STATE COLLEGE – Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein still contends that former Wyomissing blue-chipper J’ven Williams “has a long way to go.”
But the man who has the biggest say in how much Williams will play this season said Thursday that the Nittany Lions need to get him on the field.
“J’ven has played well enough in practice that he should get time,” Penn State coach James Franklin said unsolicited. “You’d like to be able to get him some legitimate reps as long as things sit the way they are now. J’ven has done well enough that we need to get him experience.”
The 6-5, 304-pound Williams received the most practice repetitions at left tackle during spring practice because former Downingtown West star Drew Shelton was out after undergoing surgery for an upper-body injury.
Trautwein has said multiple times since Williams arrived on campus that he had to work on his pass protection because he had little experience in the ground-oriented Wing-T offense that Wyomissing runs.
“He took a load of reps in the spring, probably 500 or 600,” Trautwein said. “Probably 350 of them were pass pro. He went against some really good D-ends, like Dani Dennis-Sutton and Abdul Carter, maybe some of the best in the Big Ten.
“He got better with all those reps. That really got him to take the next step. I would say he has a long way to go to be where he wants to be.”
Williams was rated a five-star prospect by On3 and 247Sports and one of the top 25 prospects in the country overall. He played in three games last season behind All-American Olu Fashanu, who’s now in the NFL with the New York Jets, and retained four seasons of eligibility.
Shelton split time between the two tackle positions before starting at left tackle against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl loss in place of Fashanu, who opted out. Franklin said Shelton recently was fully cleared to resume all activities.
“He’s super mature,” Franklin said. “He’s been a really good coach and mentor to some of the younger players. He’s really in a good position. He probably needs to put on a few pounds. He’s very conscientious and very intelligent.
“This summer and training camp are going to be important to him. I think he’s going to have a really good year for us.”
No matter how much game action that Williams sees this season, Penn State coaches believe he can reach his potential.
“He’s super athletic,” Trautwein said. “He has great feet, He just has to work on the little things. There’s not one guy in my (offensive line) room who can throw the shot put 66 feet (like Williams did in high school). I threw it 43 feet. He’s way more powerful than me.
“I’m trying to get him to use that power. If it happens and it should, he’s going to be a bona fide dude.”
Big spring for Schlaffer: Former Exeter star Joey Schlaffer impressed Penn State tight ends coach Ty Howle with his performance during spring practice.
After being redshirted last season, Schlaffer stood out during winter conditioning and has added considerable bulk to his 6-5 frame.
“Joey had a really good spring for us,” Howle said. “He had a ton of reps. He really took a step from going against (defensive ends) Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac (who are now in the NFL) and those guys on the scout team.
“He added weight and strength. I think he’s 242 now. That was a big thing for him coming out of high school and getting him ready to play. He’s a sharp guy. He can learn multiple (tight end) positions.”
Tyler Warren and Khalil Dinkins will be Penn State’s top two tight ends when training camp opens in August. Schlaffer will compete with Andrew Rappleyea and Jerry Cross for time behind Warren and Dinkins.
White Out update: Many Penn State fans are in consternation over when the annual White Out Game will be at Beaver Stadium in the fall.
FOX, CBS and NBC share the rights to televise Big Ten games. FOX reportedly wants to schedule the Ohio State at Penn State game on Nov. 2 for its Big Noon telecast, although no announcement has been made.
The Illinois game (Sept. 28) and the UCLA game (Oct. 5) also are possibilities.
Franklin was asked Thursday when he thinks the White Out Game will be.
“Great question,” he said. “If I could tell you, I would. If we want to provide the opponent, the time of day, the experience that our fan base wants and expects, there’s a lot of pushing and pulling, compromising and working with the conference and with the TV partners to try to find a win-win for everybody.
“I have a pretty good idea of where it’s trending, but I don’t know that yet. The worst thing I can do is say one thing to you guys and then it changes. Or by saying it to you guys, it impacts the chance of that happening.”
The last White Out Game against Ohio State was in 2018 when the Buckeyes edged the Lions 27-26. Since then, it’s been against Michigan (2019), Auburn (2021), Minnesota (2022) and Iowa (2023).
The 2020 game against Ohio State was played at night but in front of only family and friends because of the pandemic.
