Blue White Illustrated

W ith the departure of once-in-a- generation running back Saquon Barkley, record-setting tight end Mike Gesicki and record-setting wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton, as well as eight starters on defense, Penn State's football team will look very di;erent in 2018. But are the Nittany Lions rebuild- ing or reloading? If you were to take a close look at their past three recruiting classes, you might quickly come to the conclusion that the Lions should be doing the latter. James Franklin and his assistant coaches have done a remarkable job with the classes of 2016, '17 and '18. For the 9rst time in more than two decades, Penn State has been able to land three successive classes that have ranked among the top 21 groups in the country. Rivals.com ranked the Nittany Lions' 2016 class 21st nationally, thanks largely to its six four-star recruits, a group headlined by running back Miles Sanders, who was rated the No. 1 all- purpose running back in the country. The Class of 2017 ended up 12th, as Penn State's 21-player haul included 10 three- star and 10 four-star prospects and one 9ve-star prospect. During the most re- cent recruiting cycle, Franklin and his sta; were able to land the Lions' best class since 2006, signing four three- star, 16 four-star and two 9ve-star play- ers. That class ranked sixth nationally. So, looking solely at the steady growth of the program's recruiting, it's easy to see why many fans might believe the Nittany Lions could very easily be in a total reloading mode for the upcoming season. To my way of thinking, though, that would be a mistake. To label this a re- loading year overlooks one of the least recognized yet most important elements of the recruiting process: recruiting for need. Yes, it's exciting to see your fa- vorite team at the top of the recruiting pundits' lists in February. But those prospects need to be able to 9t in at places on the 9eld where the team needs to replenish its talent base – whether those needs are immediate or a year or two down the road. Penn State has been able to recruit three very good classes in a row, but there have been speci9c positional areas of need on both o;ense and defense where Franklin and his sta; have come up short. The one glaring position on of- fense is the tight end spot, where Gesicki's graduation has created a void. On defense, the tackle spots are a ques- tion mark following the departure of Curtis Cothran, Parker Cothren and Tyrell Chavis, as are two of the three linebacker positions, with Jason Cabinda and Brandon Smith having ex- hausted their eligibility and Manny Bowen having been dismissed from the team last November. In the last two seasons alone, Gesicki totaled 105 catches for 1,242 yards and 14 touchdowns. The leading candidates to succeed him, Jonathan Holland and Nick Bowers, have combined for four career receptions for 31 yards. Going into his redshirt sophomore season, Danny Dalton has yet to make a recep- tion. That's why Penn State is not in a total reloading mode for the upcoming sea- son. Maybe next to the two box line- backer positions, the tight end spot has to be Penn State's No. 1 concern going into preseason camp. Help could come from January enrollee Zack Kuntz and fellow incoming freshman Pat Freier- muth. Both were considered by Rivals to be among the top six tight ends in the country in the Class of 2018. But I be- lieve that when it's all said and done, Gesicki might end up being harder to re- place than Barkley. The tight end plays a crucial role in Penn State's o;ensive scheme. When then-o;ensive coordi- nator Joe Moorhead put that scheme in place before the 2016 season, he knew that one of the keys to 9elding a bal- anced attack would be to develop tight ends who could block and also run pass routes. As Moorhead told SBNation.com back in the spring of 2016, any o;ense he coaches must know "how to use the tight end in the system. It is an o;ense that has to run successfully and is phys- ical in nature with the run game." In other words, Penn State is not look- ing to use a 9nesse-oriented rushing at- tack. The Nittany Lions' tight ends are required to trap block as H-backs on combination blocks. If they have the kind of athletic ability that Gesicki pos- sessed, Penn State will at times :ex them out as receivers, even asking them occasionally to stretch the 9eld with the passing game. Gesicki was good at get- ting open down9eld, and that's one rea- son why I believe he will be very di

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