Availability of some Penn State football players TBD for Ball State game
A handful of Penn State Nittany Lions who did not participate against Wisconsin have questionable availability this week against Ball State, James Franklin said.
Keaton Ellis, Hakeem Beamon and John Lovett each did not partake in the season opener and were left off the Penn State travel roster.
"They were not available last week, and that will be 'to be determined' this week," Franklin said in his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Saleem Wormley is another scholarship player who did not travel. It is unclear whether his situation is the same as the other three players because he was not included in the question Franklin responded to.
Franklin did not explain why those players were not available.
Ellis, a junior defensive back from the State College area, made the switch to safety this offseason, and is set to provide depth for Ji'Ayir Brown and Jaquan Brisker at that spot for Penn State football.
RELATED: Which Penn State football true freshmen traveled to Wisconsin?
Beamon is a redshirt sophomore defensive tackle, who showed plenty of promise last season. It's unclear whether he will get the chance to take the next step in his development on Saturday.
Lovett is a transfer running back from Baylor who arrived in Happy Valley to make use of the fifth season of eligibility granted to all athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is uncertain where exactly Lovett fits in Penn State's running back rotation. Noah Cain got the vast majority of the snaps at running back for the Nittany Lions last weekend with 44. Devyn Ford and Keyvone Lee combined for 10. No other running backs saw the field on offense, according to snap counts from Pro Football Focus.
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