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STATE COLLEGE — Pat Freiermuth’s mind had been made up before Saturday. Penn State’s star tight end is sticking with the Nittany Lions for another year.
Despite playing only two years in college, Freiermuth was eligible to leave for the NFL draft this spring because of an uncommon path in high school that saw him repeat a grade because of a transfer to a private school.
He was not made available for interviews after Saturday’s win over Rutgers, but he sent out a statement announcing his return for 2020 on social media.
“After discussing this opportunity with my family, coaches and other loved ones, I have decided to return to Penn State for my junior year,” Freiermuth wrote in a premade graphic designed by Penn State, indicating that it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“The brotherhood and family atmosphere in this program is something I am not ready to leave. The culture coach (James) Franklin and the staff have created here is something very special, and I love being part of it.”
Franklin wishes it were so easy to announce something about his own future.
The annual coaching carousel has been spinning for a few weeks now, with Franklin’s name being tossed out for Florida State’s vacant job and the speculative opening at USC with Clay Helton dealing with a new university president and athletic director.
That’s potential leverage for Franklin’s camp, which has been in discussions with Penn State about increasing financial commitments to the program — whether that’s contracts or funding for facilities — in recent weeks.
Asked directly about his coaching future on Saturday, Franklin put a small dose of public pressure on Penn State to get negotiations moving.
“There is nobody that would want this not to be talked about more than me,” Franklin said. “I’m hoping this is going to be over very quickly. I love Penn State, I love our players. I don’t see that changing any time soon. It’s a little bit the nature of college football, but I love Penn State, I love our players, I love what we’re doing here.
“Hopefully all this conversation will be over very shortly.”
Infirmary report
• Quarterback Sean Clifford wasn’t the only high-profile name missing from Penn State’s lineup on Saturday.
A pair of junior standouts in cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos were not in uniform, having left for stretches of last week’s game at Ohio State with apparent injuries in the second half.
Castro-Fields was in street clothes during warm-ups with no visible issues. Gross-Matos, however, appeared on the sideline after the start of the game and had his left arm in a sling to go with a cast.
Two players got their first career starts in their place as redshirt freshman Jayson Oweh drew in at defensive end and true freshman Keaton Ellis was at cornerback.
• Penn State had the same four starters in the secondary for the first 11 games of the season until Castro-Fields’ absence ended the streak.
Things almost got dicier on Rutgers’ second drive of the game when cornerback John Reid and safety Lamont Wade collided and were both left shaken up on the ground.
Wade missed just one play before returning. Reid emerged from the injury tent after just a few minutes still with his helmet, but he did not return to the game.
With both starting corners out — and sophomore Donovan Johnson also sidelined with an injury since September — the Lions had four freshmen man the position the rest of the way.
Redshirt freshman Trent Gordon was the oldest of the group, and at one point the Lions had three true freshmen on the field at the same time in Ellis, Marquis Wilson and Joey Porter Jr.
Ellis and Wilson have already burned their redshirts. This was Porter’s fourth game, putting him right at the threshold. He would use up a year of eligibility if he appears in the bowl game.
• Left tackle Rasheed Walker went down with a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter and did not return.
With the game well in hand, though, it didn’t appear to be serious as Walker spent the final few minutes staying loose on the bike.
• Running back Noah Cain remains on the shelf after a lower-body injury against Michigan State cost him the tail end of an impressive freshman season.
Since exiting after just two drives against the Spartans back on Oct. 26, Cain touched the ball just once in November, a carry against Ohio State last week.
“We felt like we could have played Noah tonight, but he is still not 100%,” Franklin said. “We were afraid that if we played him tonight and he tweaked it again, then he would not be 100% for the bowl game. The depth that we have at the running back position allowed us to do that with him.”
Journey Brown kept his starting role and though Devyn Ford was the second back in, Ricky Slade got the second most reps in the backfield after being kept home last week for a violation of team rules.
Up next
It’s a week-long waiting game for the Lions, who finished the regular season at 10-2 for the third time in the last four seasons.
Despite a lackluster showing against the Scarlet Knights, Penn State remains firmly in the mix for a New Year’s Six bowl game, with the invitations going out next Sunday afternoon after the announcement of the four College Football Playoff teams.
The Lions’ Rose Bowl hopes remained alive as Wisconsin knocked off Minnesota to win the Big Ten West.
Should No. 1 Ohio State beat the Badgers in next week’s conference championship and head to the Playoff, the Rose Bowl would get to choose between 10-2 Penn State, 10-2 Minnesota and 10-3 Wisconsin to replace the Buckeyes.
Failing that, the Lions are still in the mix for a spot in the Orange Bowl or Cotton Bowl, with the picture clearing up a bit more when the new rankings are released on Tuesday.