ALTOONA, Pa. -- Penn State will enter the fall with an experienced offensive line that, for a change, is expected to be one of the strengths of the team.
There is, however, a younger lineman who's simply hard to miss because of his massive size, and he could end up being a big factor, if not this year then certainly during his career.
James Franklin discussed what the lineman is up to this spring, along with other topics during a post-practice media session Tuesday in University Park. Here are five takeaways from the coach.
1. Impressed with big man on line
Vega Ioane appeared in four games as a true freshman last season and took a redshirt. The 6-foot-4, 365-pounder is naturally a guard but has been playing some center this spring.
"He's the best looking 365 pounds I've ever seen in my life," Franklin said. "He carries it extremely well.
"Because of some guys that have been limited or have some injuries, he's had to play center a ton, which I don't know if it's necessarily his natural position. But I think there's value in the fact that he's been able to create some position flexibility. He's a smart kid. He's a great kid. He's been awesome.
"So we're really, really happy we have him. I look forward to when we can get him more reps at guard because I think that's going to be more of a natural position for him."
2. Speaking of weight
Linebacker Abdul Carter is listed at 249 pounds, which is 16 pounds heavier than his weight as a true freshman last season, when he had a terrific year.
Franklin said it's common for players to put on good weight their first two years in college.
"For most of these guys like him, you can have kind of goals and ideas, but really in your first two years in the program, those guys tend to put on a bunch of weight," the coach said. "He came in already a big guy, so that was a little bit of something that we obviously were aware of from the beginning.
"At the end day, what matters is what type of weight they put on. ... Did they put on good weight, and can they carry it? He's put on good weight, and he's carrying it well right now.
"At the end of the day, the reality is as big as you can get and still keep your speed and quickness, it's a weapon. So right now, he seems to be doing a good job with it."
3. Some younger players need to be more aggressive
It's spring ball, so the newcomers are still getting their feet wet in a lot of ways in college football. But Franklin noted there is an expectation for those guys to take steps forward in certain areas.
"I'd like to see some of the young guys kind of take the next step," he said. "We're halfway through right now, and a lot of them are still kind of hesitant and not as aggressive as they need to be."
Franklin didn't mention any players by name in his answer.
4. Different game plans for each QB
Drew Allar and Beau Pribula bring different skill sets to the table, Franklin noted, so the coaches have to be prepared for that going into games.
Allar will be the starter, barring something unforeseen, but Pribula could end up seeing action if anything happens to Allar. Pribula is considered a better runner, so the offense would need to be prepared to take advantage of what he can do.
"They have both gotten reps with the ones, which has been good," Franklin said.
"They're different style of quarterbacks, which I think that's one of the things we're gonna have to do a good job with during the season. It's not like we can just come up with one exact same game plan because they are different types of quarterbacks.
"But I would say the majority of what they do is similar. They're both cerebral guys, they both got really high football IQs, they both really work at it. Beau's got a little bit more of an element with his feet, obviously, and we'll see if we're gonna use and take advantage of that. So we'll see how that plays out."
Franklin said they need to have three quarterbacks they can win with, and he noted that true freshman Jaxon Smolik "has done some nice things."
5. Special teams battles
At this stage, Franklin said Gabe Nwosu has the advantage when it comes to the kickoff competition, while Tyler Duzansky is leading the battle for long snapper.
The place-kickers are still competing, and the coach said he hasn't gotten a good feel for the punting competition yet because they've been practicing indoors.
