Penn State tight ends coach offers update on Exeter grad Joey Schlaffer
Sep. 14—Former Exeter standout Joey Schlaffer, a freshman tight end, has yet to play in Penn State's first two games.
Ty Howle, his position coach, said Thursday he would like to see the 6-5, 226-pound Schlaffer add weight and improve his blocking the rest of the season.
"Joey was primarily used as a receiver in high school," Howle said, "so he's had to make leaps with the blocking. He's working at that. Then obviously physically. Adding weight and strength has been a big focus and being able to block defensive ends."
Schlaffer set Berks County career records with 2,493 receiving yards and 28 receiving touchdowns at Exeter. He helped the Eagles win the District 3 Class 5A title as a junior and the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 championship as a senior.
He was rated a four-star prospect by On3 and Rivals and received three stars from 247 Sports and ESPN.
Schlaffer's not nearly as heavy as the five other scholarship tight ends on the Penn State roster, including starters Theo Johnson (6-6, 254) and Tyler Warren (6-6, 259).
"(Former Penn State tight end) Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren were all here at the same high school camp," Howle said. "To see them now, you wouldn't recognize them when they were 16 years old. I think Brenton came here at 211. Theo and Tyler were 220 or so.
"Joey's done a really good job from a football IQ standpoint and understanding the game. Coming in early (in January) helped him. He's improved a lot."
On the road again: Penn State (2-0) will play its eighth consecutive Big Ten opener on the road Saturday at noon (TV-FOX) at Illinois (1-1).
It will be the 13th time in 14 years the Nittany Lions have opened conference play away from Beaver Stadium and the 22nd time in their 31 seasons in the Big Ten.
Penn State coach James Franklin was asked Wednesday night after practice if there's a difference between playing a Big Ten opener on the road in the first week or third week. The Lions began the last two seasons with victories at Purdue and Wisconsin.
"I'm not sure," Franklin said. "We're just experts in opening on the road, whether it's the first game, the second game, the third game, the fourth game. Not only in my 10 years, but over the last 15 years we're experts.
"I think we're gonna put an offseason clinic on how to open the Big Ten season on the road."
Yurcich in the box: Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich moved from the sideline to the press box to call plays for this season.
So far, the results have been good. The Lions are averaging 50.5 points and 509.5 total yards, first in the Big Ten in both categories.
"It's been good," Franklin said. "It's clearly the better place to call the game. You can see it better. You're removed from the emotion. (Graduate assistant) Danny O'Brien has done a good job on the sideline. That's helped. So far so good."
Injury update: Defensive back Daequan Hardy, defensive end Amin Vanover and defensive tackle Coziah Izzard were all seen practicing Wednesday during the period open to the media.
All three players, who were expected to be regulars this season, missed Penn State's first two games against West Virginia and Delaware. Franklin was asked if they would be available for the Illinois game.
"We'll see how it all plays out," he said. "I'm not sure. I can't really speak on it."
Rojas report: Penn State freshman outside linebacker Tony Rojas, who drew much attention with his spring performance, has made four tackles, one for loss, in two games.
"He's playing well," Franklin said. "He had some flash plays last week that were impressive. The reps he's also getting on special teams are valuable as well. He's doing some really good things. I think you'll see his role continue to grow."
