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hear that, it gives me extra motivation to keep pushing through." Olaniyan has been home a few times to see Nahla in Michigan, but he admits that making the six-and-a-half-hour trip while balancing Division I football responsibilities can be painfully difficult. Ironically, Olaniyan had the opportunity to stay close to home after high school. He had scholarship offers from Michi- gan and Michigan State but chose the Nittany Lions instead. There are no regrets, because even if the NFL doesn't work out, he'll have a Penn State degree. "I told my parents that Penn State might be the place," Olaniyan said, recalling his recruitment. "They said, 'We're right by Michigan State, we're by Michigan, you don't want to stay home?' I told them that the distance is not a factor. In high school, I was never home, I always was out at practice, so it's not going to make much of a difference." And maybe after this season, all that – the mile-and-a-half walks home, the late nights at Warren Mott, the long days in the Lasch Building, the daylong drives to see Nahla – will pay off. I | LETTERMEN RETURNING DE: Deion Barnes*, Brad Bars, Anthony Zettel, C.J. Olaniyan*; DT: Kyle Baublitz, DaQuan Jones* LETTERMEN LOST DE: Pete Massaro, Sean Stanley; DT: Cody Castor, Jordan Hill, James Terry RISING STAR Expectations for Barnes are still rising, but as the team's sack leader in 2012 (and recipient of the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year trophy), he's already the star of the defensive line. Instead, this honor goes to Austin Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 297-pound redshirt freshman tackle from Galloway, N.J. Coaches and teammates raved about Johnson's athleticism throughout spring practice, and he has positioned himself to battle Baublitz, a 6-5, 286-pound redshirt junior, for the starting tackle spot left vacant by Hill. Which brings us to... BIGGEST LOSS Hill was the unquestioned anchor of the defensive line last year. He earned All-Big Ten honors in 2012 and finished with 64 tackles, 8.5 of which were for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. Picked 87th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Draft three months ago, he'll be sorely missed, as will Massaro and Stanley, who were strong leaders for the entire defense. NUMBERS GAME Penn State was strong against the run last year, allowing only 130.1 yards per game – fifth-best in the Big Ten and 23rd-best nationally. The Lions also did an effective job of pressuring opposing quarterbacks, leading the Big Ten and tying for 15th nationally with an average of 2.83 sacks per game. That number is largely due to Barnes. He had six sacks in his first season of action, nearly equaling the combined total of Zettel, Olaniyan, Baublitz and Jones (6.5). OUTLOOK Barnes has attributed much of his success last year to Hill, noting that the senior would often flush the quarterback out of the pocket, directly into his sights. Now, veteran defensive line coach Larry Johnson must find someone to fill Hill's role. Jones is looking to improve his pass rush, but the pressure doesn't necessarily DEFENSIVE END NO 86 31 94 NAME C.J. Olaniyan Brad Bars Evan Schwan YR Jr. Jr. Fr. HT 6-3 6-3 6-3 WT 251 248 242 Sr. Fr. Jr. 6-3 6-3 6-4 318 308 265 Jr. Fr. Fr. 6-5 6-4 6-3 286 297 279 So. So. 6-4 6-5 249 257 DEFENSIVE TACKLE 91 53 88 DaQuan Jones Derek Dowrey Tyrone Smith DEFENSIVE TACKLE 84 99 72 Kyle Baublitz Austin Johnson Brian Gaia DEFENSIVE END 18 98 Deion Barnes Anthony Zettel have to come from the defensive tackle spot. Another QB-pressuring defensive end would be a huge asset to the Nittany Lions. The talent pool consists of Zettel, Olaniyan and Bars. Zettel had four sacks in 2012 – two of which came vs. Navy – while Olaniyan and Bars enjoyed outstanding spring practice sessions. Regardless of whether they split time at the position or one of those players emerges as the main guy, Barnes will need some help if he's going to build upon the success he experienced as a redshirt freshman. * Starting experience in 2012 John Beale

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