Penn State football: James Franklin high on ‘explosive’ DT’s early season play

Two games into the season Penn State football is starting to have top contributors emerge on the field. On defense, James Franklin believes Zane Durant is one of those top players. This is based on what Durant has shown on the field and how he handles the entire year of preparation. Now, the Nittany Lions defensive tackle has received high praise from his head coach.

Against Bowling Green this past weekend the Penn State football defense struggled. Specifically in the first half where the Falcons attacked the Nittany Lions in the quick pass game. But after some strong halftime adjustments by Tom Allen, Penn State found a way to be more effective. Following practice on Tuesday night, James Franklin commented on how Zane Durant has performed this season.

“I think he’s playing very very well,” Franklin said. “We had a strong belief in what he was going to do this year. He practices like that every single day super consistent. He’s gotten bigger and stronger, and more explosive. He loves football.

“Like I think that’s one of the things that’s so important in today’s day and age. You better recruit guys that love football and not love what comes with football, they love football. Don’t like football, love the things that come with it. He’s a guy that loves ball and everything that comes with it.

“The strength and conditioning, the summer running, the winter workouts. He understands it’s all part of the process. He embraces it, he literally day in and day out punches his ticket and is consistent. So, he’s a great example that we use all of the time with really our whole team, specifically our D-line.”

What kind of impact has Durant had on the field?

Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Zane Durant was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. As a defensive tackle, he’s role isn’t geared to lead the team in sacks or tackles. However, Durant has had a great statistical start to 2024. He has 5 tackles and he and Smith Vilbert are the only Nittany Lions who have sacked the quarterback this fall.

Many forget that Durant was part of the 2022 recruiting class, but his impact on the field and in the locker room has uplifted the Penn State football program.

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