Penn State Football: causes for concern following spring practice

The coaching staff

Admittedly, I am typically not as critical of the coaching staff as some others might be, as I believe that at the end of the day, the players have to go out there and execute and make plays. However, I do still recognize coaching as part of the problem, and even more so after some games last season than in years prior.

Many assistant coaches have done quite well with the Nittany Lions, such as Taylor Stubblefield with the wide receivers, John Scott Jr. with the defensive line, and Anthony Poindexter with the safeties. Plus, new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Manny Diaz, has been successful in those roles at other schools.

However, there are a few coaches who have had success with other teams across the country, that have not (yet) lived up to the hype in State College. More specifically, I am talking about offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein.

It is time for there to be some vast improvements for both of these coaches’ units, especially for Trautwein who is entering his third year with the Nittany Lions, which could also be his last if his guys don’t make some strides in the right direction.

Yurcich and Trautwein replicating their success from previous schools would make the Nittany Lions’ offense elite, but like the offensive linemen, until these two coaches ‘prove it’ with Penn State, the fanbase will remain skeptical and concerned.

Finally, the head coach himself, James Franklin.

We can sit here and debate who makes certain decisions or certain calls throughout the game. Is it Franklin making most of these decisions, or do the assistants have a lot of influence on certain calls? Ultimately, none of us are inside the walls of the Lasch Football Complex or on the sidelines with a headset during the games, so we don’t know for sure.

What we do know, however, is that at certain points throughout James Franklin’s career, the Nittany Lions have come out of the gates hot, both in the season as a whole, and in the games themselves. However, there have also been times when they started slow, but made some adjustments and played their best ball down the stretch – again, I’m talking seasons and games.

Now, it’s time for them to put the two together.

Get the players ready to go during the week, have a good gameplan in place heading into Saturday, don’t fall behind early, and make the necessary adjustments throughout the game to close out wins.

Start the season strong, and finish even better.

Do that, and coaching will no longer be a concern for Penn State Football fans.