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pounds on the squat – his "training weight" – Fries captured Galt's atten- tion this winter. "He's a guy who came in running a 5.5, not very strong," Galt said. "He's in his fifth year and has just done a tremen- dous job building his body up and get- ting himself in position to be an elite player." Elsewhere, Des Holmes broke the of- fensive line's power-clean record with a 375-pound lift, passing Evan Galimberti's mark of 370 set in the summer of 2015. And Caedan Wallace hit 400 pounds on the bench press, inching closer to Connor McGovern's third-place mark of 440 set in the summer of 2018. Of the new arrivals, Galt said former Rivals.com three-star Nick Dawkins had made an early impression. "He's a joy to work with and he's just a grinder," Galt said. "He's a low-key guy, but he just brings it every day." TIGHT END Galt had plenty to say about Pat Freiermuth, but his take on redshirt freshman Brenton Strange was also worth noting. Strange, he said, has put on 35 pounds since his arrival just over a year ago, calling his gains "miraculous." "Brenton was 246 today when he weighed in," Galt said. "He was like 207, 208, something like that" when he came to Penn State last year. Freiermuth, meanwhile, continues to challenge the program's best perform- ances at the tight end spot. He hit 380 pounds in the bench press, 350 on the power clean and 540 on the squat. His 350-pound power clean matched his mark from last summer, while his 540- pound squat moved him into third place in the category. "He's in here every day just grinding," Galt said. "He's always been driven. He's always wanted to be great. But right now, he kind of tasted that success last year and he's not a guy to be content on his laurels at all." WIDE RECEIVER Galt didn't talk much about this position group, but one true freshman – KeAndre Lambert-Smith – did catch his eye during winter work- outs. Lambert-Smith was benching about 230 pounds when he arrived but is now up to 280. "So he's gone up 45 pounds in seven and a half weeks, which is pretty darn area athleticism," predicting that con- tinued development will enable him to "become one of the more produc- tive defenders in the league." Gross-Matos said he's will- ing to put in the work to reach his potential at the NFL level. "My work ethic speaks for itself and, you know, I want to bring the same thing to those kinds of pro- grams," he said. "I'm kind of wild at times. I play like I really want to get to the ball. If you ask my coaches, I've been an effort guy all my life, so that's how I de- scribe my game." Gross-Matos ac- knowledged that he's been compared to other players over the years, but he isn't inter- ested in doing so himself. "I don't really compare myself to anybody else," he said. "Coach [Sean] Spencer in college used to always tell me my work ethic was something of its own, and that's kind of how it's been." JOHN REID As a senior last fall, Reid finished with eight pass breakups and a pair of interceptions to go along with 37 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. The veteran cornerback said that one of his goals in Indi- anapolis was to show "my love for the game." "How much I love football and the things that I've sac- rificed and the competitiveness that I have – that goes along with my love for the game," he said. "My prepara- tion and everything like that, I think that's all a part of it." Reid checked in at 5- 10, 187 pounds. He ran a 4.49-second 40 and a 3.97-second shuttle run, posted 20 reps in the bench press and had a 36.5-inch ver- tical leap. Zierlein liked his competi- tive drive and football IQ but added that "physical limitations could cap his ceil- ing." Reid said he appreciated the chance to prove himself to the assembled scouts. "I'm truly excited because it's a life- changing experience and it's a way for me to both be able to put my family in a better situation and to be able to do what I love to do," he said. "It's just a blessing, and I'm grateful for the oppor- tunity to be here." ROBERT WINDSOR Even before step- ping on the field for his senior season as a Nittany Lion, Windsor was deter- mined to live and prepare as though he were already in the NFL. He notched 40 tackles, five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, earning a third-team All-Big Ten nod from the conference coaches and honorable mention honors from the media. Standing 6-4, 290 pounds, Windsor ran a 4.9-second 40 and 4.44-second shuttle at the combine, performed 21 reps in the bench press and had a 28.5- inch vertical jump. Zierlein praised his aggressiveness and above-average agility once in the pocket, but added that he's undersized for an interior line- man at the NFL level. Windsor will "need to get bigger and better with his hands to have a shot at making a team," the NFL.com analyst concluded. ■ YETUR GROSS- MATOS Steve Manuel

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