Penn State football: 3 players who could have a breakout game in the Peach Bowl
Most of the same Nittany Lions from the regular season will be on the field in Atlanta, but these players who were buried on the depth chart may get a chance to shine on Saturday.
By Josh Yourish
James Franklin does not run his program like most others in the country. He instills loyalty in his players and for that reason, only three players are transferring away from the program this offseason.
While some schools have a bevy of opt-outs and transfers which open up snaps for young players, who were buried on the depth chart all season, to play in the bowl game, Penn State does not. Instead, the only new openings are courtesy of the two new coordinators and a few key contributors heading for the NFL draft.
Of the Nittany Lions’ future NFL draft picks, only Chop Robinson has opted out of the game. We saw what the defense looked like without him when he was gone with an injury in the middle of the year, but the pass rush could look different on Saturday.
Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle will still run the offense for the Peach Bowl before Andy Kotelnicki takes over next season, and Anthony Poindexter and Robb Smith will lead Tom Allen’s defense in Atlanta. Just because incumbent assistants are calling plays doesn’t there won’t be changes for the Peach Bowl and new opportunities for fresh faces.
These are the three players I expect to step up the biggest for the Peach Bowl after relatively quiet regular seasons.