Penn State's Jaylen Reed, Dvon J-Thomas & Tyler Warren Preview the Season | Football Media Days

well I don't know if there's a team that could benefit more from the expanded 12 team playoff than Penn State and with the elimination of Divisions in the Big 10 the nitty Lions they don't get Michigan this year they will get Ohio State as well as three of the conference newcomers from the West Coast we'll talk about their schedule James Franklin he's got two new coordinators 15 All Conference players back from a team that won 10 games a year ago and here at media days we've got a trio of seniors Jaylen Reed Devon J Thomas and Tyler Warren gentlemen welcome to the set welcome to Media days it's nice to see you all than for having us for having us now we just met a few minutes ago and I said something that I really did mean that you are the best dressed and this is no offense to your teammates because they look fabulous but and I feel like I wish I could get you to stand up which we can't do on this set but tell me about your fit because I feel like you're the best dressed person I've seen at media days oh yeah I appreciate it you know um we could talk about this though but uh me and Van we were going back and forth about this fit for about a month now you know shout out V for helping me with my shoes you know but I feel like know all seriousness though I feel like uh me dressing today though it giv me a chance to show my personality you know we don't get to usually put on suits and stuff you know usually coach Franklin before the games makes us put on the team jogging suit you know it's cool but uh you know this is the time I was like okay I'm going to show a little personality show the world who I am you know I'm real big into fashion real big into dressing and stuff and I like clothes a lot so this is my time to show yeah I feel like you are begrudgingly no no no no he's very you know he's very trim very welld dressed you know they both are for sure you know I just come a little different you know I'm the flyest big I'm the flyest big man you know that's I'll take I'll take that title you know can I see can you hold the watch too this watch like oh my goodness the watch Ain nothing man shout out uh shop g d it ain't nothing too crazy my boy Christian uh Tyler do you want to talk about how your outfit came together no I don't want to leave you out of this yeah I just I gave a color and then he he did the rest for me I got my uh I got my shoes from Kohl's and uh from my junior prom and they still fit so that's why I'm they're vintage now I'm a little different than than them with the fashion but well I think we all did a good job you all look shout out to Adrian Amos for the suits though here's the thing guys I think about you know Penn State and what you guys have been able to do the last several years you're all veterans on this squad but what is on the horizon and I think the excitement about the talent you have coming back this year the elimination of Divisions in the Big 10 the new teams coming in the playoff going to 12 teams I I hear a lot of people talking about how Penn State's going to benefit the most I mean in the last 10 years if it had been a 12 team playoff you guys would have gone to the playoffs six times so there's some truth and numbers to back that up what is the feeling inside the locker room I know you guys have put in a lot of work in the offseason I'll start down at the end with you Tyler what what is the feeling around this program right now yeah I feel like obviously there is you know more opportunity towards the end of the year but nothing's going to happen unless we take care of business on the front end so we got Camp coming up and then we'll be focused on our our week one opponent and just going one and0 and do doing everything we can to prepare and become the best team we can offense defense special team so just focusing on that and taking it one step at a time will take care of the end of the road goals but we're focused on the present right now well said you've been well coached at media training I can tell don't look ahead you came back for your sixth year and a lot I'm curious what went into that decision and and ultimately what what's the goal for you right now as as you go into your six year college football I mean just the opportunity we have you know like you said in years past if you know we had the playoff playoff system uh we would have made the playoffs what six times um and just with the all the talent that we have in the on the team um it's it's just it's just another opportunity for us to showcase our talents you know um and then for me personally uh I just want to be the best teammate I can be one of the best defenders on the team um and be the best version of myself you know improve my chances going to the next level but that overall just helping the team comp when you found out that these two guys were were coming back for their Fifth and six years what were you uh I was you know I was excited you know playing with these two guys for the last uh my whole time since I was here it's been a great it's been a great blessing to play with these guys you know they both are great teammates you know especially Tyler Warr I go I'm more with Tyler waren more than I'm with Devon even though Devon's on defense I go against uh Tyler Warren every single day you know he's a great competitor you know great player great teammate you know so it's exciting to see that they came back with their last year to play with uh me again and you guys have a new defensive coordinator and Tom Allen who I from what I understand recruited you to Indiana you a relationship with him before he took over obviously a great defensive mind what what has he brought and you know what what have been the changes now that Manny Diaz is now coaching over at Duke me personally you know I think uh coach Tom Allen he's uh brought a great aspect and a mental aspect of the game of football you know he's made me think think differently in the mental aspect of the game of football you know usually it's all about physical how to tackle you know but one thing coach Allen does a great job of just breaking down each and every play and learning the ins and out of Defense you know when you learn learn the ins and out of Defense make you play fast and all your natural Talent come out naturally so I feel like he's done a great job of that you know and I appreciate him you know I feel like we going to do great things with Coach Allen this year so I'm excited to see what see what he brings 100% anything to add to that I mean he's just brought new lifeblood to the building you know just his energy his approach to the game has been just different you know but I think it's it's one that we needed you know uh the younger guys coming in um just our standard and our level of play has hasn't dropped in the slightest in fact it's it's race some with Coach Allen you know um and so we appreciate him for that truly cuz he comes into the building every day ready to work uh ready to put his best foot forward and he's never not himself so that's exactly what we need in the building well there's plenty of reasons to be excited about the defense and what you guys did last year in three shutouts and we'll get more to that but let's talk about this offense you have a new offensive coordinator Drew Allard do you think about it 25 touchdowns and two interceptions last year the numbers were really impressive coming into his second year as the guy the starter what have you seen from your quarterback yeah I think you know when you talk about his per performance last year kind of showed his maturity at a young age it was his first year starting and uh be that that safe with the football and protect the ball is a really important thing as a quarterback so I think just having that first year under his belt and then being able to uh become more of a vocal leader I've seen him kind of pick that up this offseason he's more a little more comfortable so I think it's been really good and the offense as a whole I feel like we're we're as close a unit as as we've been since I've been here so really just getting behind him and having his back he's got our back play as one unit it's going to be uh really fun this year tell him to just keep throwing the ball to the tight ends in the end is that that's the Playbook yeah that's that's the game I I am curious though the the impact of coacht player communication on the headset that's one of the new rules in addition the 18 tablets that you guys are going to be able to have on the sidelines has that been something have you guys been practicing that I mean I know Drew is the one that's going to be listening to coach Colin plays but what how does that impact you guys or how have you seen it show up um yeah I mean I think it's not that crazy of a thing I guess it's just less signals you really have to learn cuz now there won't be that need for really all the signals and stuff like that or different ways to get the play but other than that still you know just like huddle up like normal so it's not not a crazy thing but I think it will be a benefit for us and make it a little bit easier for just all the extra stuff that had to go in call them plays before and how about the tablets again I know this is like a coaching question more than anything but the in-game adjustments you know Chris Peterson who's one of the the coaching great said this might be the great equalizer yeah so what what yeah tell me about there's a lot more fluidity in that you know what I mean in terms of how we play uh what we're seeing out there you know Corrections happen immediately as opposed to okay maybe we see it now you know maybe I'll come off the sideline and say okay this is what I seen this is what happened XYZ and then you correct it later uh off assumptions but now with the iPads you can actually see everything how it played out you know where it was a misfire and you fix it immediately you know there's no miscommunication anymore as to okay what happened here or what happened there XYZ now it's right in front of you so I read that you committed to Penn State at the Polynesian bowl is that yeah correct and you ultimately picked pen State over USC yeah Penn State over USC what's funny about that is actually I committed to Penn State like months before that but I committed to announce it on CBS at the Polynesian bow so I had to keep it on the Reps I signed I signed the paperwork in my parents' car on like a signing day like 7:00 in the morning before class and then I went to class but I had actually committed in like November after my OV so it I mean that was a long time ago now like what do you remember about you know you think and you know you have as much information as you can have about why you want to choose Penn State but what what ultimately was going through your mind and how did you decide that this was the right place for you I mean it was the stability you know coach Franklin has been coaching for an incredibly long time and then along with that the pedigree that goes into Penn State um you know the amount of talent that they've produced over the last 10 plus years what have you and then you have the amount of players that are coming in like my class had incredibly talented players so I was it was kind of a no-brainer and then you have the family oriented space um and then it just allowed me space to grow not only as a player but as a man so I I appreciate Penn State tremendously for that because I've I've grown tremendously since my first day to my last day coming up soon so yeah it is wild to think about you know and one of the questions I actually would would love to ask all of you because this always elicits some some good responses if you could go back and tell your 18-year-old self something maybe give him a piece of advice warn him about something maybe tell him to do something or not do something what what would you go if you could go back and tell your 18-year-old jayen self what would you say um me personally I would definitely stay stay in the house more as a college student you know and me me young when I was young man I was I was going out a lot freshman year I say definitely if I go back and tell myself I stay stay to the course and stay focused more as a young guy you know cuz the quicker the quicker you learn the process college and the quicker you learn the process of Penn State you know it helps you longer in the long run you know not me learning sophomore year a junior year I could have learned it fast freshman year but I'm still happy with my process and the way I came up here so yeah good answer stay in the house more I like that how about you that's just me um you know I'll probably say just be you you know it's not it's not a matter of if it's going to happen it's just a matter of when be consistent you know try to you know be better you're 1% you know what they tell you enjoy it you know cuz the days are going to go by fast what years fly um months are slow and then days just come and go so enjoy it yeah like Devon said really enjoy it though like yeah enjoy it me me up here right now is really it's just a true blessing you know I can't believe like my my life is just going so fast like this you know and I'm almost done my career is almost done at Penn State you know and it feel like I just got here you know feel like I just feel like you just got to enjoy enjoy the process man enjoy every moment of you know that's what I'm trying to do my last year here just enjoy enjoy everything with each and one of my teammates keep going over each other houses keep spending time with each other you know just I don't got I I don't got a lot of time left especially the young guys that I'm trying to mold into older guys when they when I leave so they can leave a tradition going and lead a standard uphold you know so I say me personally just just enjoying the process but just being where your feet is and being in the moment I say one thing you guys are speaking to this old lady's heart cuz I do think it's so easy especially when you're younger to not realize Where You Are right that answer anything you would add uh yeah for me it was more just understanding that everyone's process is a little bit different so cuz I came as a freshman and maybe wasn't at the spot I want to be at and I was kind of like not sure if college football is going to be something I could actually do for real but just understand everyone's got to grow differently and it takes a while to get to a certain certain spot to be able to play at this high of a level some guys can come and do it right away and some guys need a year or two so that was that was really the big thing for me well you guys have all been putting in the work for a long time and there's a reason why the three of you are are sitting up here representing Penn State heading into what's going to be an exciting year I want to take a look at your schedule because I think you guys have one of the most exciting regular season schedules that I've seen you open up at West Virginia and then you also get as I mentioned off the top three of the four new schools you play at USC and then you got Washington and UCLA at home huskys are the white out game that's going to be bananas when you look at this like what what jumps out to you what excites you the most West Virginia it's it's the first game it's the season opener I mean we got to get past West Virginia to get to Washington I mean we got to get past West Virginia to get to Bowling Green so West Virginia is probably the most exciting game a hornet nest down there that's what coach Franklin called it that that place is yeah I can't wait to see what that place brings you know in the environment I keep hearing Coach Frank talk about I never been so I never even took a visit so I just I'm waiting to see excited to see West Virginia at vgia at home is going to be crazy oh and he's a Virginia guy so you know West Virginia right around the corner West Virginia you know still you know the corner uh no it is exciting I mean it's it's wild and I think about Penn State and USC at the Coliseum October 12th do you guys remember I don't know what what grade you were in 2017 that Rose Bowl no I remember I remember remember it I was a junior I think in high school or sophomore junior in high school that's crazy no that game was that game was crazy it was electric though it electric yeah talk about time squ yeah it was saquan had that long run oh my goodness back and forth and back and forth cut cut um okay one thing before we let you guys go I I like to think of you know you get a lot of football questions I would like to ask you maybe one non-f football question have you have you had any really good questions so far at media day that are non-f football related like yeah there been a few good ones yeah share them with me I can I can steal one I got some here all Le you got me on the spot I I one of the ones I heard was if if your teammate was a type of food what would he be which that was one that I just by so we can do that one um okay songs you are listening to most right now like if we were going to pull up your whatever Pandora Spotify whatever you can I look at it uh you can cheat sure that's fine no I got oh go ahead bro go ahead know I got Jersey Drake um you know yeah I got I whatever Drake I play all any Drake I've been listening to a little baby a lot lately little baby I'm going Allan Jackson or George straight there you gool you know he's got a different gen I'm with you on that one I like that Vibe all right gentlemen enjoy the rest of the day good luck in Camp and we cannot wait to watch you play all those awesome games and against all those wonderful teams appreciate you apprciate