State College It's been two months now, and James Franklin is no less entertaining in the small moments.

Take Monday's blustery beginning to spring practice at Penn State. After leaving a noon press conference, he inquired about adding a portable heater to the Beaver Stadium media room, he rolled down his window to thank reporters for attending and then he jumped out of his car to greet a couple of random people wearing St. Patrick's Day green.Of course he can't stop working the new job at Penn State. Last week, he admitted, was the first he saw his wife and kids since national signing day, in early February. They still haven't made the permanent move to State College."What are you going to do, go back and look at the walls at the Residence Inn?"So, two months in, the energy is still flowing fast as he and his staff actually begin coaching the Nittany Lions for the first time. There will be 15 official workouts before the annual Blue-White Game on April 12.Franklin doesn't seem willing to show that energy and emotion on the press conference podium. He's mostly straight-faced, even during the best sound bites. But it is there and certainly will be passed on to his new players.Take his first practice rule:"There's no walking on the field. Ever. If you don't know where you're supposed to be ... sprint in a circle until you figure it out."He also added this: "We need to go out there with the mindset that we've been here for three years."The problem is that he and his assistants are mostly locked into working with inherited talent and that means a roster sliced and compromised by NCAA sanctions. In one of the most remarkable situations, Franklin only has four offensive tackles on his roster, including walk-on Albert Hall (just moved from tight end).And only one of them, Donovan Smith, even played last year at allActually, the offensive line, in general, is understaffed, which is why young backups Brian Gaia and Derek Dowrey have been switched from defense to guard.While quarterback Christian Hackenberg is the team's star, and has appeared to transform himself physically, packing on 14 pounds to 234 he now weighs more than bulldozing tailback Zach Zwinak, at 233 there is much more to the picture."Every time I meet somebody all they want to talk about his Christian Hackenberg," Franklin said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about him as well. But it takes a lot more than a quarterback to be successful on offense. We want to make sure the game of football is played from the ground up ... up front."On Monday afternoon, that first practice of the spring moved at a rapid pace for everyone in Holuba Hall, players continually shifting from one instructional station to another.And there was plenty to focus on defense, too.There is a noticeable hole at tackle, particularly with the departures of DaQuan Jones and Kyle Baublitz. That's why pass-rushing specialist Anthony Zettel has bulked up to nearly 280 pounds and will move inside. Even with the added weight, Zettel tested as the fastest defensive lineman, Franklin said.There also is the secondary, where senior Adrian Amos is slated to move positions yet again, back to safety from cornerback. Cornerback Jordan Lucas is one of the few leaders Franklin pointed out who takes a vocal approach.Lucas "never lacks for something to say. He enjoys talking and speaking his mind, and he's got a lot of personality, and he's very, very charismatic. It's not always as well thought out before he says it. It just comes out of his mouth. He's a great kid, love him.Then there is the thin linebacking group, which really needs Ben Kline to contribute significantly. He is recovering from shoulder and pectoral injuries and was limited Monday to stretching and running-based drills.Franklin said he won't discuss injuries."He's unbelievably mature, community service and getting involved with a lot of different things," Franklin said of Kline. "I think he just got back from Washington, D.C. last week, was very involved with THON. He's been great. I knew him because we recruited him in the past. But I can tell when he speaks in front of the team everybody respects him."Monday was only the first step of so many for this new staff and their players who are adjusting, yet again, to a change in leadership.Franklin talked of the added importance and attention to special teams, though when will he know the impact of someone like true freshman and early enrollee De'Andre Thompkins? He knows Thompkins is the fastest player on the team, but that's about it, for now.Franklin does know about motivation, though, and he certainly recognizes his ominous predicament at offensive tackle. Maybe that's why he took the final moments of his news conference to celebrate the effort of Hall, that walk-on lineman from Warwick, N.Y."That guy is going to find a role on this team somehow. I've called him out in front of the team a number of times because I've been so impressed with him: His approach, his demeanor, his attitude," Franklin said."I think a lot of us can learn from a guy like that, who wakes up every single morning and makes the most of it. ... Maybe by the end of spring he's got a more significant role. We need a number of guys to do that."