James Franklin believes this Penn State football defender is flying under the radar

The Penn State football fall camp is underway. This is where players have the opportunity to separate themselves from the others. Some made those efforts in spring ball and now look to carry that momentum onto the field in August. While speaking to the media on Saturday, James Franklin let everyone know that Amin Vanover is a name Nittany Lion fans need to keep an eye on this fall.

Amin Vanover enters his senior season with Penn State football this fall. A member of the 2020 recruiting class who has continued to improve each season. He is coming off of a productive season in 2023. He appeared in eight games and collected 6 tackles and 1.5 sacks. 

On Saturday. James Franklin shared his thoughts on Vanover and his progress early into fall camp.

“Amin Vanover is a guy that I don’t think enough people are talking about. We have a ton of confidence in Amin,” Franklin said.

Of course, the defensive end is in a position where the group has to reload after losing Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac to the NFL Draft this past April. But Franklin believes there are six players that the coaching staff has a good feel for at defensive end this fall.

“I would say for us, you got [Amin] Vanover, [Abdul] Carter, Dani [Dennis-Sutton], [Smith] Vilbert, [Joseph] Mupoyi, and [Mason] Robinson probably the six guys that we know the most about right now.”

Franklin shared praise for Vanover in April

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

A native of Newark (New Jersey), Vanover looks for a healthy 2024 season. In 2023, he was in and out of the lineup dealing with injuries. But James Franklin went out of his way to call out how proud he is of Vanover this past April following the Blue-White Game.

In the intrasquad scrimmage, Vanover collected an interception and looked strong on the field.

“I think Amin Vanover is a pretty cool story for us. I think he’s going to have a huge year for us,” Franklin said. “He’s a guy, in my opinion, who’s done it the right way. It hasn’t always been easy for him or us. His journey has been challenging at times, and he’s really stuck it out and just got better and better and better. I’m really proud of Amin.”

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