What questions do we still have for Penn State football following Big Ten Media Days?

Indianapolis — Plenty of questions were asked and answered about the Penn State football program on Wednesday here at Big Ten Media Days. We learned that Abdul Carter will, indeed, play both defensive end and linebacker in 2024. That James Franklin knows his team must be at its best when it matters most. And that the expanded Big Ten will provide challenges to programs new and old, among many other things.

This piece won’t tackle those. Instead, we’ll tackle the questions we still have following 30 minutes of player interviews plus an hour of Franklin sitting or standing behind a microphone inside of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Can Penn State settle its kicker battle before West Virginia?

There are some questions that are not worth asking at an event like this. There are others that can be asked throughout August during preseason camp but likely won’t elicit a definitive response. We start with one of those. Alex Felkins was arguably one of the more underrated members of the Penn State team in 2023. He did not set any world records but was mostly reliable throughout his one and only season in State College.

Now that he’s done, the Lions’ battle to replace him features program veteran Sander Sahaydak, Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer, and buzzy redshirt freshman Ryan Barker. The coaching staff can spend a very finite amount of time around the players in the summer. So, any word on how the specialists are doing will be second hand when Franklin talks at the program’s local media day in August. But, even that will need to be taken with a grain of salt, as its hard to know for sure what you’re getting until you see it in a game situation. Take Daequan Hardy, punt returner as the dictionary definition. So, this won’t be the first time this question pops up. It won’t be the last. And, it’s not a surprise it did not come up in Indianapolis.

What will Abdul Carter’s snap count breakdown be by the end of the year?

As noted above, Penn State will use Abdul Carter at both defensive end and linebacker this year. That decision allows them to utilize him wherever he can best impact an opponent series to series and week to week. It also keeps opponents guessing. With that said, depth is also a part of this equation. The position change this spring reduced the program’s linebackers room. It lost another number when Keon Wylie was lost for a significant amount of time due to injury this spring. Before Wednesday, it feels fair to say many figured Carter would play both spots but that his rep count would tilt considerably more to the new spot than his old one by the season’s end. That still may be the case. But, it’s up for debate now.

Oh captain, my captain

As expected, Penn State coach James Franklin did not name any captains on Wednesday. Could he do so at the start of preseason camp? We’ll see. But, it feels like a safer bet that the announcement comes in the middle to back half of August as the opener nears. As a reminder, here’s what Franklin said on the topic in June:

“We did a vote [a couple of weeks ago], and a lot of times, we do that vote right before the summer starts because we would like to go in to the summer with some of that leadership,” Franklin said in June “But, we only make the decision if there’s clear and obvious guys in terms of the vote. Like, if there was one guy dramatically on defense, one guy dramatically on offense that got enough votes, or on special teams to make that decision now, [we would]. And, it wasn’t.

“[Not naming any captains yet] will give us an opportunity to continue to evaluate, give the players more time to earn that from their teammates and from the staff, and then we’ll vote obviously probably a couple of weeks in the camp like we traditionally have.”

Two for the road

–Franklin and the players on hand said they are ready to embrace this season and the possibility that it brings with it, thanks to the 12-team College Football Playoff. But, are they? West Virginia will offer the first real indication one way or the other.

–From a Big Ten perspective, everyone says they are ready for the cross-country travel, or at least longer travel, that expansion brings with it. Are they? We’ll see by December who did the best offseason work on everything from travel logistics to facing new opponents.

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