Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> Windsor also shined a light on one of the factors behind Penn State's recent suc- cess: a belief among the players on this year's team that patience will be re- warded. Windsor is one of a handful of seniors on an otherwise youthful Penn State team. He signed with the Nittany Lions in 2015 out of Fond du Lac High in Wis- consin, one of 25 members of his re- cruiting class. Twenty of those players are now gone, and most left before using up their Penn State eligibility. Four are in the NFL this season, including one – Saquon Barkley – who is well on his way to superstardom. Some others saw their careers cut short involuntarily. Ryan Buchholz was waylaid by a career-end- ing injury. Daiquan Kelly departed within weeks of his arrival due to off- the-field trouble. Manny Bowen left the team, then came back, then left again for good. But the real wave of attrition didn't hit until the NCAA's transfer por- tal was launched last year. Seven mem- bers of the Class of 2015 entered the portal in hope of using their remaining eligibility elsewhere: Sterling Jenkins, Juwan Johnson, Jarvis Miller, Ayron Monroe, John Petrishen, Brandon Polk and Tommy Stevens. For all the angst it has inspired, the transfer portal is not a bad thing. Changes that empower athletes are, in fact, a good thing; without athletes, there's no NCAA. But while it's only right to give them more autonomy, there are going to be instances in which it would be better for a particular athlete to remain patient and take advantage of the opportunity at hand. Windsor's story shows how that sort of patience can pay off. He arrived in University Park as a three-star prospect from a state whose prep football scene isn't well-known to Nittany Lion fans, so there was no hype to live up to. And his actual arrival – the unload-the-car- say-goodbye-to-your-parents part – was equally unceremonious, to hear Franklin tell it. "He told a story to the team [during the Iowa trip] about how his family just dropped him off with all his bags and just left," Franklin said. "To think about that young man who his parents dropped off from Fond du Lac, Wis., five years ago, and to think about how he has matured and grown in every aspect of his life and really a kid and a family who are so ap- preciative of the whole Penn State expe- rience – to me, this is why you do it." That maturation process took a little while. After redshirting as a true fresh- man, Windsor made just one start over the next two years and was still an un- known commodity to those outside the football program heading into his red- shirt junior season. That's when every- thing changed. In 2018, Windsor had an eye-opening year for the Nittany Lions, starting 12 games, finishing with 11 tack- les for loss, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, and winning honorable men- tion All-Big Ten honors. This year, he has continued to shine for one of the country's better defensive lines. In addition to his big night at Iowa, he had five tackles against Buffalo, four against Michigan and an assisted sack vs. Idaho. Through seven games, he was the team's third-leading tackler among defensive linemen with 20 stops. He's been appearing on various draft-related websites, ranking 13th among defensive tackles according to WalterFootball.com and eighth according to DraftTek.com. Windsor's story has resonated with his teammates on the defensive line, many of whom didn't have to wait nearly so long for their opportunity. Sophomore P.J. Mustipher said he was impressed with Windsor's perseverance. "He had to go through the redshirt year. He had to go through the hardships of not play- ing, because when you're not playing, it's tough to watch the team," Mustipher said. "Rob said that he had to overcome a lot of things, and what made him so special is that he realized that he had to overcome things and he was willing to sacrifice to get where he's at today. "I think the most important thing out of that was that he sacrificed and then the next day he was able to go out there and perform the way he did [against Iowa]. I thought that was truly special for him." Added Franklin, "I couldn't be more happy for him. This is how you want the story to play out. He's earned this, he re- ally has. He's earned the respect of his teammates and coaches, and obviously he's gotten better every single year, and this last year he's really put it all to- gether." One of Windsor's classmates, tight end Nick Bowers, has likewise been de- termined to finish what he started in 2015 and has been reaping the benefits of that diligent approach this fall. Bowers' setbacks have been medical. After redshirting as a true freshman, he suffered a leg injury and was forced to sit YARDS AFTER CATCH Bow- ers heads up- field during Penn State's 59-0 victory over Mary- land. The sen- ior tight end had two catches for 70 yards and a touchdown against the Terrapins. Photos by Steve Manuel

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