Penn State Football Postgame Press Conference

Head Coach James Franklin

Blue-White Game – April 26, 2025

James Franklin | Head Coach

Q: We had a chance to see some of your new receivers today, can you talk about the progress that the receivers made this spring?

A: I was pleased with what we did this spring in the passing game. I was also pleased with the wide receivers, not only the ones that have been on our roster, and their development. I think you guys saw Tyseer [Denmark] make some plays today which was great, too. Then, obviously, you got your first look at [Kyron] Hudson and [Devonte] Ross, both of which have very bright futures. We’re trying to create as much competition at every position as we possibly can, that is the nature of this level of college football. We embrace it as coaches and the players embrace it as well. 

Q: You have a lot of guys coming back, but also some of your leadership from last year is now off to the NFL. How do you feel coming out of spring about your player leadership moving into the summer?

A: It has been good because a lot of the guys that have been significant leaders are back. Nick Dawkins is as good leader by example as any that I’ve been around in my 30 years. When your starting quarterback is back and has started for three years, Drew is taking significant steps there. On the defensive side, Zane Durant has been that type of leader for us for a while. Zakee Wheatley is stepping into that role as well, so is Dani Dennis-Sutton. Dominic DeLuca has been a captain for like seven years now, so we did lose some significant leadership, but we have a lot of guys that have been a part of that role as well.

Q: Can you evaluate your linebacker depth coming out of spring camp and specifically what you’ve seen from Anthony Speca and Kari Jackson?

A: The young guys have taken some steps. Speca is doing some good things, probably had the most complete and consistent spring from a grade standpoint. Kari is super physical, and we obviously have DeLuca, you all know him and the type of player he is. Being able to get Rojas back is going to be important as well. I think we’re in good shape but there are some concerns as well since we lost someone we did not anticipate losing. As you all know, we aren’t a big portal team, but we’re going to address some issues. If there is a linebacker out there that wants to be a part of our program and play for LBU, the most historic linebacker program in the history of college football, there’s an opportunity to join the room. I think we have enough in the room, but getting through a season with potential injuries could be challenging. We’re going to look in the portal soon and see if we can find a solution.

Q: How do you think the developments have gone with Ethan [Grunkemeyer] and Jaxon [Smolik]?

A: Things are going phenomenally. They’ve got strong arms, and Jaxon missed the whole year, so we didn’t have a whole lot to compare and contrast. Jaxon had a great spring so it will be a battle for the back-up quarterback spot. It’s going to be important that we get these guys reps in practice and in game as well. Whoever wins the backup quarterback job we’re going to have to get them real reps, whether that be packages that we have set up for them or entire series.

Q: The next step for you coach, is to follow the house case. How difficult will these next few weeks be whatever the final settlement is?

A: There’s light at the end of the tunnel from what I understand. I’ve expressed to the team at the end of the fall, when the portal was about to open, about the 105 and gave everybody an opportunity to go into the transfer portal and do what they need to do. It is my responsibility to educate our players what the process is and then how we’re going to handle it. At Penn State, you’re allowed to carry a full roster right up to your first game, so that is our plan to keep everybody on the team as long as we possibly can. I know what the game of football and college athletics in general in terms of helping build well-rounded individuals, so I’m fighting for what I believe is the best for our program. That’s why I wasn’t going to cut to the 105 earlier than I had to.

Q: We often talk about the consistency of this program, and with the new landscape of college football, how important is that consistency.

A: That’s what I’m scratching and fighting to hold on to. We still are embracing the new aspects of college football as well, but I refuse to just go transactional in the transfer portal, I don’t believe that is the right thing to do for our locker room. Consistency is very important for us. Our focus is keeping our players here. When we’re able to create a situation where you have a chance to retain your own roster, and they have a chance to make their best decision long term, and you’re able to maybe take some of that pressure off that decision, it’s something that we take a lot of pride in. You’re not even a part of these conversations unless you’re able to win year-in and year-out, week-in and week-out, and we’ve been able to do that as well as anyone in the country.

Penn State Football Postgame Press Conference

Penn State Student-Athletes

Blue-White Game – April 26, 2025

Offense/Special Teams

Drew Allar | QB | SR

Q: With spring ball concluded how do you think you’ve progressed as a team and also individually heading into the fall?

A: I thought overall, I’m very happy with the progress I made this spring, both individually and as a collective unit on offense. I’ve been talking to the coaches the last couple of days and other players and it’s going to be really good film for us to really dive deep into the summer, because we did a lot this, this cycle of spring ball, with installing and making tweaks and changes to some plays and just trying out and experimenting with new stuff. For me personally, connecting with tight ends, receivers and running backs and really deep diving into routes and that sort of thing. I think we did a really good job of that throughout the spring cycle, meeting together, but now that we have all this time and not really preparing for practices right away, it would be nice to just sit back and watch film and just talk through different things

Q: Can you talk about the relationships you’ve made with this receiving group this spring and carrying that into the fall?

A: This was a huge time of year for us as our offense, especially skill wise, this was the time where we installed new stuff that we did throughout spring, and now we can, peel it back, watch it and then go out and run it. We have a ton of time to really get better at this because, obviously, between summer classes and summer workouts, we’ll be able to spend a lot of time together throwing, and we already have that stuff mapped out with the strength staff. So, we’re making it as efficient as possible and also getting the most work out of it as we can. The receivers have taken a huge step forward for us this spring. I think you know that room has taken a lot of improvements. We have a lot of old guys in that room now, and they’ve taken the next step in their progressions. And you saw today, we have a lot of exciting youth in that room, so that room has really taken a step forward, and it’s going to be a huge summer for them.

Liam Clifford | WR | R-SR

Q: On transfer receivers coming in and how that has impacted the room…

A: Obviously having more guys come in that have played a lot of football there’s always competition. Allowing the younger guys to compete for their spots and then the older guys that have played a lot of football as well continue to compete, which ultimately makes the whole room better, so it’s important it’s something that we talk about all the time in our room was, Coach Hagans is going to bring in guys, whether they’re young or old, that are going to make the room better. That’s exactly what has been happening in the last couple of years, which has been cool.

Joey Schlaffer | TE | R-SO

Q: You guys have arguably been the best tight end room in the country talent  wise. and you guys only continue to stack that talent. There’s always a lot of names talked about, 
your name isn’t always the one that pops up, is that something that becomes a motivator, a chip on the shoulder, or just kind of keep your head down, keep working and, what you do on the field will speak for itself?

A: Well, I think that now, but when I was younger, that definitely was more of a motivator, but I think it took a while for me to realize that, number one, you go to Penn State, you’re going to be in a competitive room, and it all panned out for each of those guys ahead of me. I think what helps is really just transitioning from looking around the room and comparing myself to someone to really thinking more inward, and just how I can get better and how I can contribute to the team.

Cooper Cousins | OL | SO 

Q: I’d imagine you’ve gotten some kind of impression of him (Tikey Hayes) in the last few weeks, months. What is it?

A: Very physical, super down-hill, likes to stay in-tact with the defense. When he runs, he’ll break out his toolbox. Runs here and there. He’s shifty, he’s quick to the point of attack, quick to leverage and he does a really good job of making plays. 

Q: Coach Franklin was just telling us that Nick (Dawkins) is as good a leader as he’s been around for 30 years of coaching. What is your relationship with him specifically and how do you think he’s made you better?

A: Dawk (Nick Dawkins) does a really good job bringing everybody together. You guys have seen that throughout his time here. Dawk is someone who I try and learn from. I try and get more information from him, I ask him a bunch of questions, a lot of the time. Just so, when he departs, I can probably use, some of the information that he gave me, and implement it back to the team. So really, hearing what he has to say leadership-wise, I would say that. 

Gabe Nwosu | P | R-SR 

Q: Looking at the special teams’ room as a whole, you guys obviously had all of your main contributors from last year returning. How does it feel to have that continuity and how are you guys bringing up the rest of the guys?

A: I mean it just builds up confidence. We saw how we did last year, and we can see where we can go. So just being able to build that confidence in the room and for the whole team has been big for the team. 

Q: Is there anything that the room is focusing on this year in specific?

A: We’re just trying to get better by 1 percent every day. Just one day at a time, just go 1-0.

Defense

Kenny Woseley Jr. | CB | R-FR

Q: What was the spring like for you, and where do you feel like Jim Knowles is helping you take that next step?
A: Spring was good. Just being out there, being back in pads again, catching up to the speed of college football because I came in so late last year, being able to be out on that field and gage the speed was amazing. Coach Knowles’s defense is very versatile. I love the defense, and I love how he’s been implementing it. You can see that he is teaching different check and calls and putting people in the right position to stop the offense.

Q: What kind of things did you pick up this spring with arriving later last year?
A: Learning nickel was one of the big things for sure. I didn’t come in as a Nickel, but coach [Terry Smith] told me ‘we’re going to have you on the inside’, so just learning different techniques inside, how to make the best plays, understanding different angles, things like that.

Antoine Belgrave-Shorter | S | R-FR 

Q: What’s it been like being able to have that versatility with Jim Knowles’ defense so far?

A: It’s pretty good for me. You know, it’s an opportunity to make more tackles, get near the ball, showcase what I have. We run man in safety room, we blitz, we get down in the box. So, I like the versatility. 

Q: how much can this summer help when it comes to improving on the playbook, especially under Coach Knowles?

A: It’ll help a lot. We have a lot more studying to do, watching the film, building better chemistry during the summer, just getting better with our craft, our techniques, all those types of things to better our defense.

Dom DeLuca | LB | R-SR

Q: Dom, what do you like about coach Knowles and the way he teaches?

A: I love how he’s big on accountability, he doesn’t take any excuses. He’s striving for perfection to achieve excellence, and I love that about him.

Anthony Speca  | LB | R-FR

Q: What’s Dan Connor like as a coach?

A: Coach Connor respects everyone. He treats everyone as if they are equals. He’s the same person as he is a coach. He’s very insightful, but he also doesn’t overcoach and he understands what it is like being in the players shoes.

Entering the doors into the Wetumpka High School competition gym, the tables were set with an athlete and their family accompanied to reign in the plethora of Indians signing their Letters of Intent last Wednesday. 

In total, 15 student-athletes signed in front of a gym full of their classmates with coaches spanning across sports in accompaniment. The football team was well represented on the day with Tavon Gray to LaGrange College, Ethan Bailey to Lousiana Monroe, Clenanagelo Peake to Faulkner, Justin Godwin to Miles College with Jimmy King and Morion Dorsey both signing to Mississippi Community Christian College.  

For baseball, Tyler Johnson signed with Reid State while Mason Fuller signed with Lurleen B. Wallace Community College. Wetumpka basketball standout Nolan Fitch signed to Huntingdon College. Indians’ soccer goalie Ashton Sipes signed to Washington and Jefferson College. Track and field standout Jada Walker signed with Stillman College. Jackson Greenwood signed with Montevallo for swimming. Ashton Tomlin signed with Coastal Alabama Community College for tennis. Then to round out the signees both Maggie Harrison and Lily Chandler signed scholarships to be part of the Huntingdon College band. 

All of the student-athletes were introduced by the coaches who helped mold them through their high school careers, teaching them how to be successful both on and off the field. 

“It’s just a reminder that when you work hard, and you consistently work hard in the classroom and through your sport and extracurricular, that you have an opportunity, that the world is yours,” Wetumpka athletic director and head football coach Bear Woods said. 

Not only was it a day to shine a light on the amazing student-athletes littered through the hallway at Wetumpka as they took their next steps as college athletes. But it is even a further testament to the level of success of Wetumpka sports as a whole to send so many to college on scholarships. 

“We’re thankful for these families and friends who come to be the support system for our student-athletes here at Wetumpka High School,” Woods said in the opening prayer. “We’re thankful for the leadership that’s in the classroom, for our teachers, our administration and we’re thankful to all we have here together to celebrate these young ladies and young men.” 

A federal judge denied the majority of Harvard’s motion to dismiss former hockey coach Katey Stone’s gender discrimination lawsuit on Friday.

Stone — who led Harvard’s women’s ice hockey team — resigned from her position in June 2023 after a University investigation into allegations, published in the Boston Globe and the Athletic, that she had fostered a toxic environment on the team.

Stone then sued the University in July 2024, claiming that the investigation into her coaching practices would have been handled differently if she were a male coach and alleging she faced retaliation for advocating for equal pay for female coaches at Harvard.

Harvard initially moved to dismiss the case in October, arguing that Stone filed her suit after the statute of limitations had expired on her claims of pay and gender discrimination.

Since then, Stone and the University have engaged in a heated legal back-and-forth. Friday’s order — from Massachusetts District Judge Leo T. Sorokin — was the first official ruling in the case.

Sorokin sided with a March recommendation to allow most of Stone’s suit alleging to proceed written by Judge Jennifer C. Boal, the federal magistrate judge who has overseen the case.

But Sorokin argued that Stone only had to receive a paycheck within three years of the lawsuit to be eligible to sue. Receiving unequal pay could make Stone’s broader claims viable under the continuing violations doctrine, which extends the statute of limitations in cases where plaintiffs may have faced an ongoing pattern of discrimination, Sorokin wrote Friday.

Sorokin said he was obligated to give Stone’s claims the benefit of the doubt, arguing that “the Court must consider the facts in the light most favorable to Stone” at this point in the proceedings.

He accepted that Harvard’s replies to Stone failed to sufficiently prove that she would not have been subjected to the same level of scrutiny if she was a man.

While Sorokin allowed nearly all of Stone’s claims to move forward over Harvard’s objections, he agreed with Boal in allowing Stone’s claims regarding pay inequity before July 2021 to be dismissed.

Stone’s legal counsel Regina Federico wrote in a statement that she and the team were “pleased that Judge Sorokin adopted the report and recommendation of Magistrate Judge Boal,” adding that they look forward to the continuation of the lawsuit.

A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment, citing a University policy against commenting on active litigation.

—Staff writer Elyse C. Goncalves can be reached at elyse.goncalves@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @e1ysegoncalves.

—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @akshayaravi22.