Blue White Illustrated

February 2013

Penn State Sports Magazine

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/104338

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was, but at 324 pounds, he's a big presence in the middle. As long as he's garnering double-teams and keeping blockers off of the linebackers, then Jones is doing his job. Kyle Baublitz, who spelled Hill and Jones throughout the 2012 season, will need to be a disruptive force at the three-technique position. A former defensive end, Baublitz bulked up to 287 pounds last summer, and you can bet Craig Fitzgerald will pack on a few more this off-season. Look for Zettel to see some action here, too, as depth will be a concern. The lack of depth likely means that a freshman or two will have to step into an advanced role next fall. The leading candidate? Austin Johnson, a 297pounder who received glowing reviews throughout his redshirt season. O'Brien said Johnson has "a great future" at Penn State. Derek Dowrey and Brian Gaia, both of whom redshirted a year ago, will challenge for playing time, too. OUTSIDE LINEBACKER He wasn't a full-time starter, but when he was on the field, Mike Hull was a full-time playmaker. He finished with 58 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, a blocked punt and an interception that he returned 74 yards for a touchdown. And don't forget about his four sacks, which were more than Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges combined. With no Hodges nor Mauti, Hull is the obvious choice for one of the starting outside spots. But who will man the other? Sophomore Ben Kline is the most experienced candidate. He finished with 18 tackles last season, most of which came on special teams. Nyeem Wartman blocked a punt in his first college game but suffered a seasonending knee injury in the very next outing. Kline and a healthy Wartman will compete for the starting spot opposite Hull, and both will play a significant role in Ron Vanderlinden's linebacker rotation. Vanderlinden will also need another young linebacker to step up this offseason to provide additional depth. Incoming freshman Zayd Issah will compete for it, but he might need a DEPTH CHART BWI's Phil Grosz projects the Lions' 2013 lineup * OFFENSE DEFENSE QUARTERBACK LEFT END 12 Steven Bench (6-2, 204, So.) – Tyler Ferguson (6-4, 190, So.) – Christian Hackenberg (6-3, 215, Fr.) 86 C.J. Olaniyan (6-3, 248, Jr.) 31 Brad Bars (6-3, 254, Jr.) TAILBACK 28 Zach Zwinak (6-1, 232, Jr.) 1 Bill Belton (5-10, 202, Jr.) 22 Akeel Lynch (6-0, 209, Fr.) WIDE RECEIVER 8 Allen Robinson (6-3, 201, Jr.) 7 Eugene Lewis (6-1, 199, Fr.) 80 Matt Zanellato (6-3, 198, So.) LEFT TACKLE 84 Kyle Baublitz (6-5, 287, Jr.) 53 Derek Dowrey (6-3, 311, Fr.) 72 Brian Gaia (6-3, 271, Fr.) RIGHT TACKLE 91 DaQuan Jones (6-3, 324, Sr.) 99 Austin Johnson (6-4, 297, Fr.) RIGHT END WIDE RECEIVER 18 Deion Barnes (6-4, 246, So.) 98 Anthony Zettel (6-5, 253, So.) 85 Brandon Moseby-Felder (6-2, 195, Sr.) 21 Trevor Williams (6-1, 186, So.) OUTSIDE LINEBACKER TIGHT END – Y 43 Mike Hull (6-0, 228, Jr.) 8 Gary Wooten (6-2, 230, Fr.) 89 Garry Gilliam (6-6, 262, Sr.) 18 Jesse James (6-7, 264, So.) INSIDE LINEBACKER TIGHT END – F 40 Glenn Carson (6-3, 235, Sr.) 5 Nyeem Wartman (6-1, 235, So.) 87 Kyle Carter (6-3, 247, So.) 82 Matt Lehman (6-6, 258, Sr.) 83 Brent Wilkerson (6-3, 239, Fr.) OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 38 Ben Kline (6-2, 224, So.) 5 Nyeem Wartman (6-1, 235, So.) LEFT TACKLE 76 Donovan Smith (6-5, 316, So.) 70 Nate Cadogan (6-5, 293, Sr.) LEFT CORNERBACK LEFT GUARD 3 Da'Quan Davis (5-10, 161, So.) 14 Jordan Lucas (6-0, 188, So.) - Jordan Smith (6-0, 180, Fr.) 65 Miles Dieffenbach (6-3, 300, Jr.) 60 Ty Howle (6-0, 298, Sr.) FREE SAFETY CENTER 10 Malcolm Willis (5-11, 205, Sr.) 23 Ryan Keiser (6-1, 200, Jr.) 66 Angelo Mangiro (6-3, 291, So.) 55 Wendy Laurent (6-2, 278, Fr.) STRONG SAFETY RIGHT GUARD 7 S. Obeng-Agyapong (5-10, 207, Sr.) 14 Jordan Lucas (6-0, 188, So.) 64 John Urschel (6-3, 307, Sr.) 56 Anthony Alosi (6-4, 295, So.) RIGHT CORNERBACK RIGHT TACKLE 4 Adrian Amos (6-0, 209, Jr.) 39 Jesse Della Valle (6-1, 190, Jr.) 58 Adam Gress (6-6, 311, Sr.) 75 Eric Shrive (6-6, 305, Sr.) *Class standing cited above reflects players' eligibility status during the 2013 season.

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