity to do that with the Lettermen.

Auburn: Won the turnover battle. +4 in that situation. Penalties, didn’t win. -19 yards there. Drive start, won. Turnovers a big part of that. Sack battle, they won. Zero sacks allowed. Explosive plays: Met goal on offense but not on defense. 

Penn State Players of the game: Offense – the whole OL, seven starters. Defense – Ji’Ayir Brown/Adisa Isaac. Special Teams – Jake Pinegar.

Also, cool that Ji’Ayir was DPOW in B1G and Nick Singleton was Freshman of the week.