Blue White Illustrated

RYAN'S TAKE The Nittany Lions will always be on the lookout for a premier tight end, but so far, no prospect has been sufficiently impressive as to convince O'Brien and assistant coach John Strollo to extend an offer before seeing the complete film of their junior season. The prospects who have visited include Chris Clark of Avon, Conn., C.J. Conrad of La Grange, Ohio, and Jake Kingera of Pickerington, Ohio. Of those three, Clark appears to have the most potential, but we'll be watching all of them closely this spring. OFFENSIVE LINE RETURNING PLAYERS Miles Dieffenbach (Sr.), Garry Gilliam (Sr.), Anthony Alosi (R-Jr.), Angelo Mangiro (R-Jr.), Donovan Smith (R-Jr.), Wendy Laurent (R-So.), Tanner Hartman (R-Fr.), Brendan Mahon (R-Fr.), Andrew Nelson (R-Fr.), and Noah Beh (Fr.) OUTLOOK Adam Gress, Ty Howle, Eric Shrive and John Urschel will be gone after the 2013 season, and Dieffenbach and Gilliam will be seniors in 2014. Beh will be joining the team next year, but even with his addition, it's possible the Lions will have only seven scholarship offensive linemen on their roster prior to signing day in 2015. That's why BWI expects Penn State to recruit four or five offensive linemen that year. 2015 OFFERS Ryan Bates, Warminster, Pa.; Austin Clark, Lexington, Va.; Tristen Hoge, Pocatello, Idaho; Sterling Jenkins, Pittsburgh; Grant Newsome, Lawrenceville, N.J.; Richie Petitbon, Washington D.C.; Drew Richmond, Memphis, Tenn. RYAN'S TAKE Penn State was fortunate to get several four-star offensive linemen to camp with Mac McWhorter this past summer. Seeing linemen up close is extremely important in the scouting process, as players at these positions tend to be among the more difficult ones to evaluate. Having them on campus allowed the staff to extend offers to several top prospects very early in the process, including Petitbon, Bates, Newsome and Clark. The staff is in an excellent position with Bates and also with Jenkins, a potential five-star player. Bates could potentially make an early commitI ment this coming spring. Injuries can be blessings in disguise enn State's Class of 2014 just can't seem to catch a break. No, there wasn't a mass exodus after the Ohio State game. That game is another story for another day. I'm talking about the injury problems that the Nittany Lions' 15 committed players have experienced. Three weeks ago, defensive back DaQuan Worley became the fourth verbally committed player to suffer a major injury in the past two years when he went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It was unfortunate for many reasons, as he had been having as impressive a season as anyone on Penn State's radar. Two other recruits – defensive back Marcus Allen and running back Johnathan Thomas – went down with season-ending injuries in late September. Thomas, like Worley, tore an ACL, while Allen suffered torn ankle ligaments. Running back Mark Allen tore his ACL during his junior season, and while he's been back on the field this fall, he hasn't carried the ball nearly as much as he did before the injury. These injuries are problematic for a Penn State football team that needs its freshmen to contribute early in their careers – if not on offense or defense, then at least on special teams. After Worley's injury, there was a lot of concern among members of the Blue White Illustrated message board community. Initially, I found myself in agreement with many of the comments. But the more I thought about everything, the more I realized that in certain cases, these setbacks could be blessings in disguise. Consider the case of freshman Adam Breneman, who tore his ACL in the summer of 2012. The nation's top tight end at the time, Breneman was of course disappointed at the prospect of having to miss his senior season and go P through rehab. But he knew he wasn't going to lose his scholarship offer, and the realization that he could still achieve his dream made the ninemonth rehab ordeal much easier to accept. It made everything less of a grind. I'm not sure that's the case when injuries such as these happen to college freshmen. Sure, having trainers just a few hundred feet away in the football facilities is extremely helpful. But there are pressures and temptations all around you when you're a college freshman. Once your daily routine has been disrupted by a serious injury, it's not hard to fall behind academically or get too wrapped up in the social scene. There are also medical consequences to consider. When a player is coming back from a serious injury he suffered in high school, the strength and conditioning staff has a better idea of what he can handle physically once he is able to start a Division I strength training program. Over the years, plenty of ligament injuries have occurred during conditioning and practice sessions, so having an understanding of previous injuries helps prevent them from recurring when it really matters. Going forward, both Thomas and Worley may benefit from the mindset that rehab will be one of their only worries, while Marcus Allen should be completely healthy by next June. All four of these young men have aspirations that go beyond college stardom. They also want to make it to the NFL eventually. Sometimes, these types of situations provide a reality check of sorts. Players see their dreams flash before their eyes and are less inclined to take things for granted. They work that much harder because they realize nothing is guaranteed. Just ask Adam Breneman. He's living I that dream right now.

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