Blue White Illustrated

Penn State continues to seek answers at linebacker spots VETERAN PLAYER Brown, a junior, is one of the more experienced can- didates for play- ing time in a youthful line- backer corps. Photo by Steve Manuel P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> The newcomers are Zack Kuntz and Pat Freiermuth, a pair of four-star prospects in the Class of 2019. Kuntz arrived on campus in January as a midyear enrollee and went through spring practice, although an injury he suffered toward the latter part of camp forced him to sit out the Blue-White Game. He returned to the field in time for the start of preseason practice. Freiermuth is also in the mix after he enrolled in May, a month earlier than many of his classmates but a few months after Kuntz. Listed at 6-5, 260, Freiermuth appears capable of handling an immediate load. Kuntz, who measures 6-7, 241 pounds, has a skill set – and build – more akin to Gesicki's. During their short time on campus, both have earned praise for their work ethic and determination. "They both came in with a really good mentality," quarterback Trace McSorley said. "Obviously, Zack came in in the winter and was able to go through winter workouts with us, some spring ball, and he has a good base [and] knowledge of our system. Pat has come in and done good things with workouts. He came in with a good mentality and he was able to be here for the beginning of the summer, so he had a little longer than other guys in his class." With preseason camp in full swing and the first game quickly approach- ing, McSorley isn't counting out the possibility that a freshman could play a role in helping the offense replace its leading receiver from last fall. "The two of them have a really good mindset coming into this camp," Mc- Sorley said. "They both just want to come in and learn and compete as much as they possibly can and make plays. ... If Coach Franklin sees a use for them, if they can come out and help us in the first couple games with the new [redshirt] rule, I guess that would be up to Coach Franklin and the other coaches, but [they'll] just kind of see how that all plays out." ■ A t his preseason media day news confer- ence, James Franklin offered no resist- ance to the conventional wisdom concerning his team's biggest question marks heading into training camp. Defen- sive tackle, linebacker and kicker, he said, were the main areas at which Penn State needed to find some answers. Through the first week of practice, the Penn State head coach asserted that the defensive tackles were "farther ahead" than he thought they would be at that point in the preseason. The kickers, too, were doing "phenomenal right now," he said. What he couldn't say with as much con- fidence, however, was that the Nittany Lions had found the clarity they were seeking at linebacker. He did say that he felt "better" about the position group than he had a week earlier, but the crowded depth chart had yet to stratify. "I think Jan Johnson is really doing some nice things. I think there's a lot of comfort with him. I'd say the same thing with Cam Brown. He had a really good off-sea- son and camp so far," Franklin stated. "And then there's kind of just a bunch of guys." The scholarship roster echoes Franklin's |

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