Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/104338
ing the tight ends for a more prominent role in the passing game. Kyle Carter was another one of the team's left-field success stories last year. Despite missing three games because of ankle and wrist injuries, Carter caught 36 passes for 453 yards as a redshirt freshman and had one of the Nittany Lions' signature plays, a magnificent 34-yard catch-and-run at Iowa that helped propel Penn State to a 14-0 lead and an eventual 38-14 victory. The Lions also return Matt Lehman, Jesse James and Garry Gilliam, who combined for 46 receptions for 637 yards and eight touchdowns last season. In addition, Brent Wilkerson will be coming off his redshirt year, while highly regarded true freshman Adam Breneman is already on campus taking classes as he works his way back from the knee injury that forced him to miss his senior season at Cedar Cliff High in Camp Hill, Pa. Breneman has already won the hearts of Penn State fans by spearheading the effort to hold the Nittany Lions' recruiting class together after the NCAA sanctions were announced last July. O'Brien declined to comment on the progress of his recovery from knee att Freeman, student body president, prom king and world champion baton twirler, was standing at the podium facing his senior classmates at Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, Calif. Earlier that year, he had convinced the school's band director to allow him to twirl at halftime of a football game. The student section was chanting his name and cheering him on as he performed his routine, when suddenly, the school's principal stepped onto the field, grabbed him and escorted him away, telling him he was "just a distraction to the band." The next day, the principal called Freeman into his office demanding answers. Why did he want to be the only baton twirler in the band? Why twirl a baton at all? Freeman recalled that scene as he began his graduation speech by addressing his principal. "Thank you," he said, "for giving me the opportunity to prove you wrong." Freeman has aspired to be Penn State's feature baton twirler since he was a little boy. He has sacrificed and worked for what he wanted, letting no adversaries sway him from his course. "The obstacles my principal put in my way just gave me more in- M Annemarie Mountz