A Weighty Question After a Heavy Lift in Lasch: Is 2023 Penn State Football’s Year?

LASCH BUILDING — It was almost Getaway Day here for Penn State football on Thursday afternoon.

Inside the massive weight facility in Penn State Football’s HQ, the Lasch Building, it was the last lifting session before the Nittany Lions dispersed from campus for spring break.

That meant it was a scant lucky 13 hours until their first extended break from football since last July, as well as a break from a winter full of Happy Valley snow and frigid temps and dark rise-and-grind 6 a.m. workouts that were designed to take the bloom off the rose of Penn State’s impressive 35-21 postseason victory that gave them an 11-2 record.

And also served up some big-time momentum headed in the 2023 season.

Only a final early-morning workout on Friday in Holuba Hall stood between Penn State’s players and a 10-day respite from the rigors of offseason big-time football.

“They’ve done a great job these seven weeks. They’ve started 2023 off the right way,” strength coach Chuck Losey said. “Different team, finding ourselves — establishing a lot of different things from last year’s team. But we’re off to a good start these seven weeks.”

After the Friday a.m. workout, the Nittany Lions will spread out from coast to coast — and beyond. A few will fly west, to the California beaches, the trip funded by their NIL paydays. Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg, a native of South Africa, will travel to England to visit family. Offensive lineman Landon Tengwall will head home to Annapolis and spend Monday at his old elementary school, where he will read from his children’s book, “The Men Up Front,” to classrooms full of kids.

Penn State coaches and staffers will also scatter, finally literally getting away from recruiting and official visits and winter workouts. The 2022 season — which saw Penn State finish No. 7 in the final Associated Press poll — ended on Jan. 2 in the Rose Bowl and then classes at University Park began a week later, on Jan. 9.

On Thursday night, the whirlwind continued for head coach James Franklin. He typically attends the final lifting session before spring break, but missed it yesterday. He was in Hartford, Connecticut, as the keynote speaker of the Nike coaches clinic there, lecturing on the “Penn State Leadership and Core Fundamental Program,” after his warm-up act, Kirk Ferentz of Iowa, spoke about “Iowa’s Offensive Line Fundamentals.”

I’m not kidding. It is a Hawkeyes O-line that produced a fundamental scoring average of 17.2 points per game, 123rd out of 131 FBS teams, in 2022. Meanwhile, Penn State averaged 35.8 ppg, 20th in the nation. (Kudos, Mike Yurcich.) Penn State hosts Iowa — with Michigan transfers QB Cade McNamara and TE Erick All — on Sept. 23 in Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions’ fourth game of the season. In Week 7 (Oct. 21), Penn State plays at Ohio State and in Week 10 (Nov. 11), they host Michigan.

Ultimately, the idea is these are the games when the winter workouts will bear fruit.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Back inside Lasch on Thursday, Future – the rapper from Atlanta — was blaring from the speakers. Appropriately enough. Penn State’s future looks bright.

As Franklin told the Penn State Board of Trustees barely two weeks ago, the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 5 in ESPN’s SP+ 2023 preseason college football rankings, neatly tucked behind Big Ten foes Ohio State, at No. 2, and Michigan, at No. 3. He also boasted about getting the top recruits from Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York. 

“I want to be back here next year addressing you guys about our (2023) season as well,” said Franklin, who is heading into Year 10 at PSU. “But I would also challenge you as well as those [players]… We’re fifth in the country, but there’s two schools in our own side of the conference that are also ranked in the Top 5. So, we’ve got a tremendous challenge, which is something that we embrace.”

That hug will begin full force on Tuesday, March 14 — the first of 14 official spring practices for the full team.

For the first three weeks of spring ball, Penn State will practice Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday (March 14-16-18; March 21-23-25; March 28-30-April 1). Then, they’ll squeeze five practices into 11 days (April 4-April 14), before they finish spring with the Blue-White Game at 2 p.m. in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 15.

DREWING A CONCLUSION

Through it all, this will be quarterback Drew Allar’s team. In 2022, as Sean Clifford’s backup as a true freshman, Allar completed 35 of 60 passes for 344 yards, for 58.3%, with four TD passes and zero picks.

But, according to Losey, the five-star from Ohio was still feeling his way. Especially last spring. Allar said the same this week in an exclusive interview with our own Ben Jones as well; read it here. 

This is what Losey said on Thursday:

“Drew’s done a good job in the sense that he’s pushed outside of his comfort zone. By nature, Drew is probably not the loudest person you’ll ever meet. He’s loud on the field when he’s commanding the offense, obviously. But just his disposition, his nature, he’s not an attention-seeking guy. 

“But I’ve seen him during our workouts, during the winter workouts, in the weight room. He’s put himself in uncomfortable situations where he’s forced himself to speak up to other guys. So, in that sense, I’m really proud of him.”

Losey gave big props to the QB who will be Allar’s backup, Beau Pribula, who was also a freshman last season. Pribula made Allar better, Losey said.

“Drew, being at the quarterback position, you’ve got to have durability,” Losey said. “So that was one thing with a tall, lean frame like Drew had when he first came in. One of his main objectives was to put muscle mass on, which he’s done a great job. It’s in the excess of 25 pounds since he’s been here. And he looks great. He looks like a defensive end right now.

“Really happy with Drew’s progress,” Losey added. “He’s put on a little lean mass. He was probably behind from a strength and power standpoint, and speed, when he first got here. And I’ll tell you what, he’s closing the gap on a lot of guys at that position.

“Beau is kind of an elite athlete when it comes to speed, strength and power. So, I think the combination of having Drew, who was probably behind the curve when he first got here, and having somebody like Beau in the same room and those two in the same class, it’s really benefited Drew.”

Heading into the spring — well, for Penn State that’s a lift, too.