Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State names starting left tackle

Published Aug. 27, 2015 2:36 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Marcus Hartman

Penn State football coach James Franklin told reporters this week his offensive line is nearly set for the season opener against Temple. 

Paris Palmer, a 6-foot-7, 288-pound junior-college transfer, is the No. 1 left tackle, joining a group that returns mostly intact from last season. 

Palmer was generally considered the favorite to claim that job heading into camp, but Franklin expressed some concern about his progress early on. 

Since then, the coach has seen steady improvement from the North Carolina native. 

"He’s just getting better," Franklin said. "He’s getting better in his footwork, getting better in his hand placement. He’s just getting better. He’s getting better in his assignments. He’s more confident in what he’s doing.” 

Franklin also said some competition remains inside where Brian Gaia, Brendan Mahon and Derek Dowrey are still in the running to claim the two guard spots. 

Gaia started 12 games at guard last season while Mahon started nine. 

Dowrey and Gaia are both juniors and former defensive linemen while Mahon is a sophomore. 

Whoever wins that battle will join established starters Angelo Mangiro at center and Andrew Nelson at right tackle. 

share

Get more from Penn State Nittany Lions Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Penn State Nittany Lions