Penn State’s health, depth and chemistry fuel James Franklin’s optimism about 2019 season

The recently completed Penn State training camp left coach James Franklin upbeat and enthusiastic about his football team, mainly its health, depth and chemistry.

After the release of the 2019 season’s initial depth chart, the lineup exhibits what Franklin had been saying all preseason: The Nittany Lions are young. Saturday, they’ll get a chance to beat up on another team rather than each other, in the season opener against Idaho at Beaver Stadium.

“We had a great camp,” Franklin said Tuesday at his first weekly media teleconference of the season. “We’re as healthy as we have been after training camp in a long time. A lot of the sports science adjustments we have made … have been really valuable.

“So we’re in a good place. This is going to be obviously an important week of prep for us, and then go out and play well on Saturday and build confidence.”

Of the 11 new starters, the most eye-catching is redshirt sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford, who emerged from the competition against redshirt freshman Will Levis on Friday as the successor to Trace McSorley.

“The experience factored in,” Franklin said. “You’ve got an older guy who played in games and really had competed like crazy and done everything that he needed to do from the time the season ended.

“Will is very, very talented and has got a very, very bright future. But when it’s close like that, you’re always going to go with the older, more experienced player. That’s really what Sean is, and he has done a great job. Sean was also voted as a captain, so all those things kind of factor into it.”

» READ MORE: Penn State offense is young and talented with new starting QB Sean Clifford

Franklin said Levis handled the news “extremely well.”

“It’s never an easy conversation to have and there’s disappointment, but for the most part, it’s gone as well as you could expect,” he said.

Two new starters are redshirt freshmen: wide receiver Justin Shorter and offensive tackle Rasheed Walker. The fourth offensive starter, and perhaps a fifth, will be at one or both of the guard spots.

Fifth-year senior Steven Gonzalez, whose 29 career starts are the most of any current Penn State player, and redshirt sophomores Mike Miranda and C.J. Thorpe are the contenders. If the jobs go to Miranda and Thorpe, the offense will not have a single starter who is a senior.

“We look at Mike, C.J., and Gonzalez as all starters,” Franklin said, “and those guys are probably all going to play an equal amount.”

Four senior starters on defense are tackle Robert Windsor, middle linebacker Jan Johnson, cornerback John Reid (St. Joseph’s Prep), and safety Garrett Taylor. A fifth projected senior starter, linebacker Cam Brown, must sit out the first half of Saturday’s game after being ejected for targeting in the second half of the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl.

As for whether Brown would enter the lineup at the start of the second half against Idaho, Franklin said, “We haven’t talked about that yet.”

» READ MORE: Penn State defense deep at end and linebacker, and in secondary

Sophomore linebacker Micah Parsons, the team’s leading tackler last season even though he started just one game, now has a steady spot as a starting outside linebacker. Other new starters on defense include a pair of juniors, cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and safety Lamont Wade, and two redshirt juniors: Shaka Toney, an end from Imhotep Charter, and Antonio Shelton, a tackle.

Sophomore Jesse Luketa will start at the other outside linebacker spot.

Franklin talked about the Lions’ strong numbers at defensive end, cornerback, wide receiver, offensive line and running back, where all four backs on the depth chart are likely to play. He’s also happy with how the team handled the offseason and camp.

“Our chemistry and our culture are as good as it’s been in a long time right now,” he said. “I’m excited about it.”