Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1138762
A year ago, 16 members of the Class of 2018 saw game action for Penn State. Before the season, the NCAA had relaxed its redshirt rules, allowing new- comers to play in up to four games with- out sacrificing a year of eligibility. Because of that change, Nittany Lion fans have already gotten an early look at some of the highest-profile members of a re- cruiting class that was ranked fifth in the country by Rivals.com. Some other play- ers in that class didn't get on the field, but they, too, were prepping for their chance to impact the Lions' fortunes. That chance has now arrived. Here's a look at several redshirt freshmen who fig- ure to play key roles for Penn State in 2019: WILL LEVIS The situation at quarterback is not exactly as Levis had anticipated when he arrived on campus a year ago. In the summer of 2018, his succession to the starting job appeared to be three or four years away. But with Trace McSorley having used up his eligibility and Tommy Stevens suddenly departing for Mississippi State via the transfer portal, Levis is entering the summer months with a new perspec- tive. He's poised to battle redshirt soph- omore Sean Clifford and early enrollees Ta'Quan Roberson and Michael Johnson Jr. for a starting job that he considers to be there for the taking. "People might not believe me, but I be- lieve it's open to anybody," Levis said. "You don't want to approach it thinking you're at a specific spot and that's where you're going to be. In the summer, you want to approach it as if you're going to be that guy so that every day you come in thinking that's what you're working to- ward and that's what you want to see yourself as." Even before Stevens left, Levis had been thinking along those lines. Although he didn't see any game action while redshirt- ing last year, he frequently found himself in a position to earn extra reps, either with the scout team or in place of an injured Stevens. And with Stevens still recovering from an injury during the Lions' recently concluded spring drills, Levis was able to get plenty of reps in prac- tice. He even ran the first- team offense for a day when Clifford was unable to prac- tice due to an illness. Levis said recently that the extra work was invaluable. "Throughout the spring, it was kind of just like, when's Tommy going to get back? Is he going to be healthy?" Levis said. "I just kept that in the back of my mind and didn't really think about it because I knew that every day I was out here and he wasn't playing that it was just more opportunities for me to get reps. I wanted to take advantage of that. So the spring was great." As a result of that experi- ence, Levis said he believes he is capable of competing and succeeding on this P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> FRESHMEN OF INFLUENCE | The Class of 2018 is about to have a major impact on PSU's fortunes. Here are some of the redshirt frosh who could end up playing big roles this fall