Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/180984
he's a guy who really deserved it, O'Brien " said. "He's a Pennsylvania guy who understands the meaning of playing at Penn State. " O'Brien's latest recruiting class is full of guys like that, some of whom will no doubt have an opportunity to follow in Keiser's footsteps. The Nittany Lions' dwindling scholarship roster – they will be permitted to carry no more than 65 scholarship players from 2014 through 2017 – is all but certain to open doors that might otherwise be closed. One of the team's off-season priorities was to bring in a class of walk-ons – "run-ons" in O'Brien's parlance – who could plug the gaps in the depth chart that are likely to open up when injuries hit and attrition sets in. It's happened before. Both during the Paterno era and under the new coaching staff last season, the Nittany Lions were adept at preparing nonscholarship players for staring roles. The program's all-time interceptions leader is a former walk-on. So is their all-time receptions leader and their second-leading career passer, with Matt McGloin throwing for more than half of his 6,385 career passing yards under the tutelage of O'Brien and quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher. Will it happen again? Will any of the team's newest run-ons have the kind of impact that players such as McGloin, Neal Smith and Deon Butler had during their careers? It's way too early to know for sure, but the early indications are positive. Already this season, freshman run-on Von Walker has wowed the coaching staff and emerged as kick returner. Walker played his high school football at Central Mountain High in Mill Hall, Pa. He averaged 142 rushing yards per game as a senior, thanks in large part to an outrageous game against Bellefonte High in which he gained 362 yards on only 22 carries. A June enrollee, Walker got right down to business in the classroom and continued to turn heads in August. The coaching staff included him on its preseason depth chart as a kick returner, and while O'Brien has been careful to keep expectations realistic – "He's not headed for the Heisman Walker (above) has emerged as a kick-return threat as a true freshman. Lehman (left) was a key contributor at tight end before suffering a knee injury in Penn State's 2013 season opener against Syracuse that brought a premature end to his college career. McGloin (right) set an assortment of school records as a senior, including the record for most passing yards in a season. ROCK-STAR RUN-ONS Photos by Steve Manuel