Juicy tidbits from Penn football's Media Day

In preparation for the upcoming season, Penn football held its annual Media Day on Tuesday. With a new head coach, as well as offensive and defensive coordinators, there was certainly a lot to be said. Here are the most interesting takeaways from the day.

Sports Editor Holden McGinnis: For me, the most interesting tidbit was hearing about the Quakers’ new vision under a new coaching staff. Coach Ray Priore — while not a new face to any of his players, considering that he’s been at Penn since before they were born — brought in offensive coordinator John Reagan and defensive coordinator Bob Benson in the spring to help shape the team’s mentality and culture. While talking to Priore, Reagan and Benson, there was an emphasis on the team developing a “blue-collar” mindset, focusing on “grit” and “grind.”

It’s tough to say exactly how that mentality translates into a college football landscape where spread offenses are the norm. The Quakers attempted 42.5 passes per game last season, at times using their short passing game as an extension of their running game. With sophomore running back Tre Solomon returning from an ACL tear that cut short a successful freshman campaign, along with a number of other experienced returning backs, Penn — fingers crossed — won’t have the same issues with running back depth as they did last year.

Sports Editor Colin Henderson: Agreed. I definitely think that the team’s focus on a new culture stuck out to me overall, and I really got the impression that this team is ready to break out of the long shadow cast by former coach Al Bagnoli and define itself on its own terms. And to a certain extent, I think that means a renewed focus on the basics. There was one especially illustrative sound byte from Priore himself: “You’ve gotta establish the run; you’ve gotta stop the run. You’ve gotta make big plays; you’ve gotta stop big plays. You’ve gotta [limit] turnovers; you’ve gotta get turnovers.”

All of which is definitely easier said than done, especially given that the Quakers found themselves on the losing end of all of the battles mentioned above throughout the 2014 season. And it definitely remains to be seen whether the team even has the personnel to possibly pull off these fundamental concepts in Ivy League competition. But it seems like the Red and Blue are determined — and, with two new coordinators, well on their way — to winning the off-the-field battle of embracing a new identity, even if that means simplifying their previous identity in the process.

Sports Editor Laine Higgins: As defined by the dictionary app on my Mac laptop, stamina is “the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort.” Hanging tough, pushing through — whatever cliche you choose, it is no doubt something that was lacking at Franklin Field last fall and something that needs to be present if Penn hopes to finish better than 2-8.

Stamina. That word was on the lips of several players at Penn football’s media day on Tuesday morning. Junior quarterback Alek Torgersen defined it a little differently than my computer, however.

“We’re gonna fight ‘til the bitter end,” he said. “We’ve just been that hard hat mentality. We’re gonna go out there and grind you to the ground and we’re gonna beat you in the fourth quarter with our, you know, stamina and our ability to come at you and fire.”

If you cut through all of those banalities, you get to the core of what seems to be different about Penn football this year. There’s energy. Perhaps it’s a new training regimen that has made the team more confident and fit. Perhaps it’s the onslaught of new coaches now that coach Priore took over the top job. Who knows? But it seems safe to expect a reenergized and more tireless squad in 2015.

Associate Sports Editor Thomas Munson: Blue collar or not, this is going to be a statement year for the Quakers. While Priore’s first go-around holding the reins will surely create buzz, players like Solomon and Torgersen — who now enter their second seasons as full-time players — need to prove that they are ready to take the next step.

The biggest statements at Media Day, however, was not a legitimate “football move,” nor a quote, but rather the grooming of two of Penn’s biggest offense weapons.

Senior tight end Ryan O’Malley was rocking his best Chester A. Arthur impression. Not only did he sport huge chops on the sides of his face, but he also featured a huge mustache and mohawk to match.

Not to be outdone, Torgersen came in sporting a clean stache straight out of another era.

If Priore has his way, though, the storyline will shift to what this team has done and not what they need to do. Or how they look.

Senior Sports Editor Riley Steele: For me, the biggest takeaway from Media Day wasn’t something I overheard, but something I read.

Looking at the team’s depth chart, the prominence of upperclassmen and returning playmakers is apparent. At no position do the Quakers have a freshman currently listed as a starter or primary backup — save, of course, for rookie long snapper Carson Vey, who joins the gold squad’s second string.

While the offensive side of the ball features three key players — Torgersen, Solomon and sophomore wideout Justin Watson — who are relatively young, the rest of the arsenal is laden with veterans. Seniors Christian Stapleton and Cam Countryman at wide receiver. A pair of senior tight ends. Three seniors and two juniors projected to start on the offensive line.

The same goes for the Quakers on defense. And therein lies the biggest takeaway from Media Day. There may not be a flashy new tailback or a quarterback competition, but Penn knows exactly who it has and what its identity should be. Now it’s the responsibility of those players to produce on the field.

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