Blue White Illustrated

fortunately for Kline, his contact was limited and he was forced to sit out during team scrimmages. Instead of going head-first into the drills, Kline took a step back, made mental notes and paid close attention to the minutia of Ron Vanderlinden's coaching techniques. A native of Silver Valley, Pa., who tallied a 4.0 grade point average during the spring semester, Kline said the visual reps helped him understand Penn State's defense in a more comprehensive way. "I was watching a lot of film. I picked up a lot at practice and just listened to Coach Van talk to people and explain things," he said. "That made me a lot more experienced. I also listened to Coach [John] Butler, and that helped me pick things up a bit easier. … It definitely makes everything fit together a little better and make a little more sense." While Kline was on the sideline healing, redshirt freshman Nyeem Wartman was gunning for Hodges' vacant starting spot. Wartman had missed all but the first two games of the 2012 season with a hyperextended knee, but he was fully healthy and then some throughout spring practice. After a standout performance during the BlueWhite Game, Wartman was put atop Penn State's official depth chart at outside linebacker, next to Glenn Carson and Mike Hull. Heading into preseason practice, it looks as though those three will make up Vanderlinden's starting unit. Kline was disappointed to miss out on the position battle during spring practice, but because Penn State lacks depth, he will be a part of the linebacker rotation, regardless of whether he starts. And Kline has every intention of pushing Wartman for playing time once he's medically cleared. He expects to receive that clearance in time for preseason camp in August. "Nyeem is a great guy. Nyeem is tough," Kline said. "The competition is good, and it makes us both better. It makes all of us better. … "Being sidelined in general was difficult, but everything here's a competition – not just between me and Nyeem, but between everybody and everything." I | LETTERMEN RETURNING Glenn Carson*, Mike Hull*, Ben Kline LETTERMEN LOST Gerald Hodges*, Michael Mauti*, Jamie Van Fleet, Michael Yancich RISING STAR Nyeem Wartman burst onto the scene last year with a blocked punt in Penn State's opener against Ohio and looked as if he was headed for a breakout freshman year. But the next week at Virginia, he suffered a hyperextended knee and missed the remainder of the season. He was granted a medical hardship redshirt by the NCAA, so he still has four years of eligibility. If his performance in the BlueWhite Game was any indication, that breakout freshman season might only have been delayed for a year. BIGGEST LOSS No position group on Penn State's team took a bigger offseason hit than the linebackers. Mauti was an All-American, and Hodges was a tackling machine who was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. With those two stalwarts both now playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Penn State has some major holes to fill. And its concerns are magnified by the absence of Khari Fortt. While Fortt's transfer to Cal last summer didn't have much of an impact on the Lions in 2012 (or on the Golden Bears, for that matter; Fortt missed the season with a knee injury), his former team will no doubt miss him this fall. NUMBERS GAME More like number game. Carson is set to begin his third year as the Lions' starting middle linebacker. The rest of the linebackers? They have only one start between them, and that was when Hull filled in for Mauti during the last game of the 2012 season. OUTLOOK This season could pose the biggest challenge of Ron Vanderlinden's career. Graduation and other circumstances have left the veteran linebackers coach with a depleted GLENN CARSON Steve Manuel OUTSIDE LINEBACKER NO 43 38 NAME Mike Hull Ben Kline YR Jr. So. HT 6-0 6-2 WT 226 227 Sr. Fr. 6-3 6-2 240 233 Fr. Fr. 6-1 240 5-11 235 INSIDE LINEBACKER 40 8 Glenn Carson Gary Wooten OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 5 30 Nyeem Wartman Charles Idemudia depth chart, and he'll have to be cautious in practice throughout the season. It can't be emphasized strongly enough: Health is of the utmost importance at these three positions. An injury to one of the top guys could severely complicate life for the defense and force a run-on or true freshman into action. And if the Lions have to rely on a first-year guy or a run-on, Vanderlinden will definitely be earning his paycheck by getting them prepared. * Starting experience in 2012

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