STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – James Franklin and the Nittany Lion trio of Jason Cabinda, Mike Gesikci and Marcus Allen will head to Chicago on Monday for the annual Big Ten Kickoff.
Franklin will meet with the media Tuesday afternoon as will athletic director Sandy Barbour and then the three players will do the same. I’ll have plenty of coverage from both days of the event, including several thoughts from other conference standouts and coaches on the reigning Big Ten champs as well as other thoughts from around the conference on Penn State’s pair of Heisman hopefuls in running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Trace McSorley.
It’s a chance to discuss anything and everything throughout the conference, especially during the breakout sessions where players sit at a table for 60 minutes as a roomful of reporters come and go. Franklin’s 15-minute podium session, which will also be televised on the Big Ten Network, is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. He will meet with the media again Tuesday afternoon from 3:15-4:15 while the three players will then meet the media from 5-6 p.m..
Here are some of the things I’ll be keeping an eye on during Penn State’s availabilities while I'm in Chicago:
OFFENSE
The coaching staff is back from a summer spent working camps, preparing for the season and taking a breather. While most of what is done during the summer takes places behind the scenes with player-led workouts, meetings and lots of strength and conditioning, there’s always a lot of interest with the new guys.
Penn State’s freshmen arrived about one month ago so what reports is Franklin hearing from strength coach Dwight Galt about specifically about early enrollees Mike Miranda and KJ Hamler, as well as the newest of the new arrivals like quarterback Sean Clifford and the rest?
Also, expect there to be plenty of national attention focused on whether or not this offense can duplicate the impressive clip at which it produced chunk plays last season as well as the season ahead for both McSorley and Barkley. While neither player will represent Penn State at the two-day event -- something Franklin opts against because he'd rather take a senior player -- there will still be a lot of talk about the dynamic duo.
Beyond all of that, plus catching up with Gesicki who is also in line for a big season in his own right, I’m curious what, if anything Penn State plans to do differently in camp to move past the slow starts and occasional third-down struggles that popped up from time to time last year. Franklin was insistent that the slow starts were the result of Penn State being a young team, but when McSorley spoke last week at Lift for Life those were two areas he highlighted that he said are focal points this summer.
Also, how is the depth shaping up in the trenches? There are a lot of highly-touted prospects on that offense line, some of whom aren’t even in the starting lineup for the time being, which certainly is a good problem to have. Players like Michal Menet and Will Fries came to Penn State with a lot of hype and high school success so coming off redshirt seasons how do those guys look? As always there will be a lot of little personnel things to clear up, which almost makes it like the first day of school where there's all the paperwork to fill out and get in order before the year begins.
DEFENSE
The questions start in the trenches, but before we even get that far does Franklin anticipate defensive end signee Damion Barber being able to enroll before camp starts? Barber was likely headed for a redshirt anyway, but as the last member of the freshman class to report we'll have to ask about that.
While Franklin typically doesn't discuss injuries, there's no doubt there will be more on cornerback Christian Campbell's plate this year after John Reid sustained a knee injury during spring ball. What other defensive backs is he looking to see more from during camp because this is a position with a lot of talent, some of which is still young and somewhat unknown. Of course there will be some talk about freshman Lamont Wade, as always, and several questions about the vacant starting safety job opposite Allen, one of the only real camp position battles among Penn State's starters.
Oh, and let's not forget the linebackers, where Jake Cooper is back to full health after an injury ended his season early last year, Cam Brown has a year of experience under his belt and Cabinda is the unquestioned leader of the group. Penn State will need contributions from a plethora of linebackers, including likely starter Koa Farmer as well as reserve Brandon Smith.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Penn State will need to settle on some kick and put returners during camp, jobs that have mostly been up for grabs in the past too. It was last year at media days where Franklin first mentioned using Barkley back there to provide a spark at times in the kick return game and I'd be hard pressed to think that plan has changed.
Running back Miles Sanders was back to return kicks last season and wide receiver Brandon Polk was granted a redshirt last season, which likely puts him back in the kick return mix as well, along with potentially a freshman or two. What other options does the team have in the third phase?
Also, does Franklin anticipate kick-off specialist Joey Julius being available when camp starts? The fan favorite was back in St. Louis this spring and summer to continue his fight with a binge-eating disorder so if Julius isn't available then we'll have to know what type of progress kicker Tyler Davis made with his kickoffs this summer. Also, the verbal pledge the Lions received from kicker Jake Pinegar last weekend raised some eyebrows about the development of scholarship specialist Alex Barbir, who didn't see the field last year as a true freshman. While college coaches can't talk about prospects by name until they sign, Penn State's recruiting success with this highly-touted 2018 class will certainly be a talking point.
B1G storylines
The conference doesn’t do an official preseason poll so instead many of the writers come together to submit our picks and the results of this year’s media poll have Penn State picked to finish second in the East Division, behind projected champion Ohio State. No doubt the talk of media days will be Penn State, Ohio State and Wisconsin all three front runners as well as a Michigan squad that looks to be doing a built of rebuilding this year.
EAST DIVISION
OHIO STATE
Perhaps one of the most interesting stats out there is that Urban Meyer has only ever lost three bowl games and each year following his previous two bowl losses the Buckeyes have won a national title. While Meyer will look to make that 3-for-3 after last year's embarrassment in the Fiesta Bowl, how effective quarterback J.T. Barrett will be this season will likely impact Penn State's post-season fate as well. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, formerly the head coach at Indiana, will be have a lot of weapons at his disposal. With a strong defense, highlighted by defensive end Tyquan Lewis, there will be a lot of interest in what the front runners do this season, which certainly will be magnified when the Lions travel to The Horseshoe on Oct. 28 for a 3:30 p.m. kick.
MICHIGAN
This won't be last year's Wolverines, with X-factor Jabrill Peppers scurrying all over the place. While Michigan is expected to take a step back this season and lost a lot of experience -- and now is one of the least experienced team in the FBS with five returning starters -- it's also not a given that Harbaugh's team goes backwards. Given how well Michigan has recruited under Harbaugh they could still be a bit of a sleeper pick to win the division. But, their schedule is a tough one, with road games at Penn State (White-Out game) and Wisconsin, plus a season opener in Arlington, Texas against Florida. Of course there's always the matchup with Ohio State at the Big House.
Michigan was the one team last season that gave Penn State fits in every phase. While keeping in mind that this is a new season and therefore a clean slate, the White Out game very well could be that game that catches PSU by surprise. Still, there's a lot of football to be played before then so we'll see what Michigan looks like come Oct. 21, but don't write the Wolverines off.
MICHIGAN STATE
Did anyone see last year's debacle coming? I certainly didn't imagine 3-9. But, the good news is the Spartans have running back LJ Scott to once again carry the load and he should end up as one of the top backs in the conference, behind Barkley and Northwestern's Justin Jackson. The bad news? All that's surrounded this program for the past year resulted in player dismissals and even if the Spartans are better than 3-9 the top of the division is also improved so they face an uphill climb.
INDIANA
Tom Allen made his debut as the Hoosiers' head coach at the Foster Farms Bowl. I'll excuse you if you missed it. He's a defensive-minded coach looking to take this team to a third consecutive bowl game.
MARYLAND
Penn State makes the trip to College Park this season, the Lions' first time doing so since 1993. They'll wrap up the regular season with a Maryland team that starts theirs Sept. 2 at Texas. That's rough for Maryland. Add in Ohio State, Wisconsin and the Lions and the Terps will gain some big-time experience this year, but still have to consistently own their recruiting territory to maybe turn this thing around.
RUTGERS
They're the consensus pick in the beat writer poll to finish in last place. Chris Ash is dealing with a team that was handled by Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State last year by a combined score of 224-0. That doesn't get turned around overnight.
WEST DIVISION
WISCONSIN
They're the clear-cut favorite to win their division and end up back in Indianapolis. Paul Chryst's team avoids a game with Penn State in the regular season, which I'm sure both fan bases are thankful for. The Badgers return eight starters on offense, highlighted by tight end Troy Fumagalli, who likely will be in the running for several post-season awards along with Penn State's Gesicki.
IOWA
The Hawkeyes return 14 starters, but get the scheduling draw of Penn State and Ohio State. They haven't won a bowl game since the 2010 Insight Bowl victory against Missouri and were blown out in last year's Outback Bowl by Florida, 30-3. However, Iowa is one of the more impressive road environments in the Big Ten, which is something Penn State will experience in September when the Lions break away from the cozy confines of Beaver Stadium after the first three games at home and hit the road.
NEBRASKA
Getting both Penn State and Ohio State out of the East this season is a tough break and former Tulane quarterback Tanner Lee is the guy tasked with the job. An NFL prospect who was sacked a combined 51 times in 2014 and 2015 at Tulane, the pro-style quarterback could be one of the more interesting stories in college football. Still, Mike Riley has his quarterback but now what else follows? Remember, this team started 7-0 last year before finishing with losses in three of their last five regular-season games. They capped the season with a loss to Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.
NORTHWESTERN
This is the team that could be the surprise pick out of the West. Returning running back Justin Jackson, who is one of the best in the conference, plus quarterback Clayton Thorson gives Pat Fitzgerald's team a good chance. Northwestern's 16 returning starters certainly doesn't hurt either. They're the second most experienced team in the Big Ten, which we'll find out if that's really much of a factor or not. Penn State gets the noon start, 11 a.m. kick central time, when they visit the Wildcats on Oct. 7. That could have trap game written all over it, mostly because the 11 a.m. kick with a pretty non-existent crowd in Evanston means this team will have to create it's own energy to get ready for that one.
MINNESOTA
P.J. Fleck certainly isn't at Western Michigan anymore, but at least because of the new head coach there is some excitement surrounding the Gophers. Still, it'll take time until Fleck goes through a few recruiting classes for this transition to tell the tale. Until then, ESPNU is already airing a mini-series on the guy, titled 'Being P.J.' which will air Aug. 2. Expect him to throw out his signature "row the boat" line multiple times during Big Ten media days.
ILLINOIS
Lovie Smith will be near the cozy confines of Soldier Field during media days, but he's busy soldiering on with his own team that went 3-9 last season. They do return injured wide receiver Mike Dudek, who missed back-to-back seasons with ACL tears in his right knee. For a team that's 27-86 in Big Ten play in the past 14 years they need to cling to any and all hope that they can. They don't play Michigan or Penn State this season, which might get them out of the last spot in the conference. Maybe.
PURDUE
Darrell Hazell won't have to stand at the front of the room or at a mostly-empty podium this time around. Hazell was replaced by Jeff Brohm during last season and it's a tall order for anyone to take over there. First, he'll need to have his quarterback, David Blough, drastically cut down on the 21 picks he threw last season. The Boilermakers are 3-30 in conference play the past four seasons. They'll fight it out with Illinois, who they beat for two of those three wins, to see who can climb out of the basement of the Big Ten West.