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with 17 receptions for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He thinks he has more to give, though, when it comes to making plays after the catch. "I think about it a lot," Strange said. "Honestly, that's a part of my game that I want to work on a lot. Last year, I felt like I caught a couple balls that I could have made some plays on, but I just didn't at the time. That's something that I'm going to work on, and I expect my game to be better after the catch this year." In line with a Penn State offense that leaned heavily on its rushing attack to win games late in the 2020 season, the major- ity of Strange's usage came as a run- blocker. Pro Football Focus gave Strange better ratings in the passing game, though. He converted on all but three of his 20 targets last season and didn't have any drops. He was also a bit better as a pass blocker ac- cording to PFF, which gave him a 72.0 rat- ing there as opposed to a 49.8 rating as a run blocker. "Honestly, even out of high school, I felt like a receiver who can block really well – a hard-nosed receiver who can block very well," Strange said. Strange said he thought that both he and Johnson blocked well last year, meeting the challenge that they were called upon to accept following Freier- muth's decision to undergo season- ending shoulder surgery after playing in only four games. "I think me and Theo did a great job blocking, coming in and blocking, doing what we had to do for our run," Strange said. "I think honestly that us developing as blockers came with how Pat went down and just being students of the game and listening to some stuff that he had to say." Strange said he will derive plenty of les- sons from Freiermuth's influence, espe- cially when it comes to preparation. Freiermuth's view of the game, the way he studies and his general knowledge of the game will all be traits Strange looks to emulate. Physically, Strange has qualities that excite Penn State's coaching staff. He's listed at 6-foot-3, 246 pounds this spring, and new tight ends coach Ty Howle praised his physical play and quickness last month. "Brenton Strange did a great job last year stepping in," Howle said. "He's got- ten better and better every day. He has good short-area quickness and really does some nice things with the ball in his hands, and he knows how to play physi- cal." Now, Strange's task is to parlay all of that into a breakout season. "It's an opportunity that presents itself, and I'm happy to get that chance," he said. "I'm going to keep getting better. That's what I've been doing all off-season – getting better to fill those shoes." ■ Penn State launches program aimed at soliciting fans' opinions Penn State's athletic department announced in March that it was launching a program to solicit input from fans. The Nittany Lion Feedback program is being established to engage and listen to fans about their experiences and thoughts surrounding Penn State's 31 teams. The feedback program will be a virtual initiative consisting of a group of 2,000 total fans, across multiple demographics, who will be asked for input via online surveys one or two times per month throughout the year. Penn State said the Nittany Lion Feedback Program will be focused on im- proving conversation and understanding of fans' needs and preferences. In its news release announcing the program, the university outlined four goals: • Allow for a better "You Said, We Listened" communication format over the long term. • Gain highly representative feedback from all corners of the Penn State fan base. • Pilot new ideas, projects or methods prior to implementation. • Focus the athletic department's time and resources on initiatives that mat- ter most to fans. The Nittany Lion Feedback Program will have one-year terms, following the academic and athletic calendars, with the inaugural term running from March 2021 to May 2022, due to the program launch timing. Members of the program may have the opportunity to participate for additional years. Select fans were expected to begin receiving email invitations in late March offering an opportunity to apply for the program. Penn State said the athletic department is taking steps to make the Nittany Lion Feedback Program as representative of the entire fan base as possible. Fans chosen for invitation will be spread across season-ticket holders, students, recent grads, group buyers and more. Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive athletic depart- ments, featuring 31 programs, approximately 800 student-athletes and an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 92 percent. The Nittany Lions have won 79 team national championships all-time and 115 Big Ten titles since 1992-93. ■

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