Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1486024
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M work hard, and everybody in that room has a voice. I think he's done a really good job, not just with the players, but with the staff as well. "I'm looking forward to the offseason where we have a little bit more time to talk." Diaz came to Penn State looking to make an impression, and by meeting the on-field expectations and creating a win- ning culture, he has done so. He credited the foundation that had already been built prior to his arrival. "When you were already coming to a school where Brent had done such a phe- nomenal job, and Bob [Shoop] before him, there is an expectation of how you play defense at Penn State, there's an expecta- tion of how the defense is played in James Franklin's program," Diaz said. "That was an encouraging thing for me. You don't have to come in here and reinvent the wheel. You just have to make sure that the guys on your side of the ball are doing what they're supposed to do and then ev- erybody puts a little bit of their own flavor and spice to it. "One of the things that drew me to Penn State is, do we have a chance to play great defense here? And the answer, through the years, has been yes." With Diaz leading the way, that senti- ment has remained true. ■ With only one more game left in Penn State's 2022 season, the redshirt picture is settled. Of the 25 players that PSU signed in its 2022 recruiting class, 10 have appeared in more than four games. On offense, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and receiver Omari Evans have played in every game, while quarterback Drew Allar has appeared in nine. On the opposite side of the ball, linebacker Abdul Carter, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and defensive tackle Zane Du- rant have played in every game, while safety Kevin Winston Jr. and cornerback Cam Miller have seen action in 11 and 10 games, respectively. The list of freshmen who won't be taking a redshirt this year grew by one in Penn State's 11th game when left tackle Drew Shelton played against Rutgers. It was the fifth game of the year in which the offensive lineman saw action. One player who was still in limbo heading into the regular-season finale against Michigan State — junior college transfer JB Nelson — will now be able to redshirt. Nelson, an offensive lineman, played against Ohio, Central Michigan and Indiana but didn't see action in PSU's 35-16 win over the Spartans. Even if he gets on the field in the bowl, he'll still have played in only four games. In addition to Nelson, 12 other players in Penn State's 2022 class won't burn their redshirt this year, none of them having gotten on the field in more than two games thus far. That list includes receivers Kaden Saunders, Anthony Ivey, Cristian Driver and Tyler Johnson; offensive lineman Vega Io- ane; quarterback Beau Pribula; tight end Jerry Cross; linebackers Keon Wylie and Tyrece Mills; safety Mehki Flowers; defensive tackle Kaleb Artis; and punter Alex Bacchetta. Two members of the 2022 class left Penn State without ever seeing game action. Offensive lineman Maleek McNeil departed this fall, while defensive end Ken Talley enrolled in August but transferred to Michigan State within the first few weeks of preseason camp. Franklin said one of his goals with freshmen is to help them set realistic expectations for how their first year in the program is likely to go. "The conversations in the summer are very different from the conversa- tions right after training camp when maybe it's harder than they thought it was going to be," he said. "Or, they're further down the depth chart than they thought they were going to be. "A lot of times, their tune changes halfway through the season because the season hasn't necessarily gone how they thought it would go. … It's all those guys who are right on the bubble. They all want to play in the begin- ning of the year, and then late in the year, they'd like to try to preserve the redshirt if they could." Franklin said he never goes into any season with a predetermined idea of who will redshirt and who won't. "It's a moving target," he said. "For me to sit here and say that I totally can project what it's going to be like, and how it's going to go — there are just too many variables. "Injuries factor into it with the guys that are ahead of them, early success factors into it, who we play factors into it. There are so many things that it's hard to predict. You've just got to take each situation case by case, and they're all unique." — Nate Bauer Ten PSU Freshmen Will Forgo Redshirts This Year Linebacker Abdul Carter was one of three freshman defensive players to see action in every game this year. He fin- ished the regular season ranked second on the team with 55 tackles. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE