Franklin: Injured Penn State starter regaining confidence amid return to field

The injury bug hasn’t necessarily been a friend to Penn State football through the first half of the 2024 season. As the No. 4 Nittany Lions begin a pivotal stretch of the year with a cross-country contest at USC on Saturday afternoon, James Franklin and his coaching staff hope to see another step forward from linebacker Dom DeLuca in his return to the field.

DeLuca exited during the first half of the Nittany Lions’ September 21 win over Kent State and did not return. The redshirt junior was absent the following week against Illinois but was seen on the sidelines with a cast on his right wrist.

Returning to the lineup last Saturday versus UCLA, DeLuca recorded one tackle in limited snaps. Though a small sample size, the Penn State coaching staff believes the time against the Bruins was key for the program’s special teams captain to regain his confidence and learn to play with his new protective equipment.

“When you’re in one of those casts, it affects you, obviously,” James Franklin said of Dom DeLuca on Wednesday. “So, [he’s] getting used to that and getting used to that.

“I thought he did a nice job last week, but I expect him to work closer toward, I don’t know if it’ll be exactly the same number of reps, but probably in between what he did last week and what he’s done in the past.

“But he’s shown he was physical on kickoff, was good on defense as well. So I think he has more confidence in playing that way, and I think the coaches have confidence in him being able to get the job done.”

Dom DeLuca started 2024 with a five-tackle outing at West Virginia, tied for third-most among Nittany Lion defenders. He has recorded two tackles in his three starts since Penn State’s season-opening win on August 31.

James Franklin discusses status of other key Penn State starters

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State football is optimistic that two key starters will return for Saturday’s matchup with USC.

After much speculation last week, star running back Nicholas Singleton ultimately did not take the field against UCLA, a last-minute decision, according to James Franklin. With an extra week of rest, the Nittany Lions are confident the junior tailback will be involved in this weekend’s West Coast road trip.

“Again, I thought he was going last Saturday,” Franklin said on Monday. “… Didn’t practice Tuesday. Didn’t practice Wednesday when you guys were out there. And then was able to go limited on Thursday and was able to go limited on Friday which, as you guy know, is not a whole lot. The trainers take those guys and work them out on their own, so that’s part of the evaluation.

“Saturday, I wouldn’t say he was 100%, but again, we thought he was going to go. So I guess my point is, he was very close to going last week. So, as long as we don’t have any setbacks this week, I would anticipate him going, and I also would anticipate him practicing Tuesday and Wednesday, but we’ll see how this whole thing plays out.

“But, yeah, we’re very confident and I think Nick is very confident talking to him on Sunday, that he will be ready to go.”

Along the offensive front, the Nittany Lions are also hopeful to have starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh back after he exited last week’s 27-11 win over the Bruins with an injury.

“Obviously, you guys know we’ve been very, very pleased with Anthony, and we anticipate having him on Saturday. [Nolan] Rucci has been able to play and play well and allow us to continue to do what we want to do on offense. I think he’s gaining confidence and getting more comfortable, but that depth is important.

“We’re going to have bumps and bruises throughout the year, but we’ve been pleased with Donkoh, really, since the bowl game. And Rucci was a nice piece of the puzzle to bring in, and he’ll continue to have a significant role for us moving forward.”

Penn State football and USC kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT) on CBS.

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