Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1072455
here was a time when you could practically set your watch by the rhythms of the Penn State foot- ball program. The Nittany Lions would contend for championships for a year or two, then would spend the next two years rebuilding, a cycle they repeated for much of Joe Paterno's long tenure as head coach. That's not the case anymore. In recent years, the player-development cycle has sped up, and so has the player-departure cycle. The cycles crash into each other so quickly that it's hard to tell heading into any particular season whether it's going to be a rebuild or a history-maker. Because of the coaching they receive and the competition they face on the summer camp circuit, players are better prepared to see action early in their col- lege careers than they were a generation ago. And because those players get so much media attention during their re- cruitment, there is less reluctance to put them into pressure situations as fresh- men. For proof, look no further than this year's College Football Playoff final, in which Clemson's true freshman quarter- back, Trevor Lawrence, faced off against Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, who as a true freshman one year earlier led the Crimson Tide past Georgia for the national cham- pionship. But if players are maturing more quickly than ever before, they are also leaving more quickly for the NFL. Earlier this month, Penn State saw five players forgo their final season of eligibility in hope of being drafted. That list included several players who are all but certain to hear their names called at some point, such as defensive end Shareef Miller, offensive guard Connor McGovern and running back Miles Sanders. But it also included a surprise, as defensive tackle Kevin Givens was among the players who announced that he would be moving on. So where does that leave the Nittany Lions? Even with that quintet of juniors heading off to the NFL, of the players who started the Citrus Bowl, the Lions are ex- pected to return at least five on offense and five on defense, as well as their two primary kicking specialists. That's a pretty good foundation on which to build, and there are two additional defensive players who didn't start the bowl game but are expected to be back in 2019: tackle Robert Windsor and outside linebacker Micah Parsons. Windsor was suspended for Penn State's season finale due to a vi- olation of team rules, while Parsons backed up Koa Farmer but was, in essence, a starter himself, seeing frequent action throughout the season and leading the Lions in tackles with 82, including a game-high 13 against Kentucky. On a less optimistic note, Penn State must replace three-year starting quarter- | To overcome its most recent personnel losses, PSU will be looking for a cadre of young playmakers to step forward during the off-season T F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y C O V E R S T O R Y THE FUTURE IS NOW