Penn State's wide receiver depth to be on display against Purdue

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State doesn’t release an official in-season depth chart anymore, but there are times when coach James Franklin is in a sharing mood.

Monday morning was one of those times with PSU preparing for its Thursday night opener at Purdue.

The Lions’ ninth-year coach revealed freshman quarterback Drew Allar, the five-star recruit who enrolled early, will be Sean Clifford’s backup vs. the Boilermakers.

Franklin was quick to note that the QB depth behind Clifford is fluid. The room includes second-year Lion Christian Veilleux and Allar’s classmate, Beau Pribula.

Receiver depth good

Franklin is pleased with PSU’s depth at wide receiver and said there are probably five who could see snaps vs. Purdue. One of them is redshirt freshman Harrison “Trey” Wallace.

“He’s one of those guys that I think has earned the coaches’ as well as his teammates’ trust,” Franklin said of Wallace.

“(He’s) a guy that we expect to play and play a lot. He’s right on that fringe, in terms of viewing him as a starter. … He’s done a nice job, he’s got a lot of ability, he’s a really good kid.”

“I think he’s got a chance to be one of those guys where, maybe not a whole lot of people are talking about him right now, but I think he’s got a chance to be one of those guys that, by the middle of the season or the end of the season, not only the fans and the media are talking about him but our opponents are saying, ‘Hey, this is the guy we better be aware of.’ ”

‘Surprise’ of August

A true freshman who has been a surprise of camp is Kaytron Allen, who also answers to one of better nicknames in recent Penn State football history.

“To be honest with you … the surprise of the training camp was ‘Fatman’ (Allen), is what we call him,” Franklin said when asked about freshmen runners Nick Singleton and Allen.

“I don’t know if you guys know (that) it’s his nickname or not. But Kaytron, he probably was the surprise of camp, in terms of his production and big-play ability, as well. Little bit of a different style than Nick but both big, strong, powerful backs that can make you miss and break tackles.”

Stopping Purdue

Franklin is aware of how dangerous Jeff Brohm’s Purdue offense can be, even against a quality secondary such as Penn State’s.

“I think the biggest thing is being able to push the ball down the field,” Franklin said when asked about the Boilermakers’ aerial attack. “They do a really good job of taking shots. (The) vertical passing game is going to be a big part of what they do and how they do it. But also, obviously, having the ability to throw for a high percentage as well.

“We are going to have to be able to stop the vertical passing game, the shots down the field.”

Quick impact

Transfer portal additions Chop Robinson (pass rusher) and Hunter Nourzad already have carved out big roles.

Robinson, who played at Maryland, appears to have earned a prominent spot in the Lions’ defensive end rotation. Nourzad, an FCS standout at Cornell, can play both guard spots and center.

“With Chop, we, obviously, had high expectations of who and what he could be for us,” Franklin said. “He’s really come in and adjusted well. I know the coaches have fallen in love with him and his teammates have, as well. He’s got a good way about him. He’s really brought a lot to our team. … He’ll play a lot.

“I would say both of those guys (Robinson and Nourzad), whether they’re starters … they’ll play starter reps. We look at Hunter as being able to play both guards and center. We probably won’t ask him to do all those things in Game 1. But he will play. Our plan is to play him starter reps at both guard (spots).”