Three days before No. 2 Penn State’s season-opener against Nevada in a ready-to-go Beaver Stadium, coach James Franklin announced that Ethan Grunkenmeyer was his No. 2 quarterback behind Drew Allar — at least for the first game.
But in his post-practice press conference, Franklin went in-depth about why the key backups at the other positions are just as — and very likely even more — important than QB2. When queried about close battles for playing time at other positions, Franklin said there are many. In fact…
“Probably a lot,” Franklin said. “But you guys [media] don’t care. You only ever talk about the backup quarterback.”
Here’s why, Franklin said, those other battles may matter even more than the Week 1 backup behind Allar, a three-year starter and likely first-round NFL Draft pick: “The difference, obviously, is the [backup] guy at that position doesn’t play. The 2s at other positions are going to rotate a lot.”
SPEAKING OF DEPTH
And with that, Franklin gave key insights to some of the position battles that will carry out of summer camp and into the regular season for the Nittany Lions, beyond their game on Saturday vs. Nevada. (Kickoff is 3:30 p.m., on CBS.) Franklin & Co. will need that depth over the course of the season. It could be a very long haul, since the College Football Playoff begins its first-round games on Dec. 19-20.
Franklin spoke in-depth about several of those battles, making a case for how tight and important they are, at:
TIGHT ENDS: “You look at our three tight ends, you can make a heck of an argument there,” with presumptive starter Khalil Dinkins, followed Luke Reynolds — who played a great deal last season as a freshman — and Andrew Rappleyea, back healthy after starting the 2024 season-opener at West Virginia, but then missing the rest of the year after getting injured in that game. During one phase of Penn State’s practice on Wednesday night, it was just Allar throwing routes to those three tight ends.
OFFENSIVE LINE: This group is big and deep and experienced. “You look at our seven offensive linemen, you can make a heckuva argument there.” The presumptive starters are Drew Shelton (LT), Vega Iaone (LG), Nick Dawkins (C), Anthony Donko (RG) and Nolan Rucci (RT). Expect true sophomore Cooper Cousins (G/C) and transfer TJ Shanahan (G) to see a lot of action early and often.
RUNNING BACK: Obviously, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will carry the Lions’ share of the carries when the Big Ten Conference games start. Over the past three seasons, the duo accounted for nearly 90% of all carries by a PSU running back. In Penn State’s first three games in 2025, their younger backups at running back will get plenty of run. “I think for the most part it’s the returners — it’s Cam [Wallace] and Corey [Smith] and Quinton [Martin].” After that quintet, Franklin also mentioned freshmen Tikey Hayes and Jabree Coleman. “Yeah, Tikey has done some really good things that’s made him a part of the conversation. Jabree, you know, when he’s been practicing, he has done some really nice things as well. But Jabree just got here in the summer. That makes things difficult.”
DEFENSIVE TACKLE: Co-captain Zane Durant is a force of nature and a sure-fire starter. But behind him, Franklin said “that the battle with Alonso [Ford] and [Xavier] Gilliam for 2 and 3 at the tackle — you can make a heck of an argument there.”
DEFENSIVE END: Against Nevada, freshman Chaz Coleman, the camp sensation at D-end, will play a considerable number of snaps behind veteran starters Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zuriah Fisher. “I think he’ll play a lot. I think it wouldn’t surprise me if he plays 30 plays or so in this game. I hate to say numbers, because once I do, he’s seen that. His mom’s seen that. And you guys have wrote about it. But that would not surprise me.”
SAFETY: “Safety…but there’s a ton of positions.” There was no doubt that Zakee Wheatley was going to start at one spot against Nevada, but Franklin surprised some people on Monday when he announced that Antonie Belgrave Shorter would get the start opposite Wheatley, ahead of King Mack and Dejuan Lane.
