Penn State Football Coach James Franklin Surprises Walk-On With Scholarship

Ryan Mayer

In what has become a yearly tradition, the first of the surprise walk-on videos has surfaced. On Tuesday, Penn State head football coach James Franklin called a team meeting following their summer workout. In the huddle, Franklin began talking with walk-on longsnapper Kyle Vasey about how often Vasey is working over the summer, presumably so he can pay for school. After Vasey, answers, Franklin tells him he can quit his job because he’s now going to be on scholarship. The moment was captured on the program’s social media account.

Vasey, a senior, started all 13 games for the Nittany Lions last season and is expected to once again be the team’s longsnapper this year. According to Penn Live, he’s one of three specialists on scholarship, joining placekicker Jake Pinegar and punter Blake Gillikin. His younger brother Dan, is a redshirt freshman on the team. Penn State opens their season on September 1st against Appalachian State.