Penn State football players offer thanks to their families, at home and at school [opinion]

Thanksgiving week at Penn State is about much more than James Franklin asking beat writers what their meal preferences are.

With a break in classes, the football team spends more time together at Lasch Building or elsewhere in State College than usual.

It’s a time for sharing and bonding. It’s a time for friends and family.

“I’m most thankful for my family in general,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “That’s my immediate family, my sister (Ryann), my parents (Kevin and Dawn) and my grandparents. And my family here at Penn State. I couldn’t ask for a better situation to be in.

“I love playing for Coach Franklin. I love playing for Coach K (offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki) and Danny (quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien) and all my teammates.”

The Nittany Lions had a team dinner Wednesday. After a morning practice Thursday, they will spend the rest of Thanksgiving Day with their families if they’re in State College and/or with their position coaches or at Franklin’s home.

No one will be left alone.

Nick Dawkins will be with his mother, Janice, and his two sisters, Tabitha and Alexis. He’s grateful for a lot, like being elected a team captain, becoming the starting center after critics doubted him and being named a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy, considered college football’s premier award for community service.

Most of all, he’s grateful for his mother who worked two or three jobs after the sudden death of his father, NBA legend Darryl Dawkins, in 2015. By her example and her love, she taught him strength and courage.

“When your mom has to step up and play both roles, your mom and your dad, at such a pivotal point, she stood tall and helped me through that process,” Dawkins told me earlier this year. “I was 13 when my dad passed. I had just become a teen-ager. That’s where a lot of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-football-players-offer-044700593.html

Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.

Publish date : 2024-11-27 04:47:00

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