Blue White Illustrated

I've been back. We watched 6lm to- gether. Will has reached out to me want- ing to pick my brain with some things. He's always trying to learn and gain new information." The comments from players and coaches coming out of spring practice tell me that Penn State has a better situ- ation at quarterback than some college football analysts might suspect. At the very least, the Lions should be in a strong position going into preseason practice. At that point, the coaches will be looking for someone to step forward and take command. RUNNING BACK Miles Sanders won't be easy to replace. He 6nished the 2018 season as the Big Ten's second-leading rusher with 1,274 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. There's no overwhelming favorite set to take over the starting spot this year the way Sanders did for Saquon Barkley last fall, but sophomore Ricky Slade ap- pears likely to get the 6rst crack at win- ning the job. He was Penn State's third-leading rusher last fall with 257 yards six rushing TDs. Journey Brown, another redshirt sophomore, had an impressive perform- ance during winter workouts and was reportedly looking good during the 6rst two weeks of spring practice. He has physically matured, and he entered spring practice at 5-11, 206 pounds. Franklin said in March that Brown had made great strides and had put himself in position to play a much bigger role in the o8ense than he played as a fresh- man. Sanders, speaking to reporters on Penn State's Pro Day, said he agreed with his former coach's assessment. "We have a no-huddle o8ense, [and Brown] knows where to line up instead of the quarterback telling him where to line up," Sanders said. "So it's just [a matter of] taking that next step, and his next step would just be reading defenses and [playing] faster. It's good seeing that from Journey, because he came a long way." What's most impressive to me about Brown is his combination of size and speed. He has run a 10.43-second 100- meter time in track, so his speed has never been in question. And now that he's packing a bit more muscle on his frame, he should be much better equipped to withstand the punishment that Big Ten defenses dole out. I don't expect to see Slade or any sin- gle running back on Penn State's 2019 roster take 80 percent of the snaps this fall. Maybe incoming freshman Devyn Ford, who will enroll at Penn State in May, said it best. "I envision a three- headed monster," he said. "I believe all the backs… have the ability to do it all." OFFENSIVE LINE Ryan Bates and Con- nor McGovern have le9 early for the dra9, creating opportunities for Rasheed Walker, Mike Miranda and C.J. Thorpe to contend for starting spots this o8-season. Walker, in particular, seems to have made a big move at the le9 tackle spot, with Fries moving over to right tackle. At 6-6, 317 pounds, Walker has surprisingly quick feet and moves well for his size. "Obviously, we want 7exibility to move those guys around, and we can," Franklin said. "But, yeah, as a freshman you like to leave them at one spot and then, as they start to gain experience, you like to try to dual-train them. But right now, we just want to get them con- 6dent in one spot, one position." Miranda and Thorpe are battling for McGovern's right guard spot. Miranda may have an advantage here a9er start- ing against Maryland in last year's regu- lar-season 6nale, a game in which Penn State rushed for 310 yards. Thorpe spent most of last season at defensive tackle due to injuries on that side of the ball, but Franklin has maintained all along L E T T E R F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R On June 1, the subscription price of Blue White Illustrated will increase to $59. It has been more than 6ve years since the previous price increase, and during that time postage rates have steadily climbed, as have the costs of printing the publication. We recognize that many of our loyal readers have been subscribing to Blue White Illustrated for years, and that is why we would like to o8er subscribers the following special o8er: a chance to delay the price increase for up to two years by renewing at the current rates. A renewal o8er will be sent to you in the mail in mid-April, or you can call us at 800-282-1629 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or visit our website, bluewhiteonline.com, to renew your subscription before the price increase takes e8ect. BWI has been reporting on Penn State sports for nearly four decades. We have strived to o8er comprehensive coverage of football, basketball, wrestling, ice hockey and much more, with a special emphasis on football re- cruiting. We appreciate your support and are eager to continue bringing you the in- sightful and thorough coverage of Penn State athletics that you have come to expect from BWI. Phil Grosz BWI publisher

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