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one back, no tights. He's gotta be a pretty special cat." SECONDARY KEY PERSONNEL CB: Adrian Amos (Sr.), Da'Quan Davis (Jr.), Jordan Lucas (Jr.), Anthony Smith (So.), Jordan Smith (So.), Trevor Williams (Jr.); S: Jesse Della Valle (R-Sr.), Kasey Gaines (R-Fr.), Malik Golden (R-So.), Ryan Keiser (R-Sr.) LOSSES Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, Mal- colm Willis THE GOOD Three starters are back, in- cluding Lucas, who had a breakout season in 2013, ranking third on the team with 65 tackles and tying for the team lead with three interceptions. Franklin has said every starting position is up for grabs, but if anyone on defense has his 9rst- team spot on lockdown, it's the junior cornerback. THE BAD Aside from the three returning starters – Amos, Lucas and Keiser – this position unit is not overflowing with experience. Golden, Della Valle and Davis have seen their share of playing time, but it's likely that Penn State will turn to a combination of first- and sec- ond-year players to complement the starters. SPRING STORYLINE There's been some talk of Amos moving back to safety. Last fall, he got a tryout at the position, where his penchant for physical play certainly came in handy. But he was eventually moved back to his original position when the Lions struggled to find a replacement at cornerback. An- other storyline involves second-year players Anthony Smith, Jordan Smith and Gaines. Are they ready to step up and make an impact? SPECIAL TEAMS KEY PERSONNEL PK: Sam Ficken (Sr.); P/PK: Chris Gulla (R-Fr.); H Ryan Keiser (R-Sr.), KR: Von Walker (So.), Eugene Lewis (R-So.); PR: Jesse Della Valle (R- Sr.), Von Walker (So.) LOSSES P: Alex Butterworth THE GOOD Penn State's special teams Following the 2013 season, Pry was approached about becoming head coach at Georgia Southern, a program that has won six Division I- AA national championships and is getting set to enter the Football Bowl Subdivision this fall as a mem- ber of the Sun Belt Conference. But he turned down the opportunity, opting to stay with Franklin regard- less of whether the sta8 was headed to another school or was staying at Vanderbilt for a fourth season. In early January, he got a call from his boss asking him to come by the house. Franklin instructed him to pull into the driveway and enter through the garage because there were reporters waiting outside. Once inside, Franklin said, simply, "We're going." Now that they're here, the e8ort to build a championship-caliber pro- gram is under way. As a Pennsylva- nia native, Pry grew up with a deep appreciation for Linebacker U's sto- ried past. Indeed, he said, "I hope to add to that storied past." "What's important to me? Funda- mentals, mentality, loyalty, tough- ness. Those are things I've coached for 20 years, whether I was coach- ing the D-line, defensive backs or linebackers. So the things that are important to me are the things that a Penn State linebacker embodies. We'll have a chance to build on that. "I feel extremely proud and privi- leged to be in this position," he added. "I recognize that it's seen as a premier linebacker job in the coun- try. You can go in anybody's home, anybody's school, coast to coast, and be recognized as the linebackers coach at Penn State. We have a chance to recruit coast to coast and get the best linebackers in the coun- try, and they may also be in our backyard. That's very advanta- geous." Emotionally and geographically, Pry's journey to University Park has been something akin to a round trip. He still has family in the Altoona area and is eager to spend more time with them now that he's living just down the road. Last summer, before the Penn State job was a thought in anyone's mind, he had a chance to reconnect with his brothers during a trip to central Pennsylvania. Pry has a wife and three children, and as part of their trip, they went camping along the Juniata River. "We 7shed and shot the guns and those kind of things," he said. "It's great to be back." T R E P O R T BRENT PRY LINEBACKERS COACH "I feel extremely proud and privileged to be in this position. I recog- nize that it's seen as a premier linebacker job in the country." Mark Selders/ Penn State Athletics

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