Penn State Begins Its Push to the 2023 Football Season

James Franklin assesses the Lions' transfer players, a new recruit, and the 2022 class' future impact.

After a relatively quiet January, Penn State turned to the 2023 season this week, beginning winter workouts and introducing new receivers coach Marques Hagans. Coach James Franklin on Tuesday held his first media session since the Rose Bowl, at which he covered a range of topics, from the quarterbacks to the transfer players to a late recruiting addition.

Here's a look at how Penn State has begun its offseason.

The Transfers Are Assimilating

Franklin is judicious about pursuing transfer players, who must fit the team's culture as much as the offense or defense. So far, the newest transfers have demonstrated an ability to do that.

Two key transfers, receiver Malik McClain (Florida State) and cornerback Storm Duck (North Carolina), have made smooth transitions so far, Franklin said. The coach praised both for their businesslike approaches, which serious transfer players usually possess. Defensive linemen Arnold Ebiketie and Derrick Tangelo and receiver Mitchell Tinsley were quite similar.

Further, Franklin said that McClain performed "extremely well" in the team's baseline athletic testing, a key signal that McClain could make a difference in the room.

"We talk to those transfers when they come in about how to do that, how to adjust to Penn State," Franklin said. "Be respectful of the vets in the room, and then start to kind of feel your path. But you don't need to come in with your guns blazing. Gradually work into that role and that position."

High Expectations for the 2022 Class

Penn State's freshmen were instrumental to building an 11-2 team. Nicholas Singleton was the Big Ten freshman of the year, linebacker Abdul Carter led the team in sacks and Drew Shelton started five games at left tackle.

That group will assume another wave of responsibility next season, as either Drew Allar or Beau Pribula becomes the starting quarterback and young receivers take larger offensive roles.

As a result, even Franklin has high expectations for their next phase.

"We had a number of those guys that were able to have prominent roles as true freshmen, whether they were starting or not, and now hopefully they can take the next step and be a dominant player in the Big Ten and on a national stage," Franklin said. "And then some of those guys that maybe didn't have prominent roles but played. Now hopefully they can take the next step as well.

"Then there will be some guys that we didn't talk about a whole lot that, from year one to year two, the light bulb will come on for and those guys will be interesting stories throughout the spring for us to talk about."

Assessing the New Recruit

Penn State picked up one commitment on Signing Day from Chimdy Onoh, a 4-star tackle from Maryland who joins a stacked class of offensive linemen.

Franklin and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein watched the 6-6 Onoh play basketball for Dundalk High, which helped seal their assessment.

"I thought Chimdy was a really good get for us late," Franklin said. "A guy that we think has tremendous upside and has position flexibility, whether it's tackle or guard. ... With offensive linemen, it's typically hard to find guys with that type of length and athleticism. You know, coach Traut and I got a chance to watch him play basketball. We were very impressed.

"And then the other thing was watching his tape, he's got a nasty streak, which a lot of times on the offensive line, that's hard to find."

Franklin on Miles Sanders

Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders is the lone Penn State representative in Super Bowl LVII. Franklin, a Philadelphia-area native and childhood Eagles fan, certainly will have a rooting interest.

"He's done really well, not just on the field and being an impact player for the Eagles but really how he's represented himself off the field as well," Franklin said of Sanders. "He's been like that the whole way, all the way since we recruited him out of high school. He's just been a phenomenal representative of Penn State and our football program, and I'm not surprised with the type of year that he is having.

"He really kind of fits the model of what everybody is looking for, specifically now in the NFL. He's a guy that not only can run the ball between the tackles but also get the ball to the edge and can be an impact in the passing game and takes great pride in his pass protection. Really happy for him."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.