Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1366480
>> tually learning from each other and learn- ing new things each and every day," Washington said. "Getting this time in spring ball is really helping us, because we didn't necessarily get that chemistry last year. You can definitely see it in the whole receiving room. Everybody is just con- necting now, so it's looking really good and I'm excited for it." As exciting as it's been, the receiver corps is still a work in progress, and the coaches are continuing to tinker with their personnel. Liking their depth at cor- nerback, they gave Marquis Wilson an audition at WR this spring, a move that could turn out to be permanent. Also, they reportedly expressed interest in Arkansas wideout Michael Woods after he entered the transfer portal in late April. Woods, who caught 80 passes for 1,205 yards in three seasons with the Razor- backs, ended up choosing Oklahoma. But those aren't the moves of a team that's fully satisfied with the status quo. TIGHT END While it would be hard to frame Pat Freiermuth's season-ending shoulder injury as anything other than a huge disappointment, both to the All-Big Ten tight end and the team as a whole, it did allow the coaches to take an extended look at Brenton Strange and Theo John- son last fall. Both players made a strong first impression, particularly Strange, who started five games and finished fourth on the team with 17 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Franklin said he sees the tight ends as being crucial to everything Penn State wants to do this fall because of their po- sitional flexibility. "You can line up in traditional spread sets or put those guys in the backfield or connected to the offensive line," he said. "Being multiple is something that's al- ways been important to me as a former offensive coordinator and as an offensive head coach. That's what we'd like to get back to doing." OFFENSIVE LINE Everything is looking good at tackle, with starters Rasheed Walker and Caedan Wallace both return- ing. Walker was singled out for praise sev- eral times by the coaching staff this spring. He could have entered the draft this year but instead opted for one more season of Phil Trautwein's coaching and approached his off-season work with the intensity of a man who knows he's got a chance to de- velop into a very good NFL prospect. "Since I decided to come back, I felt like I took a big step in the way I've been at- tacking things like workouts, practice, meetings, lifts," he said. "I really attacked winter workouts, and it's just all starting to translate. Coach Traut emphasizes having that dog mentality in everything we do and just doing everything with a purpose. So I think that's where that's coming from, just being intentional with everything I do, every step I take, every move I make." The middle of the line is still a bit of a jumble, with Mike Miranda, Juice Scruggs, Des Holmes, Anthony Whigan, Sal Wormley and some of the team's younger linemen vying for spots on the depth chart. Miranda started at center in both open practices, and he's a good bet HOT PURSUIT Tariq Castro-Fields chases down receiver Daniel George during a practice session earlier this spring. Photo by Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics