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sacrifices. I love fried chicken, burgers, stuff like that. I had to cut back on it. And all in all, I'm seeing progress. I was at 12 percent body fat a year ago. I was real big, but now I'm in the 4 or 5 [percent] range. I'm feeling good, and basically doing it to get everything out of this last year that I've got." Even at 188 pounds, Wade figures to pack a wallop. He was one of the de- fense's bigger hitters last season, finish- ing with 67 tackles, including 39 solo stops, and three forced fumbles. It was an eye-opening performance by the for- mer Rivals.com five-star prospect from Clairton, Pa., and it may only have hinted at his potential as a defensive hammer. "I haven't even gotten close to what I can [do] or even close to how hard I can really hit," Wade said. "There's always room to build on top of that. As long as I continue to be aggressive, I feel like I can keep on going." Position coach Tim Banks thinks so, too. Banks said Wade has done a thorough job of learning both safety positions, not just the field safety spot that he played last year, but the boundary position as well. He's also the team's top nickel back, heading up a depth chart that includes fellow defensive backs Daequan Hardy and Keaton Ellis. "Lamont is super smart. He's very mo- tivated. He definitely wants to be the best version of himself that he can possibly be," Banks said. "All the guys respect him because of his knowledge, because of his work ethic. This will be a big year for him from a leadership perspective. He was a guy who, on Saturdays, definitely brought all the energy, and our guys would feed off of him. This year, I expect him to take an- other step in terms of helping the kids prepare throughout the week, getting those guys on the same page during the week so that they're ready to play and can feed off that energy he brings on the weekend. "I'm excited about him. He under- stands the standards and expectations in our room. I understand his energy and what makes him tick, so I think it's been a pretty good marriage, and I think he's really just scratched the surface of how good he can be going into his senior year." One of the motivations for Penn State is to improve on a defense that struggled at times to stop opposing passers last year. The Nittany Lions allowed 251.5 yards per game through the air, ranking 13th in the Big Ten and 100th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Wade said that returning players have been focused on bettering those numbers. "Whenever anything goes on that's not up to the level that we want it to be at, then you've got to do some soul search- ing," he said. "You've got to look at your- self first. And that's something we've been doing, from the coaching staff to the players, looking inside ourselves to see, what we can do better?" If they're successful, they'll have a chance to help elevate Penn State into contention for a Big Ten title and maybe even a spot in the College Football Play- off. And for Wade, the payoff for a big senior season could very well be a spot in the 2021 NFL Draft. But Wade's motivations run a lot deeper than just wanting to achieve ath- letic success. He has a 2-year-old son and wants him to grow up in a better world, one in which the reckoning of the past few months leads to positive change. "I wish he could grow up in an environ- ment where everybody does things through love and peace," Wade said. "That's really crazy to think about, hon- estly, but me being a parent for my son, that's what I have to think, because I wouldn't want anything less." ■ JOE KRENTZMAN & SON, INC. • Buyers and Brokers of Steel, Iron and Nonferrous Metals • Industrial Scrap Buyers • Container Service Available • Large Service Territory Since 1903 Lewistown, PA • Hollidaysburg, PA • DuBois, PA (800) 543-2000 • www.krentzman.net F irst i n S cra p

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