Penn State Introduces Its Freshman Class Against Delaware

Twelve true freshmen played in the Lions' 63-7 win, allowing some starters to rest before the Big Ten season.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State fielded five true freshmen on defense late in the third quarter against Delaware, and one delivered a huge play. Blue Hens quarterback Zach Marker escaped a collapsing pocket to his left, then met a brick wall named Jameial Lyons for a punishing sack as the third quarter ended. Delaware missed a field goal to end the drive, meaning Penn State’s reserve defense didn’t allow Delaware to score a single point in a 63-7 victory on Saturday.

Then an offense featuring four freshmen, three on the line and one at tight end, took the field in front of redshirt freshman quarterback Beau Pribula, seeing game action for just the second time in his career. Freshman quarterback Jaxon Smolik played briefly as well, and Pribula connected with sophomore Omari Evans to complete his second touchdown drive of the game.

In any game that ends 63-7, young players will see the field. The Lions played 76 different players against Delaware, including 12 true freshmen who held their own. That was an encouraging sign for the 2023 recruiting class, which wasn't nearly as heralded as 2022’s but still ranked among the nation's top 15 according to several outlets. Four players — cornerbacks Elliot Washington II and Zion Tracy, safety King Mack and linebacker Tony Rojas — received preseason "green lights" to burn their redshirts out of camp. Lyons might be on that track now, too, after playing in the first two games. More showed that they might be ready for further action in the future.

"Being able to play games like that where you get a ton of guys on the field and get your starters off the field, there's a lot of value," Franklin said after the win. "It's a long season. You have an opportunity to play 15 games, and if all 15 of those games your starters are staying in four quarters and grinding it out, that's challenging."

The offensive line was particularly notable, with freshmen J’ven Williams at left tackle and Anthony Donkoh at left guard to protect Pribula’s blind side. They helped give starters Olu Fashanu and Hunter Nourzad needed breathers, as Fashanu missed time last year due to injury and, Nourzad had been dealing with "bumps and bruises" through the week. Chimdy Onoh was the third freshman lineman to play, seeing time at right tackle.

"We've got some smart guys," starting right tackle Caedan Wallace said. "The guys know what they're doing, and they're physical. They had some good finishes today. They were out there working."

Rojas, Mack and Washington each showed up in the stat sheet with two tackles apiece, tied for second-most on the team. Tracy also added an impressive chasedown tackle on a kickoff in the second quarter.

"It helped me see the field better, it helped me learn and grow from my mistakes as a young guy even though I have a lot of talent," junior safety Jaylen Reed said of playing as a true freshman two years ago. "It's more than football and just talent. You gotta learn how to play in the scheme and play in the framework while doing your job."

Pribula worked nearly a full half of football and had an extended chance to show off his playmaking ability. Getting his backup quarterback ample playing time has been a consistent point of emphasis for Franklin ever since 2021's debacle at Iowa with Ta'Quan Roberson. And once again, Franklin left Saturday's game implying Pribula could be used even more heavily moving forward. Pribula finished 3-for-5 with 22 yards and a touchdown passing, adding 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

"Beau coming in and showing he's able to move the offense as well and make plays and do it a different way — now, defensively, people are watching that and saying, 'We gotta prepare for this guy,'" Franklin said. "You start to mix Beau in a drive or for a couple of series in a game. You gotta spend a ton of time on preparing for that. So that's exciting for us as well.”

At halftime, when the Lions led 35-7, Franklin challenged the team to "play better" in the second half knowing that the reserves were coming. He was encouraged that the Lions outscored Delaware 28-0 in the second half.

"It's a start for the coaching staff to build off," Franklin said. "But it's also a pretty good example for our young guys, and I'm going to talk to the coaches about making sure they're grading the fourth quarter as hard as they grade the first quarter."

Penn State freshman safety King Mack makes a tackle against Delaware. Mack was among 12 true freshmen who played for the Lions against Delaware :: William Bretzger/USA Today Sports

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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