Blue White Illustrated

2 0 1 9 K I C K O F F S P E C I A L each other. And they know it's about the group and it's not about one individual," Spencer said. "If you earn the right to start, it means something. And if you earn the right to play, it means some- thing. That's why we have competition. We don't have jealousy. I'm going to re- move that. I'm not going to allow that to exist." To a man, the players in Spencer's room have embraced their coach's unselfish mantra, regardless of the potential play- ing time at stake. The task now is to help spread that attitude throughout the team. Spencer has cautioned his players against developing an insular culture. When pre- season camp began in early August, he was hoping to see more outreach than he had seen earlier in the off-season. "All the positions love the D-line," Spencer said. "I just want them to branch out a little bit more and get the rest of the team. This is not bad. This is all good and healthy. But for us to be great, especially on defense, it can't just be the D-line. "I love the fact they love each other and I love the fact that it's like this. But for us to be where we want to go, then we have to branch out and make that infectious to the team." Brimming with confidence and cama- raderie ahead of a season full of height- ened expectations, Penn State's defensive linemen are happy to create that impres- sion. ■ It's hard to envision a version of Yetur Gross-Matos that doesn't look prepared to play a high-level college football game. The Nittany Lion de- fensive end owns one of the more menacing physiques on Penn State's roster. If there were any concerns about that changing after Gross- Matos was suspended for the sum- mer, allow defensive line coach Sean Spencer to assuage them for you. "He came back in shape," Spencer said. "He's full speed, doesn't stop. It's why he is who he is. I didn't see any- thing that would have led me to believe that he would not be ready for this." Gross-Matos's suspension, which head coach James Franklin an- nounced at Big Ten media days in July, began after the Blue-White Game and expired on Aug. 1. Running back Journey Brown received the same suspension. Gross-Matos spent the suspension at home in Virginia, working out wherever he could, doing the "same stuff" he would have had he spent the summer in State College. "I'm excited to be here, get back to work with my family," Gross-Matos said. "I'm excited for the opportuni- ties that we have to go out there and do something special." As last season progressed, Gross- Matos established himself as one of the premier defensive ends in the country. He finished with eight sacks and 20 tackles for loss, leaving NFL talent evaluators impressed, as he enters his junior season near the top of plenty of mock drafts. Gross-Matos entered camp at around 255 pounds, Franklin said, after playing at about 265 last year. Franklin said he could see Gross- Matos reaching a playing weight of about 260 pounds this season. While Franklin would like to have everyone around for as much time as possible, he said he's optimistic Gross-Matos "will have a big year" for the Nittany Lions. "We're very pleased with him, pleased with him and his develop- ment," Franklin said, "his appreciation for being at Penn State, his apprecia- tion for being a part of our football program, and his attitude. He's always been a guy who's got a smile on his face." –DAVID ECKERT Franklin foresees 'big year' for Gross- Matos

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