Which Penn State players were not available during Blue-White game warmups?
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State coach James Franklin admitted earlier this month that his team, like many others, have plenty of players dealing with “bumps and bruises” this spring. Some of them are recovering from injuries suffered in 2023. Others are rehabbing following surgeries earlier this year. And another group is dealing with either short- or long-term setbacks due to something that happened during the first 14 spring practices ahead of today’s Blue-White game.
Franklin, the 11th-year leader of the Nittany Lions, is like his peers across college football in being notoriously coy about injury information. There are never specifics. And, rare is the instance when he will give any kind of timeline regarding when a player could return. However, he did offer some insight earlier this week on third-string quarterback Jaxon Smolik, who was hurt this spring.
“He’s got a significant injury,” Franklin said. BWI first reported late last month that Smolik would miss time. “He will be out for a period of time, but it is significant. That’s correct. And again, I’ve talked to Jaxon first. I won’t address those or answer those questions until I’ve gotten permission from the kids and their families.”
Franklin also provided an update on injured defensive tackle Alonzo Ford, who has been out for much of the year he’s been on campus.
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“He’s not back yet,” Franklin said. “He’s close to being back. I think this summer, he will be full go. I’m not talking about summer camp. I’m talking about summer training. Besides that, he’s been great. We just haven’t really seen a whole lot. His attitude has been great. He’s done really well in the classroom. He’s obviously lived in the treatment room.
“The strength staff has been able to work with him, the trainers that have been working with him, everybody loves him. There’s just not a whole lot that we’ve been able to see up to this point, other than the stuff that we saw when we recruited him.”
Besides Ford and Smolik, numerous other Nittany Lions were not in pads for the Blue-White game, which started just after 2 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. How long any of them will be out is unclear as the march to preseason camp begins. But, here’s the list:
RB Kaytron Allen
OL JB Nelson
OT Drew Shelton
OG Sal Wormley
DT Liam Andrews
DT Hakeem Beamon
DE Zuriah Fisher
LB Keon Wylie
S Kevin Winston Jr.
We also did not see Penn State receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith at Beaver Stadium, as expected. He could enter the transfer portal as soon as next Tuesday when the spring window opens for undergraduates.
