The stability and success of Penn State’s offensive line this season goes far beyond just one player, but it wouldn’t hurt the Lions if junior college Paris Palmer acclimates quickly. The 6-7, 300-pounder is off to a slow start in practice while redshirt junior Wendy Laurent has been mentioned by name as turning heads.
Could James Franklin be forced to shuffle the deck if Palmer continues to struggle? While that would be a premature conclusion at the outset of camp, the possibility exists that Andrew Nelson moves to left tackle and other tweaks are necessary to field the most competitive unit possible. The development of Laurent could make that process a little smoother.
Meanwhile, junior running back Akeel Lynch faces stiff competition from the likes of Saquon Barkley and Mark Allen. True freshmen John Reid, Ryan Buchholz and Robert Windsor have stood out early and could push for playing time. Penn State has open jobs for the taking and might need much of camp to decide who’s going to fill them.
Bob Flounders and Andrew P. Shay talked about those topics and more in a segment for the Keystone Sports Network this week. Check out audio of the show in this post and be sure to check back in to KeystoneSportsNetwork.com for plenty more Penn State podcasts and analysis.