Energy, excitement abound at Nittany Lions' first practice

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — James Franklin moved from the punter to the kicker, back to the punt returners, over to the kick returners and then back to punter Blake Gillikin.

There was a snap that needed to be lower, a pointer here and there for a group of punt returners who fielded balls wearing boxing gloves and a full assortment of offensive linemen for position coach Matt Limegrover to rotate through. Franklin was in high demand, working up a sweat while hustling from spot to spot.

"It's about the details," wide receivers coach Josh Gattis shouted while DaeSean Hamilton, Saeed Blacknall, Juwan Johnson and the rest of the wide receiving corps worked on agility drills and ball security. "Small details."

As usual, Penn State's players and coaches harped on those little details, such as hand placement, keeping the ball tucked in tight and working to explode off the ball. Monday marked the team's first workout of the season, and during the 40-minute portion that was open to the media one thing was clear: This is a group that was excited to get back on the practice field.