Kicking off the second week of the season, Penn State head coach took to the podium in Beaver Stadium’s media room to field questions from the media on Labor Day.
Following the Nittany Lions’ 46-11 trouncing of Nevada, Franklin turned his attention to their upcoming clash against Florida International.
Quarterback evaluation
Drew Allar didn’t post eye-popping numbers, but he was extremely efficient with 22 completions on 26 attempts, adding a touchdown and keeping the ball safe. He seemed to have great connections with transfer wide receivers Trebor Peña and Kyron Hudson, who combined for 13 catches in limited action.
After Franklin got a chance to watch the film on Sunday, he spoke on Allar’s performance.
“I thought Drew played how I would expect him to play,” Franklin said. “He was consistent. Made some big time throws. He made a couple out-breaking throws that very few college players and a handful of NFL quarterbacks can make … He made plays with his legs; he extended plays.”
With a comfortable lead, Penn State brought in newly crowned backup Ethan Grunkemeyer for the most extensive action of his college career. After garnering just two total pass attempts last season, Grunkemeyer totaled nine on Saturday, completing seven of them for 86 yards. He also produced his first touchdown as a Nittany Lion on a 6-yard run.
“Grunk came in and played well,” Franklin said. “I was very impressed with Grunk and his performance. I actually thought he played the game better than he’s practiced at times in terms of he wasn’t holding on to the ball. He was decisive. When he did get pressure, he was able to step up the pocket and quickly get the ball out of his hand.”
Nwosu’s new role
Standing at 6-foot-6 and 297 pounds, redshirt senior Gabe Nwosu has become an iconic part of Penn State’s special teams, booming kickoffs across the last three seasons. But this season, he’ll have additional responsibilities.
Though the Nittany Lions never punted against the Wolf Pack, Franklin said Nwosu is the team’s starting punter, overtaking Riley Thompson who held the role the last two seasons.
“He’s the closest thing to Jordan Stout that we’ve had here,” Franklin said. “His A-ball, it may be as good as we’ve ever had. But like a lot of these guys, he just wasn’t consistent enough. And he just had a phenomenal camp, not only in kickoff and punting, but also field goals.”
Stout, who was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round in 2022, holds the program record for career punting average at 44.54 yards. Thompson holds a career average of 44.29, but Nwosu may surpass both of them after taking over the role.
Franklin said Thompson is “going to end up playing for us this year and playing well,” but it’s unclear when those opportunities will come after losing the starting role.
Franklin also said Nwosu hit a 62-yard field goal during practice, which “probably would have been good from 65 or 66,” but Ryan Barker still holds the starting role.
With Nwosu’s big leg and drastically improved accuracy, his new role as a punter could result in some big-time boots this season.
Reeling in Fisher
Franklin provided a promising update into defensive end Zuriah Fisher’s status after he missed the first game of the season. The projected starter was listed as out on the pregame availability report and wasn’t seen at practice during the week, with Jaylen Harvey getting the nod in his place.
“We were hopeful to have Zuriah,” Franklin said. “I will say this. We got to the game and Zuriah was excited and wanted to play, and we kind of held him just because at that point he hadn’t practiced enough. Didn’t think that was the right thing to do for him or us.”
Franklin added that Fisher is “close to being back,” and though he didn’t give an exact timeline, signs indicate he’ll be available against FIU on Saturday, assuming he’s able to get practice reps in throughout the week.
Entering his sixth season, Fisher has shown flashes but struggled to earn consistent playing time, including missing all of 2024 with an injury. So far, his expected impact is based more on speculation than on-field action. But if the feedback from inside the program is any indication, he’s set for a potential breakout season.
