Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD TIM OWEN | OWEN.TIM.BWI@ G M A I L . C O M Wrestling with linebacker depth I nside the same State College apartment, watching the same television, Glenn Carson and Mike Hull tuned in to the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 23. The former wrestlers wanted to see Penn State win its third consecutive team title and also see their buddy David Taylor square off against Kyle Dake in a historic bout that had been advertised like a pay-per-view main event. Carson, a New Jersey state champ, and Hull, a standout at Pennsylvania powerhouse Canon-McMillan, could appreciate a match of that magnitude, a once-in-a-generation ocurrance in college wrestling. ���I thought Taylor had him when he got that quick ankle pick at the beginning of the match,��� said Carson, relying on his wrestling lingo as he recounted Taylor���s 5-4 loss in the 165-pound final. ���I���m actually real good friends with David Taylor and I think he���s a great wrestler. I think he had a great season, just [considering what] he���s done for the sport of wrestling.��� Carson and Hull aren���t marked with cauliflower ear and maybe their wrestling careers didn���t carry over into college, but they���re still part of the wrestling community. No one can take that away from them, and they will always be fans of the sport. They endured grueling practice sessions inside ���sweat box��� wrestling rooms, as Carson has called them, and spent countless high school weekends at daylong tournaments. Both have felt the glory of victory, but they���ve also been stricken with defeat. And as most wrestlers would say, no loss stings like one that comes on a wrestling mat. It���s a sport in which there���s no one to blame but yourself. The losses dig deep ��� ask Taylor ��� but they also strengthen the soul. Carson and Hull are going to have to draw on that wrestling fortitude on the football field this fall and duplicate the accountability they used to show on the mat. Heading into spring practice, the cupboards at Linebacker U are as empty as they have been in years, and it will primarily be up to Carson and Hull to make them appear a little more full. Carson is entering his senior season and his third as Penn State���s starting middle linebacker. Hull, an outside linebacker, is preparing for his first year as a full-time starter after being the defense���s highly efficient utility man in 2012. They are the only two linebackers at Penn State who return with any substantial playing time. Ben Kline has a year of special teams under his belt, but he���s recovering from minor shoulder surgery. Nyeem Wartman could be the next stud linebacker at Penn State, but he���s still unproven. Both are brimming with potential. Aside from those four, however, the preseason linebacker depth chart will be comprised strictly of ���run-ons,��� unknown sophomore Gary Wooten and incoming freshman Brandon Bell. (Zayd Issah would have been included, too, but by now, we know why he won���t.) That means in 2013 ��� a down year, as far as linebacker numbers go ��� the pressure will be on former matmen Carson and Hull to carry out the legendary tradition of Penn State���s linebackers. After seven combined high school wrestling seasons (Hull didn���t wrestle his junior year due to injury), that���s a burden they should be prepared to carry. Wrestlers have a mental toughness like few others. Even the bloodylipped, black-eyed 125-pounders appear to have hearts the size of 300pounders���. In fact, strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald will often pair up his football players during off-season workouts. Starting from their knees, they will wrestle ��� sort of a Greco-Roman style ��� until one throws the other to his back. Fitzgerald has said the mono-a-mono competition inspires a more intense workout environment and fuels the competitive soul. That���s one of Carson���s favorite workouts. Last year, he would often be paired against Gerald Hodges, another former high school wrestler, and their teammates would hype it up more than any other matchup. Carson would win. ���I was kinda better,��� he humbly conceded. He still has it. In fact, Carson is still pretty confident that he could compete at the Division I level. He doesn���t have to prove that, though. He does, however, have to prove that he���s capable of being a leader of Penn State���s defense and the ringleader of the linebacker corps. Hull has his duties, too. While Carson���s style of play shores up the middle of the defense, Hull will be relied on to provide a spark and sideline-to-sideline playmaking capabilities. They also have to stay healthy. That���s of major importance, because if they can be effective in nearly every game, people will quickly forget about the lack of depth at Linebacker U. It will take some toughness, but if there���s a pair to handle it, it���s Carson and Hull. Last fall, Ron Vanderlinden was asked to describe Carson���s play. ���When you look at Glenn Carson,��� he replied, ���just think of that state champion wrestler in New Jersey and that says it all.��� That���s exactly who ��� along with that standout from Canon-McMillan ��� Vanderlinden will have to depend on to lead his linebacker corps this fall.

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