Penn State redshirt report: Which first-year Nittany Lions played against Delaware?

Penn State played more than 70 players in its 63-7 victory over Delaware. The Nittany Lions were happy about the fact that they were able to get so many members of the roster into the game against the Blue Hens. And, a number of them were true freshmen who were either making their debut or seeing game action for the second time in their careers.

“We had a bunch of young guys play, so it will be really good film to evaluate,” head coach James Franklin said Saturday after the win. “We will still have our D squad plus scrimmage Sunday night. Based on reps, some of these guys will be out of it this week, but they’re not out of it for the season.

“I want to make sure that they understand they haven’t arrived, and they still need to be developing and getting better. So, we’ll look at the rep count for Sunday night, but overall, very pleased with all the young guys and how they were able to get in and contribute.”

How many snaps did each Penn State freshman play against Delaware?

Thirteen Penn State freshmen played against Delaware. The majority of them made their debut in blue and white. And, it goes without saying, but some played more snaps than others. It should be noted that our counts below do not include special teams, because Pro Football Focus does not track those.

Defensive end Jameial Lyons led the way with 14 snaps. The Philadelphia native had a sack in the victory. He was tied with safety King Mack, who made two stops. Linebacker Tony Rojas was second with 13 snaps on defense. He had three tackles, including one for loss. Ty Blanding was in for four snaps at defensive tackle. In the secondary, cornerbacks Elliot Washington II and Zion Tracy played 14 and 13 players, respectively. Safety DaKaari Nelson and cornerback Lamont Payne Jr., each were in for three plays. Linebackers Ta’Mere Robinson and Kaveion Keys both were, too.

On offense, tight end Andrew Rappleyea was in for 11 plays. Quarterback Jaxon Smolik played two snaps. Neither recorded any counting stats. Up front, J’Ven Williams and Anthony Donkoh played 25 snaps beside each other at left tackle and guard, respectively. Chimdy Onoh played 11 snaps at tackle.

“For me, I’m a guy’s guy,” starting right tackle Caedan Wallace said. “Seeing my freshmen get in the game today out there against all these special attackers was great. They finally got a chance to show some stuff and seeing that was like seeing things come full circle.”

Nittany Lions 2023 redshirt tracker

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.

Here’s where the Penn State tracker stands after Week 2:

Two games

DE Jameial Lyons
LB Tony Rojas
CB Elliot Washington II
CB Zion Tracy
S King Mack

One game

QB Jaxon Smolik
TE Andrew Rappleyea
OT J’ven Williams
OL Chimdy Onoh
OT Anthony Donkoh
DT Tyriq Blanding
LB Ta’Mere Robinson
LB Kaveion Keys
CB Lamont Payne
S DaKaari Nelson

Zero games

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