What's on Penn State's September checklist? Games, recruiting, more
September is here, and that means things are about to finally get rolling for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team.
Wisconsin hosts head coach James Franklin's program in just a few days, and besides a portion of the regular season schedule, this month will also feature plenty of recruiting news and notes as prospects and coaches get back on the road.
What's on PSU's September checklist? Let's take a look.
Games
Let's start with the obvious one.
Four contests are on the docket this month:
9/4: At Wisconsin, Noon (FOX)
9/11: Vs. Ball State, 3:30 p.m., FOX Sports ONE
9/18: Vs. Auburn, 7:30 p.m., ABC (Whiteout game)
9//25: Vs. Villanova, time and television information to be determined.
Three home game weeks will bring thousands to State College for the first time since 2019, which of course is on the mind of Franklin and others as the Lions look to put their tremendous home field advantage to work at Beaver Stadium.
One final note for this section, since many will ask: The start time for Villanova is unlikely to be announced until the week of the Auburn game at the earliest, and it could even be put on the six-day window and thus made public the Sunday or Monday before kickoff. We'll see, but don't expect to find out this week or next.
Questions to answer
You know the list by now, but over the next four weeks, Penn State must find answers to the following roster queries before October:
1. Will a left guard rotation of Anthony Whigan and Eric Wilson stick, or will one win the job? Conversely, could someone else enter the mix?
2. What will the running back rotation actually look like, and who will be the No. 3 and No. 4 receivers?
3. Will Jesse Luketa be used more at end or linebacker? Will there be enough proven defensive line depth?
4. Is there going to be a rotation at safety beside Jaquan Brisker, or will it be primarily him and Ji'Ayir Brown?
Bonus: Will Mike Yurcich's high-flying offense get off to a roaring start at his new school?
Recruiting
If you are on social media, then you know today (and this month) are big in the prospect world.
Sept. 1 marks the start of coaches being able to reach out directly to Class of 2023 recruits as opposed to the players having to call them. It's why there are tons of graphics currently flying around on Twitter and Instagram like the one below, and many more will pop up before the day is through.
The start of September is important for that reason and also because it kicks off an evaluation period that runs through Nov. 27. That means for the first time in two years, coaches can go on the road to high schools and high school games this week and weekend. In fact, one prospect has already come to town, as Class of 2023 tight end Andrew Rappleyea took an unofficial Thursday.
It's unclear whether or not Penn State will send any of its assistants on the road prior to the Wisconsin game, but based on past practices, it's a safe bet that at least a few will make a couple of pit stops on the way to Madison, even with the 11 a.m. local start against the Badgers.
Then, a week from Saturday, prospects will have the chance to come to Beaver Stadium. The first crowd will probably be small, but it's a test run of sorts for the monster list of visitors that will be in town for the Lions' Whiteout clash with Auburn.
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