Penn State added 26 freshmen to its roster over the offseason, part of a 2024 recruiting class that ranked No. 15 nationally and featured players from 13 states and Washington, D.C.
But within a Nittany Lions program that consistently recruits well, freshmen have a hard time finding the field behind a deep roster, leading many to redshirt and maintain their full eligibility.
For Penn State, this year’s freshman class hasn’t produced much immediate impact in the way the 2022 class did (with Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Abdul Carter and Drew Shelton), but the talent is still there. Navigating their redshirt status is something that has become increasingly important with just three regular season games remaining.
“There's got to be a commitment throughout the program — on special teams, with the coordinators and with the position coach — that the kid and their parents feel like at the end of year, it was worthwhile [to burn their redshirt],” coach James Franklin said.
Players can appear in four games and maintain their redshirt status, but a fifth game will burn one of their four years of eligibility. In August, the NCAA announced playoff games are exempt from the tally, meaning it’ll be all hands on deck come the postseason.
For now, Franklin and Co. are carefully managing the roster to get the younger players on the field without wasting eligibility.
Franklin said freshmen in contention to burn their redshirt this season include running back Corey Smith; wide receiver Tyseer Denmark; offensive linemen Eagan Boyer and Donnie Harbour; defensive linemen Xavier Gilliam, Max Granville and Jaylen Harvey; linebacker Anthony Speca (Central Catholic); and cornerbacks Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, Kenny Woseley Jr. and Jon Mitchell.
“Some of those guys, it'll be this game. Some guys, it'll be the next game. But the guys who have only played in one game, they're good to go,” Franklin said. “Guys who have played in two games, we'll probably try to hold them for another game.”
Denmark made his debut against Kent State with a 13-yard catch but hasn’t seen action since. Regardless, he’s drawn praise from coaches and teammates throughout the season and will try to contribute at a position of need.
“Tyseer’s a guy that right away came in and is extremely talented. I've said before, for a young guy, he's super polished at the receiver position, just in terms of his route running, super shifty,” wide receiver Liam Clifford said. “He has a gift. Catches the ball well, so obviously I'm excited to see what he's gonna be able to do and how he's gonna be able to help us.”
Beau Pribula, who threw Denmark's first and only college catch, also spoke glowingly of the freshman’s skill set.
“My first impression of Tysee, when he first got here, is he's an extremely talented guy and he's committed to the game. He's another one of those guys that loves football,” Pribula said. “He's a program guy. He's a good dude, and his talent is going to take him far, but also his love for the game is going to take him really far, as well. And I'm excited hopefully for him to get some more game action.
Though Penn State has no lack of talent at running back, Smith is another player who could see a bigger role moving forward. The freshman found the field for the first time last Saturday against Washington. Pribula called him “one of the fastest-developed guys I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”
“Ever since the season really started, he's one of those guys who just gets better every single week, and I'm just super proud of him and the way that he goes about his business every week because he's come a long way since he first got here and he's going to be a really talented guy. And I've seen that each week in practice as he continued to get better,” Pribula said. “So it's exciting for him and for the whole team to see that his development has translated to the playing field on Saturday.”
Though he was only on the field for five snaps, all five were handoffs to him as the Nittany Lions attempted to ice the game. He broke a 78-yard carry on his first touch, ironically the longest play of the game for either team, showcasing his burst.
“When he came in, I noticed how talented he was, and just in terms of being able to make guys miss in space, he has a gift in that realm,” Clifford said. “And it's been cool to obviously see his growth from the beginning of what he came into during summer workouts.”
With games against 1-8 Purdue, 6-4 Minnesota and 4-5 Maryland remaining, the freshmen should get more opportunities to play, especially against the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday.
First Published: November 13, 2024, 5:18 p.m.
Updated: November 13, 2024, 11:59 p.m.
