Penn State Spring Practice Preview - Position Battles

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1:00Today we're talking about all the position battles and positions that you need to be paying attention to with Penn State's 2026 spring practices about to get underway. This preview will get us to this coming Tuesday, March 24th. Spring practices get started and it all culminates with Blue, White, Weekend on April 25th. So we had a chance to talk about the coaching staff a little bit earlier on this week. There's a ton of turnover and change there. Guess what, ton of change and turnover when it comes to the roster. So there are a million little pieces to this that we could dissect, but I wanted to take the opportunity to sit here with the positions that are going to matter the most or at least should be getting the most attention during spring ball. And then the position battles that are obviously getting underway and probably underway right now with where workouts and will continue into fall camp, but still you're going to hopefully learn a little bit more here in the spring. So I'll throw it to you first. What is a position battle

2:01or position you're focusing on the most here with spring practices? Yeah, so I mean, I think ultimately just in every level of football it's going to start up front. And so I'm very interested to see what happens with the center matchup. So excited to see that. Excited to see maybe what we have in the backup quarterback and possibly what's what's it? What's the next couple of years of Penn State football going to look like possibly in the future? And then I'm excited to see how the running back situation shapes up as well. So those are kind of the three that are the most exciting to me, I would say. Okay, so I want to start with quarterback. And it's an interesting spring. So we've talked about it before in that the soon starting quarterback and the expected QB1 Rocco back. It was going to take part in some of spring practices. He only just started throwing within the last handful of weeks after dealing with injuries in both shoulders, but he's been slowly getting back in the city. He's going to partake in some part of spring ball. So there aren't great expectations for him.

3:03Know is there, nor is there an expectation that he would not be the starting quarterback come 2026 barring some catastrophic injuries? So I'm not going to look at that one. But the expectation is the backup quarterback would be another Iowa State transfer Alex Mansky who is a four-star coming out of high school. So I don't think that Mansky is going to get supplanted in the spring or in the fall unless again something catastrophic happens or he just phones it in. You never know, but I don't think that's going to happen. My question is more what can we learn about Mansky? Because if this is the guy at quarterback for Penn State in 2027, this is going to be a very telling spring, especially with the absence effect at times during spring. Mansky is going to be asked to do more. You'll probably see more of him during the blue white game. However, that all looks. But the backup quarterback position is going to get the most focus. I don't know if it's the most competition, but how much can we really learn about Mansky in spring

4:03ball? Because you've been in that battle. We've talked about it before. Be in the number two quarterback and maybe not being questioned as the number two quarterback, but still having to compete. And this is a circumstance where Mansky is going to have to carry the load as at times the starting quarterback during spring. Yeah, absolutely. And truth be told, he has a huge responsibility, I would say, this spring. And it's a pretty, I don't know, I'm not sure how transparent they would be with him. I would assume so. I mean, I'm sure smart kid plays the quarterback position. So I'm sure he understands this situation a little bit. So it's going to take some maturity to understand, hey, like we're bringing in a new offense. We're bringing in a lot of new players. You're going to do a new place. And we don't have the guy that's going to be the starting quarterback this year available for us. So we're going to need you to kind of step in and do what you can for us to kind of implement this offense and show how it's supposed to be run. And then whenever we get rock go back, you just go back to being the two. That's probably tough for a kid

5:03to understand and realize. But in the end of the day, it's almost like he's trying out for the future job. And so it kind of has to go about it with that thought process and has to go about it up with all the right ways because is it the best situation for him? I think it's beneficial. I think anytime you can get a guy in there and get first team reps, you're going to grow from it. And so I think it's an awesome opportunity. One, but two, again, they're lying on him. They need him to do well and to show how this offense is supposed to be ran just because if the quarterback isn't doing all the right things, it's pretty much impossible to get the rest of the offense on board as well. So a big responsibility for him, but ultimately it's a good situation. It might not be the most favorable for him, maybe personally, at least in this moment. But in any time you can get extra reps, man, they are gold. They are so valuable that you can really, truly never take enough reps. So as long as he's going about it the right way,

6:05which not to say that he won't. I mean, again, smart kid. He's here for a reason. I would expect him to go about these things all the right way. But it is tough. I would imagine at least emotionally for a guy like that to know what's coming around the corner at least. I want to provide this evaluation from 24-7 sports Greg Biggins. This was back in June of 2024. So obviously a player has developed substantially since then. But we're all going to learn about this kid in real time. So the evaluation of Mansky according to Biggins on 24-7 sports was, quote, we called him raw at times. And he's not the most fluid thrower. But we do like the size multi-sport athleticism and makeup. He doesn't play like a conventional quarterback and almost looks more comfortable throwing off-platform slash outside the pocket, even on straight drops. Then a throwing with a typical over-the-top release. He's comfortable throwing on the run and really thrives in those kinds of situations. When a play breaks down, he'll need some time to fine-tune some things and has never really had a true offseason because of his multi-sport

7:08commitments. But he's a gamer and won't shock us if he ends up a multi-year starter for the cyclones down the road. So obviously he has transferred to Penn State. He's listed at 6-3-2-25. So a big kid for a quarterback and you know what that life is all about, Tommy. Yeah, it also sounds very familiar. Yeah, yeah, I was going to take an off-arc. You've got a little lecture on a couple spots. But you know, it's all like, we keep saying wait and see, but this is not really that. And then it's not like, oh, what Mansky does in the spring is going to make or break his time at Penn State, but Beck does a one-year rental. And there's confidence in Beck from the coaching staff and I think from the fan base in general. And listen, NIL, the transfer portal, this could all change in a heartbeat. Mansky might not even be here in 2027. There's all these possibilities, but say he is. This is the time for him to figure things out. He's got sparing opportunities when it comes to actually being on the field, when it comes to his time at Iowa State. I don't know how much time he'll get this upcoming season because you'll have

8:10maybe the non-con schedule. And you know, Penn State's going to be in a lot more competitive games this year than maybe there are accustomed to. So Mansky's got to do a lot of work here. And when you look at the rest of the quarterbacks, Tommy, do you see any of them potentially pushing him because you've got Jack Lambert who's back from Penn State last year. So staying with the program and then you have incoming freshman Peyton Falzone who initially was committed to Auburn and then flip back to Penn State. He's 65 to 10. So probably still has to fill out a good amount. Case Evans, freshman 6, 300 pound guy at a Texas. And then Conor Berry is a senior at a Vienna Virginia. He's a transfer from AppState and Christopher Newport. So you're just kind of rounding out the room. You got a lot of guys that can get reps during spring and fall. But when you look at the rest of the room, what does that competition look like? Yeah, it's my I hate to keep using the will wait and see. But it's I think it's I think it's a job to lose. So let's just put it to you like that. And he's going to get the first opportunity to just being a guy that's familiar with the

9:12system. And really in all reality, a guy that is going to be expected to take that next step now. You know, he's been around and he's been with the staff. It definitely helps. He's not going into a new place to staff knows exactly who he is. They're, you know, who they recruited. So it's going to be it's it's it's a big opportunity for him. And I you know, I see a lot of similarities to maybe some of the things that were happening with me. And I don't want to make this about me. But it's it's you know, it's it's a very big opportunity just based off of, you know, I would have loved to have this opportunity if it if it were in my situation. I traced it an outstanding job of of staying healthy enough to stay on the field, right? So really didn't give me much of an opportunity. At least once he took over the job and was the, you know, name the number one guy didn't give me any true opportunities to get much of the one one's reps, right? And so again, man, those those those reps are like gold any reps you can get. And it says guys will move on. And

10:17for the viewers that don't understand how this works, it's not exactly like how high school football works with with as far as reps go. Like everything is so detailed. So you'll call it. Let's say we have a script of about what we'll call it 12 plays. Typically, what will happen is that the starter will take four reps. And then whoever the backup is will come in and get his four reps. The starter will then come in and get typically another four reps, but possibly even more, you know, we'll we'll even call it we'll call it six reps. And then you would divvy up those last two reps between the rest of the room. So there's times where guys won't even get reps. Like you won't even take a snap at practice. I remember my first couple of Penn State practices. I'm standing there like, well, like when when's it my turn? Exactly. And so I'm like, I nobody really explained this to me before. And so like I was very shocked and called off guards. And then what you have to do is you have to, you know, your reps now are no longer team reps. You have to take advantage of your

11:18individual reps. So now you're just doing stuff in like QB indie drills, maybe some skeletal reps. You never know how many reps you're going to get. So man, they are they are so valuable. And anytime you can get more reps, they can only be beneficial. So I guess back to the original question. I do think it's his job to lose, but we'll see what we have with some of these younger kids as well. I mean, it's also beneficial to them because now again, you have one less guy out of the rotation. So more reps are available. So anytime you can get reps, especially as an early or as a young kid earlier in your career, the more beneficial it can be outside. And Penn State fans love the back of quarterback evidence. But then this is going to be a direct reflection on the coaching staff. Not just because it's an Iowa state guy that they transferred in, but because it was a long term and not necessarily a fix for 2026 and not say that back is a bandaid by any means, but like one of the better starters in college football that you can bring in, there was a no brainer. So that

12:20made sense. And a lot of other cyclones that came over makes sense for 2026 because it's one year of eligibility and then they're done. They're they're off to potentially the national football league. Mansky and a handful of other guys. It's like, hey, we like them and we think they can be someone for the future. So depending on the success of 2026 with those players that are just one and done, and especially Rocco backed, that is going to reflect on what Alex Mansky could be. So for instance, if there's a world where Rocco backed lights the world on fire in 2026, then people are about, hell yeah, give me Mansky. Let's see what happens. They hit once. They'll hit again. That sort of thing. If that struggles, then it's going to be a little worrisome. If that gets injured and Mansky goes in and he shines, then you have your answer. If he underperforms, then there's going to be some panic and now you're back to the portal potentially. Like there's so many ways that this could go, but hopefully we learn something more about Mansky here in spring practice. You mentioned center as a position that you're focusing on. Why and who?

13:24So I think it's very important to again, just make sure everybody understands how important an offensive line plays. So I think first and foremost, it's going to start at the center position, but the entire offensive line is going to be interesting, I would say. So anytime you can get these guys together, I think I mentioned this a few times when we talked about them individually, at least in the very beginning, but getting guys together and getting continuity within the group. So I believe that the tackle is the only one that we're going to miss during the spring, which was fine, a huge deal. I guess if you're going to pick one of the guys that can miss what we would go there. Yeah, sorry, don't go. So that's again, you don't want guys to be missing by any means. You would love to have everybody out there, but he will be just fine. So getting him, getting the relationships between the guards and the tackles on the right page, getting the relationship between whoever's playing center and the guards on the right page,

14:26getting used to, and just because there's a lot of new guys as well. So I guess I probably shouldn't have just focused on the center, but more so the entire offensive line and figuring out who those starting five are going to be, and then ultimately just getting those reps together and seeing what they can build on. But you know, specifically with the center position, that's where it all starts, man. So who's going to be making all the right calls? Who's going to, because it's not just a physical, it's not just a physical position, right? Like there's a lot of offensive line calls that you have to make. The center becomes the quarterback of the offensive line. So not only do you have to be a physical guy, you have to be a intelligent guy as well. And so a lot of different questions, you know, as far as who's going to be where, who fits in what spots, you know, your guess is as good as mine, right? So ultimately, again, I have to wait and see, but it's exciting, it's exciting to see that we have multiple different avenues of where and state could go.

15:29My expectation is primarily you'll see a battle between Dominic Rulie who got fair amount of run last year is more of a rotational interior offensive line and coming in at center at times, guard at times, but played very well in the pinstripe bowl at center. And has the motivation to build on that to come into spring ball and be like, yeah, I'm going to be the guy at center. And he's a registered senior. So it's kind of like, it's either now or never. The transfer from Texas state, Brock Riker, who we've talked about before, we did a whole comprehensive look at the 2026 offensive line recently here on state of state. So I encourage people to check that out, but Brock Riker was a guy who played a lot that last season as a freshman for Texas state, lower level of play, and also Riker was probably playing the position under size, although he played well. So there's going to be that growth element that he's going to have to focus on here in the off season. So does he catch up enough to the point that yes, he can be a contributor

16:29there? So there's a question. The guard spots kind of to your point about the overall offensive line. My loose expectation is probably a Cooper cousins at right guard and Trevor Burr, the transfer from Iowa state at left guard, but that's not in stone. So great competition behind those guys because they did transfer in some dudes with a good amount of size will be perfect for the interior. The wide open playing field, because of the aforementioned injury to Anthony Daco, as you mentioned at right tackled, we are hopefully going to learn a lot about both tackle positions. And it's not just is somebody going to supplant Daco, I don't think that's the case, but you're going to learn about the depth at right tackle. And you're going to probably learn who's going to be the left tackle here pretty soon. And if that continues to be a battle between a handful of guys, which there are a bunch of guys that are left over from the Penn State program for years now, and you've got guys like Chimdi Ohno, you've had the Garrett Sexton, you've had Caleb Brewer, you've had Liam Horin, Alcian, who people are excited about Malachi Goodman. There's a lot of names out there

17:34that people are like, okay, I want to see if they can actually put this all together. This is their time because left tackles been pretty well locked up since Old Fashionew and then Drew Shelton. So now it's okay, spring ball, the big guy Donco's not here, cross trained offensive line in, the chance to work either side of the line. Like it's a little unnerving, Tommy, as I'm sure, if he was a quarterback and it's like looking at this offense, you're like, I'd like to have some answers, but the competition's going to be very real here in this spring. And here's one more thing I'll add as well, is that these things are going to happen and eventually Donco's going to get this chance to get back into the rotation and as most will expect him to be the starter on day one whenever he's healthy. But what this does provide, and this is for all position groups, we only talk about the backup quarterback just recently. These reps will provide maybe a little bit of a security blanket. It allows you to show your teammates, it allows you to show your coaches, what you are capable of when you're called on. And so as you know, unfortunately,

18:39injuries are a part of this game and then these things have affected Penn State in the past as far as injuries up front. We've been relatively healthy in the past as far as quarterbacks, but obviously last year we had a situation where the backup quarterback had to play multiple amount of games. And so it's kind of an audition again, but you're allowing to, you can give yourself a way to inspire teammates at this point, right? So if something does happen that is unfortunate and somebody gets hurt and you have to roll a new guy in there, hey, well, he got reps in the spring, he did a good job, he's going to be more than okay. These are the kind of things that you can kind of give people some excitement around what you bring to the table. So again, the reps are gold, but you know, it also provides an opportunity, hey, like something does happen during this football season, somebody gets hurt and you're called upon, you're going to fall back on the level of your preparation and what you're able to do. And so this is the time to work on your skills. You also mentioned running back, we did a full episode a few weeks ago looking at the

19:44running back room for 2026. So again, encourage people to check that out, but why did you bring up running back? Because of all the position battles, it's not that there won't be competition there, but it feels like that's maybe second to corner in terms of depth and talent. Yeah. Yeah, so I think that, and then I guess you could probably throw in the tight ends as well into the same conversation almost. It's more so about how is that maybe rotation going to look because you have a ton of guys that are that are very good football players. So, you know, what is is it going to be, you know, by committee, is it going to be okay, hey, here's the workhorse, you guys get your reps whenever he's tired, or is this something that you're just constantly flowing guys in there? What kind of personal packages are we doing? Are we getting into maybe some 20 personnel or you have two backs and no tight ends? And you know, what kind of like what are the other things that you want to do offensively, right? And so it's more so for me, just is trying to see, okay, hey, like what's

20:44like how many reps are, you know, the number two guy on paper, the number three guy on paper, how many reps are these guys getting? Because that can be telling on what they want to do in the future, I would say, at least. And so, you know, are they lining up in 12, are they getting into two tight endsets? Are they getting in the 13, three tight ends? Are they getting into, you know, whatever, right? And so, you know, seeing who they put where, what they want to exploit, I guess you could say, like who are they trying to attack defensively? Or I guess what are they trying to attack defensively? And then what schemes they're using to attack them? And then ultimately, what are the skill sets that these guys have? Like, are we going to be surprised by, I don't know, seeing something from one of the running backs that we hadn't seen in the past, oh, okay, he's actually talented in this area, he can do this, he can get your passes out of the back field, he can pass block, you know, he can become, you know, a really dangerous option just as a check down, things like that. So, there's a lot to be excited about in all three of the rooms you were talking about, like with

21:47the corners, but going off into side of the ball of tight ends and the running backs. So, having a lot of talent is never really an issue. It's it's something that is going to happen at a place like Penn State. There's constantly going to be guys that are being brought in to take your job. So, that's, I mean, that's the beauty of playing at a place like Penn State is that there's constantly going to be a revolving door of very talented players. And so, I, you know, not only one will give you, you're going to have a good football team because you have talented players, but two, it's going to constantly keep you working as a player. If you're, you know, seeing they're bringing in very talented people, it's going to inspire you to keep working and make sure that you try to make that gap as wide as possible between you and whoever bringing it. The maps app that came with your phone, it's fine. If you enjoy waiting and guessing and inefficient routes, or you could use MapQuest. MapQuest is back with live directions, real-time traffic and faster routes. It moves when you move. Best of all, no prints are needed, no paper, no more

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24:59white outfitters directly benefit Penn State student athletes. Also official state of state merchandise is available now. Support the show and grab state of state t-shirts, hoodies, hats and more. Visit www.bluewhiteoutfitters.com today. I am excited to learn more about tight end beyond the big three that we've talked about. Breemer, Rapplian, Rapplian, Rapplian, Berkel will be missing spring ball because of injury. So you have a pretty good idea what Breemer is going to bring to the table to transfer from Iowa State, but what does the rest of that room look like? You'll learn a little bit more in spring. I'll bring up some positions that I'm focused on. Wide receiver is a big one, okay? And it's been that way for the longest time and now it's a difference. I think we know the guys that we expect to be in the mix, Kobe Howard, incumbent Penn State, and then two transfers from Iowa State and Brett Eskeltson

26:00and Chase Soel. If I hear the word flash this spring, Tommy, I'm going to scream, but for me, it's like, okay, I expect those three to be the primary contributors and primary producers to what degree we're not going to know until the bullets start flying in September. I think that's the truth. So anything that I hear in the next handful of months, I'm taking with a grain of salt when it comes to those three, right? It's everybody else who has a fantastic opportunity to show that they deserve reps that they deserve catches within this wide receiver room because again, it's another position of concern for Penn State football fans. So looking at this room outside of those three, are there guys that you're interested in? I mean, I think those guys are going to be the ones that obviously are, you could call them the headbine or so, essentially. So yeah, I mean, you've got young guys in the group. I mean, there's a ton of, I think there's only one guy that we're bringing back that caught a pass last year for Penn State in Kobe. And so, yeah, it's wide

27:07open, right? And so, and this is an interesting one just because, you know, what's the relationship like because as many do know, I wouldn't say that there are, well, I guess I can say this, like there are receivers that you look at as a quarterback and think of as a safety option, right? It's like, hey, like I can rely on this guy, right? And so now you're getting into a situation in the spring where you don't have the starting quarterback. Now, granted, these guys have worked together in the past. So that makes it a little bit reassuring, I would say. But, you know, whatever the backup quarterbacks feel might not be the same as the starting quarterback. And that's just being personal opinion, right? So you might feel better about one guy than the starter does, perhaps, whatever the case is, right? And I'm just using hypotheticals here. I've no reason to think that they aren't all on great terms. And that's how they'd be bad in any shape or form. So, but that being said, you know, that could dictate some of the decision making. And then you're

28:10talking about like some of the continuity between the quarterbacks and the receivers. So you're not able to build off of, you know, maybe some of the past reps that you've had just because Rocker's not going to be in there. But ultimately, you know, the quarterbacks, at least, from that's the only one that I can speak on, those are the meetings that I would have been in. You were taught everything. All the quarterbacks, I mean, are always taught the exact same way. So, you know, you're in a room, you're the backup quarterback. So whoever's at the very bottom is being taught just like whoever the starter is. So, you know, you're going to have a pre snap process. You're going to have, you know, overall decision making should be very, very similar within the group. I would say, if they are being taught the same way that we were when I was there. So, yeah, it'll be exciting to see, man, I don't really have anybody that that stands out personally for me just because they're very improving at this point. And, you know, this is a great opportunity for guys that haven't gotten a lot of reps to step in and get those reps and show what they're capable of.

29:13For me, there's a couple of guys outside of Howard Eskelson, and so well, that I'm going to hope to learn more about. A lyric Samuel, who's been a part of this program for a little while, listed as a registered freshman, considering that this coaching staff seems to be moving towards larger, taller wide receivers. So, their Samuel is 64, granted 185, but 64. So, the fact that they went and got Karan Brookings from Iowa State. They got Keith Jones Jr. from Grandling. They went and got Chase so well as well, who's six foot three. They recruited Ben Whitford, a true freshman, who's six foot two. Like, they're going a little bit bigger. So, maybe do they take an extended look at lyric Samuel? Who did have buzz coming out of high school in New York and was recruited by James Franklin and company? Peter Gonzales, another taller dude, 62, 207 pounds, missed last season with a quote long term injury. You and I have a great relationship with Justin King. Justin has worked closely with Peter Gonzales and thinks the world of his ability. So, after injury is this the

30:15opportunity for Peter to get some looks and get some reps potentially. As I mentioned, Jones Jr. at a Grandling. Talk about that before in this show is that the red shirt sophomore, he was the primary passing threat in a run heavy offense. So, it was pretty much him against the world when it came to throwing the football. So, it wasn't eye-popping numbers, but it was a gap between him and everybody else. Zay Robinson, red shirt freshman from Iowa State is another guy I'm interested in. Smaller dude, 5.11, 185 pounds, but definitely somebody who's got athletic ability that I think they liked and an Iowa kid. And then Whitford is a dude who I mentioned. As a true freshman, it's not to say that just because there's those headliners, you talked about that. Whitford is not going to see the field, but it's my open man. It's like somebody step up and make us put you on the field. So, I think Penn State fans are dying for somebody to approach wide receiver in that capacity. That would be great. I want to pivot to the defensive side of the ball real quick. Okay. So, detackle. Detackle, while I have a little bit of comfort in because there was an

31:25effort to recruit size in a way that we did not see under James Franklin with Matt Campbell in this transfer portal class, there's a lot of size, but is there ability? I think that's going to be the tremendous question. The bigger question is the depth of defense event because you lose denied in a sudden to the national football league. Zeraya Fisher did not perform the way that James Franklin and company said he would shocker. I had very low expectations. No offense to Zeraya Fisher, but did not live up to the expectation. Chas Coleman, while he flashed, he also has transferred to Tennessee. He got his money. So, I'm happy for Chas Coleman, but it hurts Penn State. So, you're looking at a situation in a defensive line where you've got big detackles who have experienced at other schools, and I'll get to those guys in a moment. But I think defensive end is the far bigger question because now the workload extends for young guys like Yvonne Kamaju, a Max Granville who was a due to reclassified. It was a part of that 2025 college football playoff

32:29run, and then got injured during the off-season training at home, missed the 2025 regular season, and is coming back and potentially being expected to be a starter like he was expected to be in 2025. So, where is he physically? Then you throw in guys like Lavar Earrington, the second who is moving from linebacker to more of a conventional edge rusher. I think people because of his name have expectations, but the evaluation early was that he's physically gifted, but he's very raw. So, he's got to learn some things along the way. When you look at defensive end, are you concerned, are you excited about the potential? I'm more excited, I'd say, than I am concerned, just because there's a lot of unknowns. So, I'm excited to see what we have. I'm excited to see who steps up and do the role. And again, man, ultimately there is reason to be concerned. I'm not saying there isn't, but when it would be more concerning being in a much smaller place than what we have here

33:30at Penn State, like this is a tier one university and tier one football program. So, you know, these guys wouldn't be here if they weren't talented. But this is their opportunity. This is their window to make their move and then make their presence known almost. And so, you know, it's a blessing for these guys. They've been working for for a very, very long time. It's a side note, but I know personally this spot, just because this is what most people in my family played. And my brother is kind of going through a similar thing right now over Virginia Tech. So, you know, I'm excited to see what happens for him. But just, you know, this is this is a huge thing. This is this kind of the things that I've relayed to him. So, hey, man, like here it is, like this is the opportunity, then you might not get much if there's not to, you're not going to get a revolving door of constant opportunity, right? Like, eventually opportunity stops knocking. So, you have to make the most of your opportunities. And so, yeah, I mean, obviously excited for,

34:32you know, my brother personally, but they're going back to Penn State. It's the exact same situation. It's the exact same spot. And, you know, the door is open for somebody to, you know, step right in and make their selves at home. And so, yeah, they're excited to see what we have. And, again, it's, you said it earlier, I'm not sure if it was about the defensive end or defensive side, but I think it was actually the last talking point. But, you know, everything during the spring needs to be taken with the grain of salt. And that's pretty much every position, right? Like, you aren't going to win any games in spring ball. Now, you can prepare yourself and get yourself into a better version of yourself in order to win more football games, sure, absolutely. But, ultimately, it's about growth. So, if, you know, there's signs of guys maybe struggling early on, that's not really that concerning to me. Like, it's okay. You're allowed to struggle in practice. You should struggle in practice. You be doing things that you aren't necessarily good at it in that moment. I would be more concerned if there's like no growth from those, those things that you're

35:38being critiqued on, right? Like, this is an opportunity for you to fine tune your skills and then find out what you can do, like what's in your bag almost, right? And so, I'm excited to see what these guys basically will step into and who is going to make their presence the most known. Other defense events, pay attention to transfer from Colorado, Alexander McPherson. There's some excitement about him listed at 66240. So, I have some things to learn, but could be a contributor Ikena Eziogo from Iowa State, big defense event, Red Shred Senior 65, 285 pounds. You really don't see the ends of that size outside of a three-four alignment. So, how does he factor into this defensive line? Jackson Ford is the true freshman. One of the two kids that signed with Penn State with the Class of 2027. Class of 2026, excuse me, when the entire class basically left for Virginia Tech, it came down to Jackson Ford and paint Valzon. It was a two-person class of one point and he's

36:43malburned prep kid from Phoenixville, PA. So, Jackson Ford, listen to like kind of like I was saying before, a wide receiver, open slate. You know, blank slate for a lot of these guys. You return Dachon Burnett defensive end. Jordan Mayer was a transfer from Wisconsin, Bobby Mears, Mace Robinson got himself a good amount of run last year at defensive end. He's a Red Shred Junior. I mean, one of the older guys within the room and that's the thing that's very different about this defensive line group is that the D Ns are young and the D Tacos have got a lot of experience. So, D Tacos is interesting because you're going to return some larger dudes and tie-blanding Liam Andrews and DeAndre Cook, but then it's really the transfers that you brought in and it's a lot of guys from Out West, CLA, Tulpaki, from UCLA, Dallas, Vacula High from Utah, and then Keanu Williams, who was at Oregon and then UCLA, both Tulpaki and Williams have familiarity with Dantling, new defensive coordinator. So, I feel strongly about what those guys can do.

37:45You tack on Elijah Carnell from Iowa State, Armstrong Notum from Oklahoma State. Like, there's size and experience that they brought in. So, I feel good about what D Tacos can be. I just don't know what it will actually look like and what Dantling is going to ask him to do. I would have wind down here because we've been going here for a little while, so I would have wrapped this up. Not to say that I don't see position battles happening in the secondary that is, but I feel pretty darn good about safety and corner. Not to say that it's like, you know what, just see in September and we'll see how it goes, but like I'm curious to see how it ultimately looks once it's rolled out there, but the depth on paper, the returning cornerbacks, especially for Penn State, the safeties they transferred in from Iowa State. That feels like a pretty stable position of the utmost faith and Terry Smith and what he can do there. Linebacker, linebacker, linebacker, linebacker. This has been an issue for a handful of seasons that ironically linebacker you. You basically only had two guys that you felt comfortable fielding last year once Tony Rojas went

38:47down. A Mari Campbell, who is not here anymore and played his butt off and in my opinion was the defensive MVP last year. Campbell's off to Tennessee to join Jim Noles and Chaz Coleman. Then he had Don DeLuke, who I don't think he had any business playing big 10 football. That's just my opinion, no disrespect to Don, but that's just my opinion. So now you returned Tony Rojas, who said that he's on track to return in the summer and he's at injuries every season. He's been at Penn State, but he's wildly talented. Can he put it all together? The question is more going to be these transfers at linebacker from Iowa State that have played a lot of football, but are more conventional linebackers. When I say that, think more Dan Conner, size and responsibilities in that the one you should be paying attention to is Caleb Bacon. He's a registered senior. So another guy, it's 2026 and done, 64240. And you know very well, there aren't a lot of middle linebackers or even outside linebackers built that way anymore. And that might be the

39:50change at the linebacker position that you're going to be seeing from Penn State under Dan and Land under Mack Campbell this year is that and it's been expressed publicly. So I'm not breaking any news, but Dan and others have said they're going to ask them to play more of a traditional linebacker style. So is that two linebackers? Is that three linebackers? Is it something different as other guys from Iowa State like Caleb Rosina and Cooper Eble is it Alex Tash who dealt with a injury in December? Is it some other guys that have transferred in from like Iowa State and West Virginia that could contribute like linebackers a massive question going into the in the spring practice cycle. So in your opinion, that shift from what you've seen from the linebackers under Franklin to this more traditional linebacker, you know responsibility and a roll type, what do you think you'll see? What do you think that shift will look like? Well, I mean, I think just like we talked about on the offensive side of the ball defensively, they're going to have to be able to adjust accordingly as well. So I have no issue with them

40:56starting that out as it may be their base or their identity of what they want to go to, but just from an offensive standpoint and what I'm thinking of is instantly I start thinking about, okay, well how can we find ways to possibly get a match up there, right? And so you have to ultimately have multiple different skill sets, I would say just because offences are so good these days of finding, and more so I would say the often coordinators and play callers do such a good job in the stay-in-age football of creating those matchups and trying to find ways to ultimately manipulate the defense. And so not to say that that our guy can't move and cover people, hopefully he can because it'd be awesome, but based off of his size, based off of what we've seen in the past, there aren't many guys that can do that at that size, that can cover a really good running back in the past game, maybe, or they get matched up on maybe a tight end or something. I'm just thinking about maybe some of the guys we have here at Penn State,

41:58if we can get guys matched up on, I don't want to say a weaker spot, but a guy that they can take advantage of based off of their skill set, right? So I don't have a problem with it, ultimately, again, I think it's kind of a, I think the game will continue to change, so just as the game has gotten very, very fast in the last 10, 15 years, you're going to start to see, okay, well, we're no longer going to use these smaller running backs, like the linebackers are getting much smaller, so we're going to get bigger on offense and then run the ball down your throat, and it's going to go back to how it was maybe in the 80s, right? So football kind of has a way of doing that over, of course, of 20, 30 years, I would say. So, you know, who knows if that's going to continue, I would expect it to, I think it's just ultimately, you're trying to find ways to take advantage of other teams' defenses, and that's the way that you look at it from an offensive side. So, ultimately, I want to put the best players on the field, that's that's really where I think if your guys are going to be making plays, you have good problems, right? And so I'm excited to see my

43:02think that, you know, having maybe traditional two big body, burly type guys, that's that's fine with me. Once you get into that three categories where it gets dangerous for me, just because, you know, somebody's going to have to cover that number three receiver. Somebody's going to have to cover those running backs out of the backfield, right? So, you know, you have to kind of work within, you know, who you have and what your personnel is, but yeah, I'm excited, I'm excited to see what these guys bring to the table. We're going to find out, is this a base 4-3? Is this a base 3-3-5? Like they did at Iowa State? Is this a base 4-2-5? Like we've seen for years from Penn State? Is it just multiplicity that Dant and Lannis talk about for years, stops between UCLA and USC? There's that, listen to overall kind of what I was listening to with you saying there is that Penn State got big in the Imperial. They sure did, man. And that's an important thing in big 10 football. You've got to be able to stop the run, run the football in offense, and just play overall complimentary football. So, Penn State getting bigger a detackle and probably interior

44:05linebacker. That's a good thing. Penn State needed that for the years. So, it's just a matter of how all the pieces come together here in spring practice. So, we've gone through just about every position and we're going to continue to sift through all this as we gather more information. Spring practices start this coming Tuesday. March 24th. It all culminates with Blue White Weekend on April 25th. On behalf of our friends at Fandall, we invite you to play your game, get involved when it comes to college football futures. NFL draft futures. That's right around the corner. And March Madness is underway right now. So, play your game with Fandall. Thank you so much for tuning in. He's Tommy Stevens. I'm Tom Hannepin. This has been State of State. Penn State football show presented by Fandall. Thank you all so much for joining us. This episode and our entire library of shows is available now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Please like, comment, subscribe, rate us, and turn on notifications. Follow us on social media at State of State Pod. Comment on our YouTube channel. And if you haven't done so

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