Penn State returns to spring practice, its first in two years

The pandemic hit the week before the Nittany Lions were to start 2020 spring practice. After his team's first losing season since 2004, Franklin said he wants to take the next step with his program

Penn State head coach James Franklin greets his team as they take the field against Illinois in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Franklin led the Nittany Lions on their first day of spring practice Monday.Read moreBarry Reeger / AP

by Joe Juliano

Published March 15, 2021, 7:25 p.m. ET

Penn State head coach James Franklin says he is taking the lessons learned from last year’s disappointing season of COVID-19 concerns and the Nittany Lions’ first losing record since 2004 and taking the next step with his program.

“Last year was an unbelievable opportunity to grow and learn and be challenged in the way that we’ve never been challenged before,” Franklin said Monday on the first day of spring football. “It was how the season went with some of the off-the-field things we were dealing with from a flexibility standpoint, just a change of normal routine.

“In any situation, whether it’s positive or it’s adversity, you’ve got to grow from it and learn from it. I probably grew as much both personally and professionally in 26 years of doing this. That’s how you should approach it every year.”

The 2020 season was full of challenges. The coronavirus pandemic hit the week before Penn State’s spring practice was scheduled to start. Coaches and players had to communicate over Zoom or Facetime until June, when players could return to campus for limited workouts.

The Big Ten canceled the season on Aug. 11 but changed its mind five weeks later and set up a nine-game schedule beginning Oct. 24. Penn State was one of two teams able to play all nine, with COVID-19-related postponements and cancelations popping up throughout the conference.

The Nittany Lions lost their first five games but won their last four. Though it marked their first losing season in 16 years, they entered the off-season with momentum and optimism that they could regain the success they exhibited when they won 11 games in three of four seasons from 2016 through 2019.

Entering his eighth season at Penn State, Franklin said he wants to take past success “and then also the challenges and adversity that were brought forth last year and taking all those experiences and holistically getting better and using them to take the next step with Penn State football. Today’s one of those steps.”

One of the questions entering spring practice is quarterback depth. With backup Will Levis transferring to Kentucky, the Lions have just three scholarship quarterbacks led by two-year starter Sean Clifford. Redshirt freshman Ta’Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux, who enrolled for his first semester in January, are the backups.

Franklin said having three scholarship quarterbacks on a roster “gets a little dicey.” He said he still intends to look at the NCAA transfer portal for another quarterback, but it has to be the right fit.

“It’s about going out and finding a guy that can come in and compete and who has some experience,” he said. “We’ll see how that goes, but we’re open to the topic and open to discussing it. We’ve got to make sure that we’re bringing the right person in here, not only from an academic fit but a cultural fit and also from a competitive perspective as well.”

The Nittany Lions also have to rebuild the defensive line, having lost starting ends Shaka Toney and Jayson Oweh to the NFL draft, and tackles Antonio Shelton and Judge Culpepper via transfer.

Franklin said he expects defensive end Nick Tarburton, a redshirt sophomore who starred at Pennridge High School, to play a significant role on the defense after injuries limited him to nine games in his previous three seasons.

“I’m a big Nick Tarburton fan for a lot of different reasons, how he’s gone about his business,” he said. “The whole family has been unbelievably supportive. The kid has really faced a decent amount of adversity. He has not been healthy consistently since he’s been here. He’s had an unbelievable offseason for us, not only from a health perspective but from a leadership perspective as well.”

Another Philadelphia-area high school product, redshirt freshman Sebastian Costantini of Malvern Prep, has been moved from cornerback to safety, Franklin said.

“He’s a guy that’s really doing some nice things for us, got tremendous testing numbers,” he said. “We feel like that’s going to get him more reps in practice and hopefully a role on special teams as well.”