Blue White Illustrated

at the position as a true freshman. Menet was one of the stars of spring practice earlier this year, putting him- self in position to fill the vacancy that opened up with Mahon's graduation. Whether that vacancy ends up being at guard or center, Menet said he's ready to step in and contribute. "Whatever works best for our offensive line unit and the team, that's what I'll do," he said. NFL NEWS Saquon Barkley rushed for 39 yards on his first professional carry, bouncing outside after finding himself pinned behind the line of scrimmage and then scooting to midfield early in the New York Giants' preseason opener Aug. 9 against Cleveland. It was just the kind of electrifying run that Penn State fans were accustomed to seeing during Barkley's three sea- sons on campus. But the stat line on his subsequent carries was also famil- iar: 4 yards on four attempts. Barkley had his share of all-or-nothing after- noons with the Nittany Lions, and that trend continued in his NFL debut. But the speed and the elusiveness he showed on his first carry had a lot of people buzzing after the game. "I loved the first run," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said. "If only they all could be like that. You could see, [the moment] wasn't too big for him. He's probably played before bigger crowds at Penn State. I think he took the next step in his progress to get ready for the season." Barkley had signed with the Giants in July, inking a four-year rookie deal worth $31.2 million, all of it guaran- teed. The contract included a $20.76 signing bonus, with the former Penn State running back receiving $15 mil- lion immediately and the rest in Octo- ber. In other NFL news, former Nittany Lion center A.Q. Shipley will miss the season after tearing his ACL in practice in early August. Shipley, a six-year veteran who has spent the past three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, called the injury the "hardest news of my life" but vowed to return next sea- son. He was placed on injured reserve Aug. 7. An All-American and Rimington Trophy winner at Penn State, Shipley had missed only four offensive snaps for the Cardinals during the 2016 and '17 seasons. Shipley and Barkley were two of the 40 Penn State football alumni on NFL rosters at the start of training camp, the most since 2012. In addition, there were two players in training camps who played sports other than football at Penn State. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins had the most Nittany Lion players with four apiece. The Dolphins feature the returning trio of 10th-year defensive end Cameron Wake, line- backer Mike Hull and cornerback Jor- dan Lucas, as well as rookie tight end Mike Gesicki, who was selected with the 42nd overall pick of the 2018 draft. The Steelers also feature a former Penn State tight end – fourth-year vet Jesse James – who is joined in Latrobe, Pa., this summer by safety Malik Golden and rookies Marcus Allen (safety) and Parker Cothren (defensive tackle). The Giants had three Penn Staters – all rookies – on their roster at the start of camp. In addition to Barkley, they were taking a look at undrafted free agents Grant Haley (cornerback) and Tyrell Chavis (defensive tackle). Former Penn State men's lacrosse player Chris Hogan appeared in the most recent Super Bowl and is return- ing to the New England Patriots for his sixth season in the NFL. Additionally, former men's basketball player Ross Travis is with the Indianapolis Colts for his third NFL season. Six former Nittany Lions are mem- bers of NFL coaching staffs: Tom Bradley (Pittsburgh, defensive backs); Gary Brown (Dallas, running backs); Bobby Engram (Baltimore, wide re- ceivers); Al Golden (Detroit, lineback- ers); D'Anton Lynn (Houston, assistant defensive backs) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Munchak (Pittsburgh, offensive line). ■ t's our fault, at least in part. Not only here at Blue White Illus- trated. Any publication that focuses on the recruitment of prep athletes – whether it's print, online or otherwise – can be considered partially guilty. It doesn't begin and end with media, how- ever. The wave of promotion, ;attery and attention that engulfs incoming freshmen as they embark upon their col- lege careers doesn't come solely from star ratings and top-100 lists. Other in- ;uences are to blame as well. Sometimes, a high school coach, par- ent or the prospect himself will overesti- mate a height or weight, amplifying the excitement about his arrival. Or maybe his 40-yard dash time will be shaved down by a fraction of a second. College coaches aren't exempt, either. Those ex- travagant ceremonies on national letter of intent day in which signees are given the red-carpet treatment certainly do nothing to squelch the hype. As the cliche goes, the rankings all go away once camp begins, but by that time it's o=en too late. Expectations are already etched. On Penn State's roster, Michal Menet is just one example of this phenomenon. Ranked among the nation's top 100 re- cruits in 2016 – awarded four stars by some, :ve by others – Menet arrived a couple of summers ago as one of the highest-rated o

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