Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1157192
P E N N S TAT E FO O T BA L L >> 2 0 1 9 K I C KO F F S P E C I A L Rivals.com, and its 2020 class, de- spite a number of early-summer de- fections, was rated 11th nationally as of this writing. What's more, its av- erage attendance of 105,485 per game was second-best in the coun- try last season, trailing only Michi- gan. There aren't a whole lot of programs in college football where those sorts of accomplishments would be considered a mixed bag. The challenge that faces Penn State heading into the 2019 season is to keep that momentum from dissi- pating now that most of the players who spearheaded the program's turnaround are gone. Heading into preseason practice, it appeared likely that the defense would be well ahead of the offense. All the news coming out of practice in the first weeks of preseason camp seemed to confirm that impression. It's not just that the Nittany Lions need to break in a new starting quarterback, either Sean Clifford or Will Levis; they also need to protect him. They're expected to start redshirt freshman Rasheed Walker at left tackle, and they're looking for junior Will Fries to take the next step in his development at the opposite spot. The performance of Walker and Fries will go a long way toward determining whether the Lions are able to improve on a 2018 season in which they dropped to fifth place in the Big Ten in total offense at 423 yards per game. The defense has concerns, too, though not as many as the offense. Is Lamont Wade ready for his likely promotion to a starting safety role? Do the Lions have the depth they will need in the middle of their de- fensive line? Is superstar-in-waiting Micah Parsons ready to live up to all the praise he's received in recent months? The answers to all those questions are forthcoming. If they're the kind of answers Franklin and his staff have been seeking, they'll be able to keep the positive vibes reverberating into the regular season. ■ LT Rasheed Walker Des Holmes Caedan Wallace LG Steven Gonzalez Mike Miranda Bryce E5ner C Michal Menet Hunter Kelly Mike Miranda RG C.J. Thorpe Anthony Whigan Saleem Wormley RT Will Fries Des Holmes Caedan Wallace QB Sean Cli5ord Will Levis Ta'Quan Roberson Michael Johnson Jr. RB Ricky Slade Journey Brown Noah Cain Devyn Ford WR-X Justin Shorter Daniel George Cam Sullivan-Brown WR-Z Jahan Dotson Weston Carr Dan Chisena WR-slot K.J. Hamler Mac Hippenhammer Jahan Dotson TE Pat Freiermuth Nick Bowers Zack Kuntz DEFENSE DE Shaka Toney Shane Simmons Jayson Oweh DT Antonio Shelton P.J. Mustipher Fred Hansard DT Robert Windsor Damion Barber Judge Culpepper DE Yetur Gross-Matos Daniel Joseph Nick Tarburton MLB Jan Johnson Ellis Brooks Max Chizmar Sam OLB Cam Brown Charlie Katshir Lance Dixon Will OLB Micah Parsons Jesse Luketa Brandon Smith CB Tariq Castro-Fields Keaton Ellis Joey Porter Jr. Trent Gordon Daequan Hardy Saf. Lamont Wade Jaquan Brisker Tyler Rudolph Saf. Garrett Taylor Jonathan Sutherland Drew Hartlaub CB John Reid Donovan Johnson D.J. Brown Marquis Wilson P Blake Gillikin Cade Pollard K (FG) Jake Pinegar Justin Tobin Rafael Checa Jordan Stout Vlad Hilling K (KO) Jordan Stout Rafael Checa Jake Pinegar H Blake Gillikin Michael Shuster LS Chris Stoll Joe Calcagno PR K.J. Hamler Keaton Ellis John Reid KR K.J. Hamler Journey Brown Ricky Slade * As of mid-August P R O J E C T E D D E P T H C H A R T * O F F E N S E D E F E N S E S P E C I A L T E A M S OR OR OR OR OR OR OR