University Park— After Penn State football’s practice Tuesday’s practice, coach James Franklin told the media which true freshmen have impressed him.
Granted, this isn’t a team that needs a lot of production from its younger players.
But there’s going to be a day not too far from now where Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Dani Dennis-Sutton etc. won’t be here.
When that day comes, the Class of 2025 is going to have to step up, and for Franklin, there are three true freshmen in particular that have stood out during this fall camp.
All three of them play on the defensive side.
YVAN KEMAJOU
Kemajou has been getting a lot of buzz ever since before spring practice, and that buzz continued into the summer and into the fall.
Talking with The Daily Collegan at a summer media availability, DL coach Deion Barnes was highly complimentary of the 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end.
“That’s a smart kid. Man. He takes coaching, apply it right away, violent — he tricks you,” Barnes said. “You see him, nice kid, and then on the football field he got a switch. A violent kid, can take the coaching, and he can do some things on the football field that not too many freshmen can do. Been out here working — that’s one thing he definitely does. He never wants to stop working.”
The head coach is impressed, too.
CHAZ COLEMAN
Graphic by Penn State Athletics: Chaz Coleman
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Nittany Sports Now reported earlier this week that, based on intel, Penn State is high on Coleman, another freshman defensive end.
Franklin further confirmed that Tuesday.
If Coleman’s high school coach, Matt Richardson, is to be believed, Coleman is an athletic freak.
“He can do it all on the field,” Richardson told 247Sports last November, soon after Coleman committed. “If he had been training as a quarterback since the 6th grade like others, he would be getting recruited as a quarterback. A lot of schools see him as an athletic tight end who can do different things as well as a wildcat quarterback. I see him as an EDGE. I think he’s an EDGE. That’s my opinion and people who make more money than me like him as a tight end, but athletically, he can do anything.”
DARYUS DIXSON
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
As with Coleman, NSN also reported that Dixson was impressing.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowleshas coached a lot of players over his lengthy career.
Knowles said earlier this summer that Dixson is as advanced for his age as anybody he’s coached, and could see game action as a true freshman.
“I was as impressed with Daryus as I’ve been with any freshman in my career who’s still supposed to be in high school,” Knowles said. “For guys to come in at that mid-year, he has an incredible maturity and consistency. He doesn’t get too high. He doesn’t get too low. You know, that maturity you see, you don’t expect from a high school senior. So, yes, the talent. They’re all talented, or else they wouldn’t be at Penn State. But he has the maturity to play right away.”
Penn State opens its season against Nevada Aug. 30 at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 on CBS.
