Penn State football wrapped up spring practice on Saturday with the Blue-White game. Here are five initial takeaways from the annual intrasquad scrimmage, which the White Team won 27-0.
Young Guns: The running back tandem of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are a well-established commodity for Penn State, but the duo of redshirt freshman Cam Wallace and true freshman Quinton Martin showed some flashes on Saturday afternoon as the pair rushed for 57 yards on nine carries. That might not be the most impressive thing ever, but both players cranked off double-digit yard runs and showed signs of more than enough upside to keep them in the back of your mind for the future.
It’s hard to imagine a world where either player is getting meaningful snaps this season if both of Penn State’s primary backs are healthy, but it’s not a bad sign for the future of a seemingly always talented running back room. But who knows — if Trey Potts can be an X-factor down the stretch last season, nothing is keeping these two from showing up exactly when they’re needed. Then again, all spring game performances must be taken with some grain of salt. Time will tell.
Trey, Omari and Kaden: As James Franklin noted after the game, it has never been a question of talent with Penn State’s receivers as much as it has been the ability to play consistently on a consistent basis. That said, Trey Wallace, Omari Evans and Kaden Saunders all showcased the kind of pass-catching abilities that Penn State will need this upcoming season. KeAndre Lambert-Smith is seemingly headed toward the transfer portal and Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming kept it safe on Saturday, but those three did a good job for the most part. The question will be if they can do it every week. Safe money is on Wallace if he can stay healthy.
Mr. Carter: Abdul Carter played sparingly during Saturday’s festivities but was nearly unblockable when he was on the field. That has a bit to do with how the game’s depth charts shook out, but Carter seems more than happy in his new role at defensive end. Don’t expect things to come as easily this fall against better teams, but Carter could be lining up for a breakout season at a completely different position after doing the same thing at linebacker. If he feels more comfortable in his new role — and more comfortable in the body that comes with it — don’t be surprised if he gives the conference a run for defensive player of the year.
Windy Accuracy: 28 and 30 yard field goals with nobody trying to block them isn’t exactly making a game-winner in front of 110,000 people, but Ryan Barker and Sander Sahaydak were perfect on the day from the spot on an extremely windy afternoon. There’s only so much to make of this, but on a day when the winds were howling and Penn State is looking to establish who might be its next clutch kicker, starting that quest off in Beaver Stadium with a perfect effort isn’t a bad way to go about it.
Pribula: It’s worth saying in his defense that Beau Pribula got the short end of the stick on Saturday in terms of which parts of the depth chart he had at his disposal. That said, nothing about his performance would lead anyone to reasonably believe he’s going to jump Drew Allar on the depth chart. There was no real reason to think that was ever going to happen in the first place, but Pribula has shown little to make you think that his arm is the answer to Penn State’s occasional offensive woes. He will likely continue to be part of the offensive plan in 2024, but don’t confuse that with Pribula being the better option to run an entire offense.
