The end of five weeks of unconventional spring football practice means Penn State is back to the real business of the offseason: roster management. The Nittany Lions will be in a unique position when the NCAA transfer portal opens on Tuesday, beginning a chaotic 15 days. Depending on outside estimates, Penn State may need to cut 12 to 14 scholarship players to reach the NCAA's allowed limit of 85 players. And that assumes Penn State doesn't add any new transfers beyond the four who enrolled in January.
Of course, Penn State coach James Franklin won't say the exact number of scholarship players currently on the roster. The numbers range from 97 to 99, depending on who is counting and who is counting. Asked about his scholarship numbers before the Blue-White game, Franklin actually looked upbeat.
“We're in great shape,'' Franklin said. “I don't see anything like that.” [being] That's the problem, our calculations are different from yours. ”
One player likely to enter his name into the portal is receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Penn State's top returning receiver has started the most games on the roster, but he did not play in the Blue-White game and was not on the field for his team. Franklin's postgame comments about Lambert Smith seemed to indicate the receiver was no longer with the team. But until it's official, it's unofficial.
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Even without Lambert Smith, Penn State still has 14 scholarship recipients, including three in the 2024 recruiting class. This position is subject to further reductions and additions in the future.
The Nittany Lions also currently have five scholarship running backs on the roster, four of whom have freshman eligibility. Another freshman, Milwaukee native Corey Smith, is scheduled to arrive this summer. Running back is also a position that could see some movement.
There could be changes on the offensive line, especially with six tackles having freshmen eligibility. The defensive line, which features five senior tackles, is similarly streamlined.
“This could be an interesting few weeks for everyone involved in college football, as we know what's going on in college football,” Franklin said.
So what will that process look like? Franklin said position coaches will meet with players starting Monday, and then Franklin will have a 30-minute meeting with each player. He expected the process to take about three weeks.
“When I say 'an interesting few weeks in college football,' there are a lot of reasons why.
That’s interesting,” Franklin said. “For me, that's what this meeting is about. A one-on-one meeting with a position coach. A meeting with me. We've already had conversations with some guys. But at the end of the day, it wasn't really until it happened. I don't know. I think we have a pretty good relationship. For the most part, the guys are very transparent and honest with us, and we're very honest with them. I'm doing the same thing.
“One thing that I think is really important is that I still strongly believe in change.
College football brings relationships and change. I worry about college football becoming more and more transactional. It has to go both ways. That's something I've always talked about with my staff. Let's be honest: 99 percent of the time, what's good for the individual is good for the team, and vice versa. That's what I feel is a good thing as a head coach. I can have these conversations, but to be honest, the reality is, probably not in the short term, probably not at the time they want to schedule in their head, but likely. Because there are many things that aren't. ”
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Additionally, Franklin said he will include the Penn State Leadership Council in decisions regarding roster management.
“We're going to ask them what they think we need and make sure they have ownership of those decisions and are comfortable with those decisions,” Franklin said. Told. “You've all heard me say this many times over the last 10 years. I want to hear from every player, staff and coach to make the best decisions for our program. I think that includes decisions like this. But it's a difficult time in college football for head coaches to make these kinds of decisions, and that varies with rosters and a lot of different things. It will have a significant impact.”
AllPennState is your destination for Penn State news, opinions and perspectives on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles, and an impressive catalog of articles. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
