First Day of Camp: Lyons, Keys Not at Practice

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Penn State’s fall camp has officially opened, and we already have drama. 

Sophomore defensive end Jameial Lyons and redshirt freshman linebacker Kaveion Keys were missing from practice. A Penn State spokesperson said, “They are on interim suspension handling a personal matter and we will not have any further comment.” 

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Big Year for Lyons

Lyons, a former four-star recruit from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pa. is expected to see an increased role this year as a rotational pass rusher. Developing throughout the summer will be critical for his success this upcoming season, particularly with a new defensive coordinator. Tom Allen came to Happy Valley after serving as the head coach at Indiana and is in his first year as defensive coordinator under James Franklin. Adjusting to new defensive schemes and dialogue can be difficult. Thus, Lyons' interim suspension is problematic. Last year in just seven games he recorded 6 tackles and 1 sack. He recorded the sack in PSU's victory over the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens.

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Critical Year for Keys

It will be harder for Keys to see the field with the loaded linebacking corps that Penn State has. The former four-star recruit from Varina High School in Richmond, Va. was awarded the coaching staff’s Developmental Squad Player of the Year and the Developmental Squad Special Teams Player of the Year. Special teams will be a likely spot Keys finds himself playing this upcoming season, but right now his focus needs to be getting back on the field as soon as possible.

The Nittany Lions are trying to accomplish something that has escaped them over the last 10 years—making it to the College Football Playoff. The team has enough outside distractions with pundits doubting whether they can have a successful season. Additionally, Penn State dealt with a lawsuit in May from a former team doctor which led to tons of bad publicity for Franklin and his staff. They’ve also dealt with former wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith transferring and claiming that the offense lacked leadership. Observers wondered whether Lambert-Smith was referring to quarterback Drew Allar. 

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Only a few weeks remain until the Nittany Lions square off against West Virginia in Week 1 at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, W.V. in an eagerly anticipated rematch from last year, when the Nittany Lions defeated WVU.