NEW YORK — For James Franklin, the beauty of finding a four-star offensive line recruit who can step into playing time and give Penn State some much needed experience up front is that he never had to go farther than Scranton to watch him play.
But that’s how things went with Lackawanna College tackle Paris Palmer, a 6-foot-8 recruit from North Carolina who earlier this month signed his letter of intent to join the Nittany Lions in 2015.
Even as he kept his focus on Saturday’s New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College at Yankee Stadium, Franklin said it’s difficult not to be excited about the strides the line will be making soon, with Palmer and Pittsburgh prep star Sterling Jenkins set to enroll early.
“I don’t know if many of you guys read the tweet Paris sent out on the day he committed,” Franklin said, “but we’re sitting in a Longhorn Steakhouse in North Carolina with most of our offensive staff, him and his mom, and he read that to us. You could’ve heard a pin drop at our table. Just a mature, introspective kid who’s really excited about the opportunity he has at Penn State.”
In that message through his Twitter account, Palmer thanked the school he had been committed to, South Carolina, for considering him and making him part of the class, but that he ultimately decided to “make what I thought was the best move for me and my family.”
Franklin said there’s no question Palmer can help Penn State, which has just one offensive tackle — junior Donovan Smith — on scholarship in the current senior, junior and sophomore classes. Recruiting players like Jenkins is nice and necessary, but thinking prep recruits can play on the offensive line is “challenging,” Franklin said.
Meanwhile, he said the staff had its eyes on Palmer for a while. Quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne recruits the Scranton area, and Franklin said he has known Lackawanna College head coach Mark Duda for two decades and that Falcons offensive line coach Josh Pardini has helped develop Palmer into one of the nation’s best prospects.
That said, Franklin said it was the campus and the community at Penn State that sold Palmer on the program. He made his official visit for the Michigan State game.
“Finding the right kid that fits for Penn State, we were fortunate,” Franklin said. “We were able to find a guy that was not only the No. 1 junior college offensive tackle in the country, but also had the other makeup important to us as well. That hopefully will buy us some time to get the younger guys to develop.”
Noah’s arch
While the talk of the Nittany Lions offensive line right now is the addition of Palmer and Jenkins, there is excitement surrounding the futures of the talented group of true freshmen who redshirted during their first year in the program in 2014.
One of them is 6-foot-6, 265-pound tackle Noah Beh, the former Scranton Prep star who has turned heads this season on the practice field and in the weight room.
“They’ve done a great job,” Franklin said. “You think about the (Brendan) Brosnans and the Noah Behs and the Chance Sorrells and Chasz Wrights of the world, we’re excited about those guys and their futures. In a lot of established programs, offensive linemen don’t typically play until their redshirt freshman years. Although they’ve made great strides, they’re still young guys.”
Redshirt freshman right tackle Andrew Nelson said he was “proud” of the work Beh has been doing to get ready to contribute.
“You take big strides as far as offensive line play that true freshman year, because it’s a very difficult position to play at a young age,” Nelson said. “I’m really proud of those guys, not only Noah, but Chance and Brosnan, for coming along. The game is still really fast to them. But once it starts slowing down, I think we’ll see even more progress.”
Sacred ground
He was in third grade during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and he visited the site first during a field trip while at Valley View High School. So when Nyeem Wartman went back Tuesday, when the Nittany Lions visited the 9/11 Memorial, it was a must-see event.
Some things, he said, are impossible to forget.
“When I think of New York, that’s actually one of the things I think of,” Wartman said. “It’s the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, the Yankees. That’s why I’m excited to be there.”
All aboard
The academic news for Penn State this bowl season is good.
Sixteen players graduated earlier this month and will play in the game Saturday. None of Penn State’s traveling contingent failed to make the requisite grades to be eligible to play in the game.
“It seems like they’ve done well, and that’s very important to us,” Franklin said. “Everybody is on the trip, all 128. That says a lot about what we’re doing academically, the support we’re providing and how hard they’re working. Guys are handling their business.”