Penn State spring football week 3 recap on T-Frank Friday
Penn State football concludes the third week of spring practice, meaning we’re about halfway through. It’s also Friday, so it’s time to cap the week with T-Frank Friday. If you want to be a part of the conversation, subscribe to Blue White Illustrated and head to the Lion’s Den message forum. While football is the centerpiece, life, food, and anything else are the stars of the show on T-Frank Friday.
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Expanded Penn State practice observations
It’s been a tough spring to get great insights into certain positions. Weather forced us into Holuba Hall the past two weeks, meaning that we had less room to roam. Consequently, we haven’t seen an up-close view of the offensive or defensive lines since the first open practice on April 4th.
Luckily, the coaching staff changed up their drills to start practice this past week, and we got a chance to see some team pass-rushing drills. That gave us a good look at freshman Zane Durant, which we showed you during this week’s highlight video.
He really is an impressive athlete at his size. Proportionally, he’s the perfect size for a defensive tackle with thick, expressive power in his lower half and great overall composition.
It’s just in a smaller package.
If you notice, while everyone else hits the ball out of the hands of the practice dummy on their way around the hoop, Durant can grab the ball in midair and start running with it.
Highlight of the Week
Penn State starting linebacker Curtis Jacobs tells senior editor Nate Bauer that he’s a fan of the BWI Daily Edition.
Mailbag show!
Another topic stemming from Wednesday night is Penn State’s pursuit of a defensive end in the transfer portal. Yes, every person and season is different, but if there’s one area that the Nittany Lions are known for, it’s putting pass rushers into the NFL. It is concerning that they cannot land a transfer at that position this offseason. I think it’s also clearly linked to Penn State’s lack of a cohesive NIL package. There doesn’t have to be a perfect fit like Arnold Ebiketie every year, but their past success should amount to more portal wins than they’ve had so far.
Lastly, I have one final thought from the Mailbag show. A BWI member asked the age-old question about James Franklin, the recruiter vs. the coach, and then compared him to other coaches in college football. My point about the coaches LoseysMustache referenced was not to tear them down but to also point out their struggles and show that no coach is perfect. Unfortunately, USC head coach Lincoln Riley caught some unnecessary heat in the segment, which was not the intention. However, his schemes and systems are excellent, and he does seem to have a way of making things easier for quarterbacks.
Yet the point remains. For as good as his offense has been, Riley’s teams have had a hard time holding on to leads in the fourth quarter of big games. In the end, narratives are easy because they conveniently lack perspective.
Penn State commit Andrew Rappleyea
I feel like I’ve been giving a lot of hyperbolic superlatives out recently regarding Penn State recruits. I recently used some form of “They are the best since…” regarding prospects that have chosen to play in Happy Valley in the Class of 2022 or 2023.
However, it is warranted, and tight end Andrew Rappleyea continues that trend. His positional skills and upside are palpable on film. While Penn State may have prioritized size and power (and a move to edge defender) for former commit Neeo Avery, Rappleyea is the cleaner prospect. I have no doubt he can play tight end in college and has the skills to be effective early. Tight end coach Ty Howle hit it out of the park this cycle with four good prospects committing to his room.
