Penn State head coach Matt Campbell speaks on which freshmen have stood out in camp and what to expect from them in the future.
Penn State head coach Matt Campbell got his opportunity to speak on the youngsters in his program and which ones have stepped up so far in Penn State's training camp.
Campbell has had quite the whirlwind of the last eight months since he was named the head coach of the Nittany Lions. It has been a crazy process for pretty much everyone involved, and the only ones it has truly been normal are the freshmen.
Ironically enough, they are the ones who don't know that they are the only ones in the entire Penn State program. Side note: there are going to be at least a couple of them that the Nittany Lions are going to have to rely on next year to win football games.
During Monday's press conference, Campbell spoke about exactly that: which freshmen have stood out so far during training camp. He said, "Those two guys (Amarion Jackson and Josiah Zayas) are a great starting point; Jackson Ford has done a really good job in spring ball and the season."
He went on to say that Zayas has made big plays "every single day that he has been here," which is quite the compliment to receive from the head coach.
Penn State next year is going to be a very veteran team, but will get a touch of freshman help next year, which they are very much going to need.
The Nittany Lions have to win this year, but also have to establish the future of the program. The reason that Campbell is at the helm of the Nittany Lions is that the roster and the team simply were not good enough.
Next year, the Nittany Lions are going to fall into at least a couple of victories. Their schedule is very favorable at all points of the season. The start is doable, the beginning of Big Ten Play is doable, their tough stretch is doable, and the finish to the season is doable.
We may look up in late October or early November and see a pretty low number next to the Nittany Lions logo and a big number on the left side of the wins and losses ledger.
However, the championship isn't won in November, and improving over James Franklin is also not done in November.
Campbell needs to make Penn State as good as Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana. That is the standard, and he is going to need his freshman to contribute a little this year but become a major factor for this team for years to come.
