UNIVERSITY PARK– Penn State coach James Franklin gave an update on one of his key players.
Franklin said during his weekly presser that Zuriah Fisher, who missed all of last season with an injury, wanted to play in Saturday’s season opener against Nevada, but they held him out “because he hadn’t practiced enough.”
Fisher wasn’t seen during the team’s weekly practice viewing window last Wednesday, and Franklin said two days before that Fisher still wasn’t 100%.
But Franklin indicated Monday afternoon that Fisher is close to returning.
WHAT JAMES SAID
Penn State head coach James Franklin addresses the media after a 33-30 win over USC on Oct. 12, 2024. — Alan Saunders / Nittany Sports Now
“Obviously, not having Zuriah, we were hopeful to have Zuriah. I will say this, we got to the game, and Zuriah was excited and wanted to play. We kind of held him (out) just because at that point, he hadn’t practiced enough, and (we) didn’t think that was the right thing to do for him or us.
But I think that explains to you how close he is. He’s close to being back, and that will be significant in getting him back. You guys know how I feel about him.”
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So what would Fisher’s return mean for the Penn State defense?
Well, it would certainly add experience to a defensive line that doesn’t have much of it.
Fisher (Year 6), Alonzo Ford Jr. (Year 5), Dani Dennis-Sutton (Year 4) and Zane Durant (Year 4) all have plenty of college football experience.
The guys behind them? Not so much.
At defensive end, the guy who started in place of Fisher Saturday, Jaylen Harvey, is a redshirt freshman. The other guys behind Fisher– Chaz Coleman (true freshman), Yvan Kemajou (true freshman) and Mylachi Williams (redshirt freshman) are all unproven commodities.
Although Fisher hasn’t played as much as he’d have liked due to injuries that cost him all of last year and most of 2022, he is certainly one of the elder statesmen of the defensive line room.
No. 2 Penn State takes on FIU Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon on CBS.
