Penn State Football: 3 players who lost the most ground during spring ball
Yesterday we examined three winners from spring practice for Penn State Football and today we take a look at three players who were losers from the past month
Penn State Football wrapped up spring practice last month and will head into a quiet three months before fall camp ramps up, so we take a look back at things we learned from the spring.
The Nittany Lions had two open practices/scrimmages for a small number of fans, so we got a small glimpse into what the new offense may look like, while we also got a first look at four of the five new transfers Franklin brought in this offseason.
Penn State still has a lot of questions to answer and are thin at certain key positions, including quarterback, but other position groups showed a bit of their strength this spring, like wide receiver and running back, which should be two of the best position groups in the Big Ten.
Some players look to be on the precipice of loosing a position battle or at risk for loosing reps, so it has us thinking.
Let’s take a look at three players who lost some ground during Penn State Football’s spring practice:
3. Eric Wilson
Offensive linemen Eric Wilson was the fifth transfer head coach James Franklin brought in this offseason, but he is the only one yet to report to campus.
Wilson comes to Happy Valley from the Ivy League where he played at Harvard, and is finishing classes there before he will officially dawn the blue and white. For that reason, the former Ivy Leaguer is a loser of the spring.
While Wilson is in the classroom, he is most likely falling behind in what should be a position battle to watch for at one of the guard positions for this fall. Juice Scruggs figures to have one of the guard spots locked down, but the battle for the other should take place between Wilson, Des Holmes and potentially Anthony Whigan.
Wilson is listed at six-foot-four and 315 pounds and was a second team All-Ivy selection at left guard in 2019, the last season he played because the 2020 Ivy League season was canceled due to Covid-19.
The Minneapolis native figures to play a role next season, but with him yet to be on campus and missing on valuable reps and weight room sessions, you have to wonder if a starting role will be out of reach for the Harvard transfer.