Blue White Illustrated

B L U E - W H I T E G A M E P R E V I E W men have all had that welcome-to-col- lege-football moment by now. That's a humbling experience. They're not used to that. And then they kind of battle through it, they battle back. I think by the end of spring, those guys – Lance and Brandon as well as a number of guys – will have made a significant step. And then obviously, summer and [preseason] camp are going to be important." SECONDARY NEWS The big position battle here is at free safety, where Nick Scott, a 13-game starter last season and two-year team captain, must be replaced. When the Lions opened spring practice, the play- ers at the open spot were veteran back- ups Lamont Wade and John Petrishen, January enrollee Tyler Rudolph and walk-on Drew Hartlaub. Jonathan Sutherland, who started the Iowa game last season when Garrett Taylor was forced to sit out due to a targeting penalty he received at Indiana, was still behind Taylor at the strong safety spot, with walk-ons Justin Neff and Cody Ro- mano supplying depth. But as Franklin was quick to note, the players at this po- sition group give the coaching staff a lot of flexibility. "They are moving parts," he said. "So if you're the backup at one [spot] but you're one of our two best safeties, we'll move it around and plug- and-play." The Lions must also replace corner- back Amani Oruwariye, who tied for the team lead with three interceptions last season. But there's a bit less uncertainty there, as Tariq Castro-Fields has played in 25 games and made three starts over the past two seasons and is the over- W hen John Reid visited Penn State as a recruit, he stayed indoors to study film while everyone else was outside at a barbecue. When he first arrived as a player, he made sure to spend as much time with older teammates as with the players in his own class. The idea, he said, was to learn as much as possible from those with more expe- rience than he had, and then to "take his knowledge and out- work him." Reid found himself in the starting lineup at cornerback for the first game of his college career, and he went on to claim Freshman All-Big Ten honors. There have since been some setbacks that have slowed ascent. But as the Mount Laurel, N.J., native prepares for his final season, the summit is on the horizon. This spring, Reid is one of the oldest members of the defensive secondary. At his position, specifically, there are a couple of early enrollees who have al- ready been grabbing teammates' atten- tion. Of the seven scholarship cornerbacks on campus, five will have either freshman or sophomore eligibil- ity in 2019, and the competition is fierce. That's where Reid's background and experience have been put to good use. He was once the freshman stealing playing time from upperclassmen; now he's the one who is warding off con- tenders like Keaton Ellis and Marquis Wilson. The two January enrollees are only in their third month of college, but they've already displayed staying power. In addition, redshirt freshman Trent Gordon has shown signs that he will be in the CB rotation this fall. All the while, Reid is enriching their progress by call- ing back to his own past, rather than going into preservation mode and walling them off. In his first year, he said, "I made sure that I was around the guys who were here for years, like seniors, whether they were playing or not. They have a certain amount of experience and knowledge coming in that young guys just don't have, because you just came from high school. So it's taking everything you can from [the upperclassmen], but at the same time wanting to beat them and compete with them." Always considered a student of the game – a "film junkie" in his coaches' parlance – Reid has gradually become less of a student and more of a teacher. He's happy to be the position's ring leader and assist in sharpening the new- comers' skills. "This is what I help with the young guys: I know you're fast and all that, but you can't just rely on that," he said. "K.J. [Hamler] runs a 4.3, you run a 4.3, but if he gets a step on you, he's beating you, so it's making sure you're on point with your technique. You can't just play with athleticism when you're going against our receivers. It's not going to get it done." Reid missed the 2017 season with a se- vere knee injury, but he has his own speed back again. He reportedly sprinted the 40-yard dash in the 4.3-second range and realized during winter work- outs, when the young guys were running nearly equivalent times, that this spring would present a new set of challenges. He also realized that it would be for the betterment of the defense. "Depending on how [freshmen] come in and if they do well in the workouts, that usually translates to the field," Reid said. "When you're really competitive, you start to see it translate every- where." Reid should know. He was once that young guy, after all. ■ Veteran Reid striving to bring new CBs up to speed | REID

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