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minished as the season progressed and young tight ends Jesse James and Kyle Carter began to get more playing time. The rise of young players like James and Carter helps explain why, going into his fifth season at Penn State, Gilliam has decided to shift down a spot on the line of scrimmage and begin his career as an offensive lineman. "I saw that we had a lot of depth at tight end, a lot of great players, and offensive tackle was kind of shallow," he said. "I knew I could gain weight and get stronger and contribute at that position – not only for the team, but as a benefit to myself, too. After my ACL injury, I lost a lot of speed and agility, SEE GILLIAM PAGE 63 | p until last season, Adam Gress had always wondered. If players at most positions rotate throughout the game as coaches make adjustments to deal with specific situations, then why don't offensive linemen? "It seemed like no matter what team you were playing for or whatever school you were at, every position rotated except offensive line," he said. At Penn State, that is no longer the case. Since the GRESS Nittany Lions lured Mac McWhorter out of retirement in 2012, a new philosophy has taken root. No longer do the same five linemen stay on the field throughout the game, taking part in 60 or 70 plays in an afternoon. During the upcoming season, McWhorter hopes to develop a rotation that will allow eight or even nine linemen to see meaningful game action. The idea is to keep the energy level high and the injury count low. Penn State will have its five primary starters: Donovan Smith (left tackle), Miles Dieffenbach (left guard), Ty Howle (center), John Urschel (right guard) and Gress (right tackle), according to the official depth chart that was issued prior to the start of preseason drills. But the Lions will also have a few viable backups who can play several positions. In order to keep all of them as fresh as possible, McWhorter wants them all ready to play. "It allows us to substitute during games," Gress said. "With the way we run our offense – we get into the fast pace, we're running play after play after play – guys are going to get tired, especially on hot days. It definitely allows us to rotate in a little bit and do things like that. It also helps us in keeping our breath and maintaining our pace throughout the entire game." In order for his strategy to be feasible, McWhorter requires the proper mix of personnel, and he believes he has it this year. There is a wealth of experience along the Nittany Lion offensive front. The projected starting five has 50 combined career starts, and three of the backups played in every game in 2012, including redshirt sophomore Angelo Mangiro. "It was really important for us to get playing time last year and get experience," said the native of Roxbury, N.J. "It's just an advantage we have now. With Coach Mac, part of his philosophy is getting guys in, keeping guys fresh. So everyone on the line is working their butt off to be ready for when their time is called." McWhorter said that's been the most encouraging part. So far, each lineman has been willing to accept his role within the rotation, while they all continue to make a push for added playing time. He said the competitive drive of the core group, paired with the players' camaraderie, almost makes his job easy. "They're a great bunch to work with," McWhorter said. "They're good-character kids who really work hard, blue collar, tough kids who want to be good. So we'll just keep pushing them in the right direction." Added Mangiro, "I think it helps that the whole offensive line is really close, too, and there aren't issues between any of us." Mangiro said the chemistry up front is a result of the example the upperclassmen have set. During his media day news conference, O'Brien lauded the leadership that permeates the offensive line. He pointed to Howle, Urschel and Gress as leaders of not just the line, but the entire offense, and said he has confidence in the entire unit's potential. SEE ROTATION PAGE 63

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