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Nittany Lions unveil 2014 edition at Blue-White game today

New Penn State coach James Franklin, players eager to get on the field for their first game-like action.

Penn State head coach James Franklin stands during drills at an NCAA college spring football practice Saturday, April 5, 2014, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/PennLive.com, Joe Hermitt)
Penn State head coach James Franklin stands during drills at an NCAA college spring football practice Saturday, April 5, 2014, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/PennLive.com, Joe Hermitt)Read more

STATE COLLEGE - James Franklin is not a patient person.

Since arriving at Penn State 3 months ago, Franklin has made an impact and built relationships with his new team, on the recruiting trail and in town. He has certainly kept himself occupied, but that doesn't mean the coach wasn't getting antsy for the calendar to flip to today.

Penn State will host its annual spring scrimmage, the Blue-White Game, at 1:30 p.m., giving Franklin his first taste of live football inside Beaver Stadium and fans their primary chance to see what direction the former Vanderbilt head coach and his new staff have the Nittany Lions headed.

Franklin, a 42-year-old Langhorne native, worked out his new team for the first time March 17 when Penn State opened spring practice. He and his staff have since heightened the intensity of the spring practices with a plethora of new drills.

Though today is only an intrasquad exhibition, players expect that fervor to carry over.

"We're all going out there to compete against each other," said defensive lineman Anthony Zettel, who was moved from end to tackle this spring. "Now, it's just with the whole country watching. We're going to compete like we have been all practice, all spring. I expect it to be really competitive, high-intensity. Coach Franklin will definitely keep the intensity."

Today is the second time in 3 years that the Blue-White Game features a new head coach roaming the Beaver Stadium sideline with fans in the seats for the first time. Bill O'Brien did so in 2012, and his late- December jump to the NFL's Houston Texans opened the door for Franklin to lead his home state's football power.

Franklin worked with O'Brien at Maryland in the mid-2000s, and he said the two have had multiple conversations about Penn State. But Franklin has done more than reach out to people in his short stint in Happy Valley. He's made various public appearances, gathered what Rivals.com ranks as the third-best recruiting class for 2015 and, most important, seems to have his current team buying into what he is selling.

"Whether it's with recruits or whether it's with current players and we're trying to do that," Franklin said of building relationships. "The consistency and the way we practice and the way we meet with them have been very, very important."

For players who have been with the program since 2011, Franklin is their third head coach - following the late Joe Paterno and O'Brien. That means three playbooks, three coaching staffs and three ways in which the program is run.

And even with the season opener, an Aug. 30 meeting with Central Florida in Dublin, Ireland, more than 4 months away, the Lions' 15 spring practices become all that more important. Luckily for Penn State, the upperclassmen on the team know the drill.

"Learning the lay of the land is really important," senior safety Ryan Keiser said of the spring transition with a new coach. "I never even imagined what would have happened; I never thought about it. But I'm thankful for everything that has happened, I'm happy to play for all these coaches and to see so many ways of coaching the game."

Fifteen starters return for the 2014 season, including quarterback Christian Hackenberg, the 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Still, because of the scholarship limits at Penn State, depth is a question and a concern of Franklin's. Guard Miles Dieffenbach reportedly suffered a serious knee injury and will not play today - not good news for an offensive line that was already in the hole three starters due to graduation.

Franklin did say he was pleased with the numbers and talent at running back, where the Lions return two players who ran for at least 800 yards last season, and at defensive line. The coach, however, knows numbers will still present an issue.

"Scholarships at every program in the country, each one of them is like gold, and we have 10 less than anybody else in America," Franklin said, referring to one of the sanctions implemented after the 2011 Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.

Scholarships, or lack thereof, haven't slowed down Franklin so far. But he won't have to worry about them today. He will worry about what is happening in front of him at Beaver Stadium.

The wait has been 3 months, but that's a long time to Franklin.

Agenda

What: Penn State's Blue-White Game

When: Today, 1:30 p.m.

Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pa.

TV: Big Ten Network

3 things to watch:

1. Geno Lewis being targeted

Allen Robinson, arguably the best receiver in Penn State history, is waiting for an NFL team to call his name in next month's draft. This leaves Christian Hackenberg without his favorite and most reliable target entering his sophomore season and a chance for someone else in the receiving corps to help fill the void left by Robinson. Lewis can be that player. He worked really well with Hackenberg at times last year, and his 6-1, 201-pound frame makes him a threat all over the field. Penn State won't show too much today, but Lewis should still be targeted a bunch of times by whoever is under center.

2. James Franklin to appease the crowd

The coach has done and said just about everything right since his January arrival in terms of getting the fans on his side, and expect him to do the same today. Whether that is taking extra time for autographs or thanking the fans for showing up over the Beaver Stadium speakers, Franklin will take his first public showing in his new home to his advantage. He has said multiple times he wants to sell out every home game, after all.

3. A gorgeous tailgating day in Happy Valley

I knocked on wood while typing this, don't worry. But the forecast calls for sun and temperatures in the upper 60s, which is terrific news for anyone making the trip. It's especially good news, because the weather in recent years has been brutal, as there were chilling winds last year and a consistent downpour that caused the game to be shortened in 2011. Penn State is guaranteed to win, and while the scrimmage gives players a chance to prove themselves to a new coaching staff, it also gives fans a chance to shake off the rust (possibly quite literally) in their grilling game.