Penn State redshirt report: Which first-year freshmen saved, used, a year of eligibility?

This year’s Penn State football freshmen class will not feature any Big Ten award winners. It also did not put up as many stats as the one that came a year before it in 2022 did. But, the first-year players who did see time during the 2023 season gained an enormous amount of valuable experiences during the regular season.

In full, only a handful of signees from the Class of 2023 used a year of eligibility during the regular season, which of course ended with a 42-0 thrashing of Michigan State at Ford Field. But, those who did saw time either on special teams or defense during a game the Lions never trailed in.

“We were able to get both running backs over 100 yards,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “We were able to protect the football. And we were able to play both quarterbacks. Something that we really wanted to do all year long, but we were able to emphasize the last two weeks. They both have different skill sets that can be challenging for a defense. So some real positives. Ten wins with a chance to go 1-0 and win 11 wins and hopefully a New Year’s Six Bowl game against a really good opponent like we did last year.”

The Lions have landed in a New Year’s Six bowl game, of course. Before it, here is the final redshirt report of the regular season.

Penn State redshirt report after Week 12

As noted above, the former Lions, who used a year of eligibility long before the team made it to Detroit, all saw time. Defensive end Jameial Lyons finished with a tackle over 10 defensive snaps. Linebacker Tony Rojas also had a stop while playing defense (nine snaps) and also on the kick coverage unit. Safety King Mack had no counting stats over four defensive plays. The same can be said for cornerbacks Elliot Washington II and Zion Tracy over seven and 11 defensive snaps, respectively, plus some special teams work.

On offense, two Penn State first-year freshmen saw time along the offensive line. Anthony Donkoh and J’Ven Williams each were in for nine plays.

“They are two guys if the NCAA came out and said you have five years no matter what, I would probably play them late in some games or more than I have so far, for sure,” Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said earlier this year.

Nittany Lion regular season first-year freshmen redshirt report

Thanks to an NCAA rule change, players can now suit up in four regular season games and an unlimited number of postseason games while still preserving a year of eligibility. So, Penn State would need to use a freshman in five of 12 regular season games to burn his redshirt this fall. With the regular season over, three Lions first-year freshmen played in all 12 games. A total of six Class of 2023 signees used a year of eligibility.

Here’s where the Penn State tracker stands now.

Twelve games

LB Tony Rojas (102 defensive snaps)
CB Zion Tracy (105 defensive snaps)
S King Mack (65 defensive snaps)

Nine games
CB Elliot Washington II (63 defensive snaps)

Seven games
DE Jameial Lyons (74 defensive snaps)

Three games
OT J’ven Williams
OT Anthony Donkoh

Two games
TE Andrew Rappleyea
OL Chimdy Onoh
LB Ta’Mere Robinson
LB Kaveion Keys

One game

QB Jaxon Smolik
DT Tyriq Blanding
CB Lamont Payne
S DaKaari Nelson

Zero games for Penn State this season

RB London Montgomery
RB Cam Wallace
WR Carmelo Taylor
TE Joey Schlaffer
OL Alex Birchmeier
DE Joseph Mupoyi
DE Mason Robinson