Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1464375
M A Y 2 0 2 2 2 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M All three key contributors from 2021 are back in the mix. Redshirt junior Brenton Strange and sophomore Theo Johnson are going to lead the group. They're joined by sophomore Tyler Warren, who showed last year that he can be used in a variety of different ways. It wouldn't be unfair to say that the tight ends were a bit of a disappoint- ment for Penn State last year. But there's no question that PSU has amassed enough talent for this group to be a bigger and more productive part of the offense in 2022. Just how Howle, Yur- cich and their fellow coaches will make that happen is one of the top storylines of not just the spring but also the year ahead in general. Even modest gains as pass catchers and blockers will go a long way toward ensuring the offense func- tions better than it did a year ago. This room also now includes Janu- ary enrollee Jerry Cross in addition to redshirt freshman Khalil Dinkins. Cross looks every bit of the 250 pounds he's listed at. But he missed some playing time late in his high school career and undoubtedly has some on-field learning and off-field growth in his future. Offensive Linemen This is, undoubtedly, the one posi- tion group that will be talked about much differently in August as opposed to now. That's because position coach Phil Trautwein has lots to figure out, and not every piece of the puzzle is on campus yet. Numbers are a problem along the offensive line for Penn State this spring. Franklin rattled off a two-deep back when drills began. It included a con- verted defensive tackle — redshirt junior Alex Furmanek — and a backup tackle — redshirt sophomore Jimmy Christ — who hasn't been seen doing much this spring. The top five do appear to be sta- ble, however, at least for now. From left to right, it includes sophomore tackle Olu Fashanu, redshirt freshman guard Landon Tengwall, senior center Juice Scruggs, redshirt junior guard Sal Wormley and redshirt junior tackle Caedan Wallace. Four members of that quintet played in the Outback Bowl. The one who didn't — Wormley — is coming off an injury that forced him to miss the entire season, and it's not yet clear how far along he is in his recovery. He was be- ing touted as a potential starter about a year ago at this time. The other key to the puzzle is Hunter Nourzad. The Cornell transfer, an FCS second-team All-American, isn't on campus to work with this group yet, but he figures to have a home in it, as either a starter or key re- serve, by the fall. Then, with the second team, it's mostly made up of guys looking to take a huge step forward this spring. Besides Christ, it includes three sophomores: Golden Israel-Achumba and Nick Dawkins at guard and Ibrahim Traore at tackle. None of those three have seen significant game reps, while center JB Nelson only has seen them at the junior college level. "Obviously, there will be some moving parts," Franklin said. "A lot of those guys we think can play multiple positions. We saw Landon play tackle [as a true fresh- man]. Juice can play guard. So, there are going to be some moving parts. "Caedan Wallace is a guy who we think could play either side at tackle. It will be a very important spring for those guys." ■ Senior interior lineman Juice Scruggs is one of the holdovers from last year's offensive front. He's expected to be the Lions' starting center this year. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR