ON THE RETURNING STARTERS We have
ensive returning starters the way
our sta> calculates it, but in our eyes we
look at Jahan Dotson as a returning
starter, we look at Mac Hippenhammer
as a returning starter, we look at Mike
Miranda as a returning starter, and Cam
Sullivan-Brown.
Same thing with the defensive guys. ...
Tariq Castro-Fields, I think it's hard to
not consider him a starter. Micah Par-
sons led us in tackles. Antonio Shelton, I
think we would all view him as a starter
in a lot of di>erent ways, and Jonathan
Sutherland. Those guys have played a lot
of football for us. We feel really good
about that.
ON THE NEW REDSHIRT RULE I think the
four games really help, because maybe a
guy can gain some experience, where it
saves you late in the season for injuries
and things like that. I do think there's
some =exibility that has been created
with the redshirt guys. I think, for ex-
ample, Rasheed Walker obviously feels a
lot di>erent and we feel a lot di>erent
now. Although he redshirted, he got
some game experience. So there's
tremendous value in that, and I think
there are a number of guys like that, so
we'll see.
I do think it creates conense, defense and special teams, I
think there's a lot of value there.
Right now, obviously, [Will] Fries has
played a lot of football for us. [Michal]
Menet has played a lot of football for us.
[Steven] Gonzalez has played a lot of
football for us. Those guys are going to
have to bring a lot of leadership value to
our team. I think [Pat] Freiermuth and
[Nick] Bowers, are going to need to do it.
And then at the quarterback position,
you always need it there. [Tommy]
Stevens… and [Sean] Cli>ord are two
guys who have played a lot of football,
been around a lot of football, been a part
of the program, understand the expecta-
tions and the standards.
And then I think the guy who probably
has as much energy and can a>ect peo-
ple in a positive way is K.J. Hamler. You
spend ect the room in a positive
way. They walk in a room, they brighten
up the room with their energy and their
charisma and the substance behind it.
ON STAFF UPHEAVAL Would I love for
these guys to stay at Penn State and re-
tire and watch their goatees get grayer at
each press conference like mine is? Yeah.
I'd love everybody to stay at Penn State
forever, but that's just not the reality of
our industry anymore.
I think we've got to work really hard…
to create a situation here where people
don't feel like they have to leave, that
there are opportunities for growth. But
then there are also going to be some
times where people are going to have to
move on, and hopefully we can bring
them back at another point.
You know, to me, it's the nature of our
industry now and we're going to em-
brace it and make the best of it, and
we're going to be prepared for when
those times come. But I also want to
make sure that when people do have
those opportunities, that we make it dif-
