W
ith record-setting quarterback
Trace McSorley graduating, ;ve
juniors leaving early to enter the
NFL Dra> and 11 players departing via
the transfer portal, a host of underclass-
men have been given an opportunity at
Penn State this spring to have a major
impact on the practice ;eld.
On the surface, the turnover in per-
sonnel might create the impression that
James Franklin and his sta< are facing a
major rebuilding job going into the 2019
season. But a careful examination of the
Nittany Lions' spring roster gives an-
other impression. When I look at this
roster, I see a team that has the potential
to challenge Ohio State, Michigan and
Michigan State for the top spot in the
Big Ten's East Division this fall.
Even a>er all the aforementioned de-
partures, the Nittany Lions return 14
starters – six on o guard Steven Gonza-
lez and le> tackle Will Fries. On the
other side of the ball, the Lions welcome
back defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos,
defensive tackle Robert Windsor, middle
linebacker Jan Johnson, outside line-
backer Cam Brown, strong safety Gar-
rett Taylor and cornerback John Reid.
And at the specialist positions, Penn
State will have punter Blake Gillikin
back for his fourth starting season, while
kickers Jake Pinegar (;eld goals) and
Rafael Checa (kickoer starting as true freshmen last sea-
son.
In addition to those 14 re-
turning starters, 11 other
players with starting experi-
ence are practicing this
spring, including outside linebacker
Micah Parsons, who led the team in
tackles as a true freshman, and receiver
Jahan Dotson, who had 13 receptions for
203 yards in the ;nal seven games of the
season.
The return of experienced veterans like
Gross-Matos, Taylor and Reid is one
reason why I believe Penn State will be a
legitimate contender for the East Divi-
sion title this fall. But another reason is
that Franklin's past three recruiting
classes have all ranked among the top
dozen in the country, as rated by
Rivals.com. The Class of 2017 was
ranked 12th, the Class of 2018 ;>h, and
this year's class was 11th. The talent in-
fusion those classes have provided is the
reason why there are so many young
players vying for signi;cant roles this
year.
Let's take a closer look at some of the
position groups where underclassmen
will bear watching in the Blue-White
Game.
QUARTERBACK McSorley is gone, and
there appears to be a good chance that
;>h-year senior Tommy Stevens will
miss the Blue-White Game as he works
his way back from o<-season surgery.
That means redshirt sophomore Sean
Cli
