DUBLIN, Ireland — Donovan Smith is a 6-foot-5, 335-pound junior tackle who someday could be playing in the NFL, the type of athlete general managers in one of the world’s biggest sports leagues would drool over.
The Gaelic Football draft, however, likely won’t call his name.
After they completed their toughest full-pads practice since arriving in Ireland on Tuesday, the Nittany Lions walked to a nearby field at University College Dublin to learn about traditional Irish sports from members of the Gaelic Athletic Administration, which is hosting Saturday’s Croke Park Classic.
Like children back in the United States would gather around professionals at baseball camps or football camps to go through drills, Penn State players got the chance to learn by doing under the watchful eyes of some of Ireland’s best Gaelic football and hurling stars.
“It’s cool to learn about their culture and how big this is to them,” safety Adrian Amos said. “They’re big into this, and they’re really passionate about it.”
Going through a Gaelic football drill where players learn to dribble the ball every three steps like an Australian rules football player would, Smith sprinted to beat his opposing linemates in a drill that became a race.
He ran three steps, slowed a bit as he bounced the ball, then ran three more before attempting to boot the ball straight up into the air to catch it and continue. Instead, the ball when about 10 yards forward as Smith strained ahead.
“Look at Donovan Smith. Oh man,” coach James Franklin said with a chuckle, a nervous smile washing over his face as he stood watching the events with a small gathering of reporters.
Wyoming Valley West product Eugene Lewis worked with the receivers and quarterback Christian Hackenberg to learn some of the finer points of hurling — a mix of field hockey, baseball and lacrosse — while Valley View’s Nyeem Wartman took to the Gaelic football kicking drills. Although one Nittany Lion’s assessment of how his teammates as a whole adapted to the Gaelic sports was a harsh one.
“Everyone pretty much looked terrible,”running back Bill Belton deadpanned. “It takes skill to do this. You can’t learn this overnight.”
No excuses
Even as the questions keep coming at him, coach James Franklin has been reluctant to talk about potential negatives.
Like, for instance, wind.
Penn State has experienced the full weather gamut in Ireland, with sunshine and seasonable temperatures in the area Thursday after a misting rain blanketed the area Wednesday. But one thing that hasn’t left is the wind,which gusted past 20 mph at times Thursday. While there’s no rain in the forecast for Saturday’s game, wind is expected to gust to near 20 mph again, which is why Franklin was asked if he anticipated the wind being any factor at Croke Park.
“None,” Franklin said, staring straight ahead as a strong breeze blew in his face.
This is something Penn State fans and reporters may need to get used to, quickly.
The always loquacious Franklin has been reticent throughout his time at Penn State to elaborate on anything that might be considered an excuse for his team. He made it clear early in his tenure he wouldn’t discuss injuries, and for the first time in years, Penn State didn’t release an injury report this week. He also strongly and concisely insisted his team wasn’t tired Wednesday after the overnight flight from Harrisburg into Dublin.
Far and near
If anybody really is tired, maybe it’s Penn State freshman punter Dan Pasquariello.
Hands down, Pasquariello won the “furthest traveled award” for the Croke Park Classic, as the Melbourne, Australia, native is playing 10,692.5 miles from home. That’s actually about 550 miles farther away than State College is from his home.
Meanwhile, Central Florida kicker Sean Galvin shouldn’t have any trouble getting family and friends to Croke Park. He grew up just 158 miles away from Dublin in Cork.
Guinness booked
Part of the cultural experience in Ireland is visiting a brewery or a distiller, and the Nittany Lions players did that Thursday night with a team visit to the famous Guinness Storehouse.
The storehouse bills itself as the No. 1 tourist attraction in Ireland.