Although Penn State beat Minnesota this past Saturday, it lost a guy who’s become a key player on the defensive line, and a true freshman will be called on to step up as a result, per coach James Franklin.
Defensive tackle Alonzo Ford Jr. left the game with an injury that Franklin confirmed Monday was long-term.
With just one game left in the regular season, it doesn’t appear that Ford will be back in 2024, even if Penn State goes on a deep College Football Playoff run.
So Penn State’s interior defensive line has some new challenges. Yes, the DT room has Zane Durant, who has become one of the best in the country at his position, as well as two experienced players in Dvon J-Thomas (sixth-year) and Coziah Izzard (fifth-year). Behind that, there’s no proven depth.
Xavier Gilliam could change that.
REDSHIRT= NON-FACTOR
Gilliam, a 6-foot-2, 302-pounder from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland,— the same alma mater as former Penn State star DE Chop Robinson— has played in two games this season. The redshirt limit per NCAA rules is four. Penn State has one regular-season game left. Redshirt rules don’t apply to the College Football Playoff.
This means Gilliam will be ready to roll with no redshirt risk the rest of the way.
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – OCTOBER 05: Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Ty Blanding (39) looks on during a college football game against the UCLA Bruins on October 5, 2024 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire)
Franklin also said he expects second-year DT Ty Blanding to have a bigger role. Blanding, a 6-foot-1, 292-pounder from Christ the King high school in The Bronx, has played in four games this season. His season-high in snaps is 11, which he achieved at Purdue Nov. 16.
Penn State-Maryland is scheduled for 3:30 on the Big Ten Network from Beaver Stadium.
